Women Entrepreneurship in Smallholder Oil Palm Farming Families in the Ethnic of Minangkabau, Indonesia
Rudi Febriamansyah (a), Yuerlita (b*), Jendrius (c), Rozidateno Putri Hanida (d)

a) Department of Development Studies, Graduate School, Universitas Andalas, Limau Manis, Padang, Indonesia
b) Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Andalas, Limau Manis Padang, Indonesia. yuerlita[at]agr.unand.ac.id
c) Faculty of Social and Political Science, Universitas Andalas, Limau Manis, Padang, Indonesia
d) Administrative Science Doctoral Program at Faculty of Administrative Science Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia

Abstract

The high role of women in household economic efforts is typical in rural agricultural life, including in oil palm farming families. Rural families carry out small-scale oil palm farming because it reasonably gives higher income than other commodities. Often the oil palm plantations cultivated are commodities that replace other commodities such as rubber plantations or other perennial crops. With this crop change, there has been a shift in the role of women in family farming activities, which are generally entrepreneurial activities. This study explores the role of women in families who cultivate small-scale oil palms in Minangkabau ethnic group in Dharmasraya Regency, Indonesia. Exploration of the character and potential of entrepreneurship in the Minangkabau ethnic group was carried out using quantitative methods by using questionnaires and qualitatively through FGDs, and in-depth interviews. The the study shows that most women from oil palm farming families have participated in various forms of entrepreneurship, starting from their own businesses such as stalls and the like, as well as joint ventures in the form of kongsi julo-julo and as members of cooperatives. In addition to income contribution for households, Minangkabau women engage in entrepreneurship because of independency, and hard work to run own business rather than as workers. The individual and social entrepreneurial character of women in the Minangkabau has strongly contribute to their entrepreneurial activity. The potential for developing women^s entrepreneurship in smallholder oil-palm farm families is essential to be developed, especially concerning their efforts to build household food security.

Keywords: conversion of rubber, oil palm smallholder, farming activities, gender analysis, entrepreneurship

Topic: Development Studies and Humanities