Productivity, profitability and marketing of vegetable organic products:lesson learnt from BangkitMerbabufarmer’s group in Semarang, Central Java

Abstract

Bangkit Merbabu is a farmer’s group which was developed in 2008 in Batur Village, Getasan Sub-district, Semarang Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. Farmers were working together to increase soil vertility and environmental health by developing vegetable organic farming. Their hard working on vegetable organic farming was regionally and nationally well-known after receiving organic certification in 2012. The Indonesian Soil Research Institute (ISRI), Bogor had developed mutual cooperation with this farmer’s group in doing observation and research activities related to organic vegetable farming development. This cooperation activity was held in 2013-2015 and supported by Asian Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative (AFACI), Korea. This paper presents part of the activity results, in particular related to productivity, profitability and marketing of organic vegetable produced by farmer’s group based on observation conducted in the last year of cooperation. It was observed that productivity and profitability of organic vegetable farming was relatively higher than non-organic vegetable farming. However, its marketing system was still a constraint in the development of organic farming. Biophysically, organic vegetable farming could increase soil chemical and biological fertility. Hence, it could improve land environment.