Exploring farming strategies in a metropolitan area: case study of inland aquaculture in Bogor Regency

Abstract

Farming practices in a metropolitan area are often under pressure of forces and processes associated with urbanization. In those circumstances, “reconnection” between agriculture and the urban environment is required to preserve farming activities. This partnership is secured by strategies of sustainable intensification, sustainable valorization and sustainable diversification. Studies concerning farmer strategies have been done in the Netherlands, India and China, but are lacking in many other countries such as Indonesia. The objective of this study was to explore which strategies are being adopted by farmers in Indonesia to adapt to and benefit from the process of urbanization. The research included a case study of inland aquaculture, a dominant agricultural activity in Bogor Regency, Jakarta Metropolitan Area (JMA). Document study and in-depth interviews with farmers, government officers and a consumer organization were conducted. Pattern matching was chosen as technique for analyzing the collected data. The results show that intensification is the dominant farming strategy implemented by farmers of inland aquaculture in JMA. Farmers concentrate on intensive methods in order to reduce production costs and subsequently obtain enough revenues from their farming activities. However, the research also shows that fish farming in JMA is not sustainable, given concerns about animal welfare and financial robustness. Furthermore, the discharge of wastewater from fish ponds to the surface water is a potential issue of environmental concern. Local training programs also seem to be too generic in order to be effective to address these issues and making inland aquaculture more sustainable.