Farmer preference for marginal land use and their impact on soil quality Rachmat Zainuddin, Danang Widjajanto, Bunga Elim Somba, Abdul Rahman, Rosmaniar Gailea, Sufyan, Mutmainnah
Soil Science Laboratory, Agriculture Faculty of Tadulako University, Palu, Indonesia
Abstract
Changes in forest land use in agricultural development have become a concern of the global community because of environmental damage. Economic sanctions against the marketing of agricultural products, considered to have damaged the environment^s quality, can hamper agricultural productivity in developing countries. The research objectives were: 1) to identify farmers^ preferences for agricultural land development and 2) to determine soil quality for priority land use. The research was conducted in Baras District, Pasangkayu Regency, West Sulawesi. The socio-economic survey was conducted using a focus group discussion technique. Stratified soil surveys were carried out on priority land uses. Analysis of the physico-chemical properties of soil was carried out at the Soil Science Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tadulako. The agricultural development priorities desired by farmers is oil palm. Support for the development of farmer institutions, ease of product marketing, financial benefits for farming, and the availability of quality seeds are the dominant factors influencing people^s preference for the priority of developing oil palm farming. Soil quality indices for oil palm management aged 3, 6, and 24 years were 0.5534 (moderate), 0.3072 (slightly poor), and 0.4362 (moderate).
Keywords: Farming Priority, Land Degradation, Model, Soil Organic Carbon
