Abstract
Semarang District is an area which one of its focuses is on improving regional economy mainly based on agricultural sector. The agricultural activities which still depend on lands make those are considered having an important role. It is supported with regulations which protect the functional changes of farm lands, especially the irrigated ones. However, during a period of 2010-2014, the irrigated farm lands were reduced. A strategy to protect those irrigated farm lands is highly necessary, that is, by considering criteria to prioritize on protection of the irrigated farm lands in Semarang district. This study uses a method of Analysis Hierarchi Process (AHP) with a purposive sampling technique to collect 10 respondents. A protection strategy on Irrigated farm lands in Semarang district consists of several criteria with a prioritized program criterion of sustainable land and water utilization (0.322). The following criteria are optimization of irrigation network performance (0.241), law (0.186), economy (0.160), and social (0.091). There are some suggestions after conducting this study, such as providing education and socialization of legislations of law on farm land protection especially the irrigated ones, construction of reservoirs and dams, utilization of organic materials on farm lands management, irrigation network rehabilitation, strengthening legislations on protection of farm lands, authorities’ closer controls and supervisions, facilitation in obtaining agricultural inputs to improve welfare by empowering families, owners, and managers of those irrigated farm lands, as well as escorting policies on layout and regional plans to maintain the wide agricultural areas of irrigated farm lands.
Highlights
Economic development is an effort to improve people’s lives
Priority protection of irrigated farm lands is made by selecting the determined criteria, covering land and water sustainability, irrigation network performance optimization, economy, law, and social
Education is required bythe irrigated farm land owners and managers upon the benefits of the irrigated farm lands through extension activities and socialization of laws that the irrigated farm land utilization is in accordance with the supporting potentials, capacities, andmore importantly, escorting policies on protection of the agricultural landsfor sustainable food by maintaining the width of the land areasstipulated in RTRW regulations in Semarang Regency even if there are utilization changes of irrigated farm lands for public interests which areconsidered more important, urgent, and sustainable for the National development
Summary
Economic development is an effort to improve people’s lives. As a developing country, still depends on agricultural products that the major production activities come from agricultural sectors. Agricultural sector is one driving force sector in regional economic development. The development of agricultural sector as a primary food sector in Indonesia is greatly important for the development of Indonesia (Jumna, 2015). Agricultural sector has an important role in fulfilling the needs on food, and in providing employment for many people to generate income. Agricultural sector alsoprovides contribution in GDP formation in Indonesia (BPS Indonesia, 2015)
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