MODEL PEMBERDAYAAN PETANI  DALAM PENGGUNAAN PESTISIDA   PADA TANAMAN BAWANG MERAH  DI KABUPATEN BREBES JAWA TENGAH 

Abstract

Onion production in Indonesia in general, particularly in Brebes Regency is still currently using a relatively high amount of pesticides and chemicals. This is reflected in the declining soil fertility and environmental quality thus impacting on human health in the study area. The objectives of this research are: (1) to analyze the characteristics of pesticide used in onion production in Brebes Regency; (2) to identify the impact of pesticide use in onion on farmers’ health and their environment; (3) to estimate the economic impact of pesticide use in onion using the economic valuation approach and (4) to formulate an empowerment model to increase farmers’ and related parties’ awareness on their job safety and environment. This research was conducted in Brebes Regency, Central Java the biggest onion producing area in Indonesia. It employs primary data collected from interviews with selected respondents and key persons. 150 onion farmers were chosen using a multi-stage sampling method while the purposive sampling was used to select 16 key-person respondents. The productivity of onion during the study period was low at only 7.48 tonnes/ha. The research also found that most health problems suffered by farmers were headache (67 cases), itchy skin (45 cases), nausea (41 cases), and eye irritation (40 cases). These problems occurred due to lack of awareness among farmers for not using a self-protecting device (APD).From the economic valuation methods, the medical costs to treat the pesticides effects were estimated at Rp 53,425 per farmer. The environmental impact from excessive pesticides use meanwhile has caused productivity loss due to soil damage in agriculture and the soil replacement cost was estimated at Rp 8,875,000 per ha. The B/C ratio for onion production using the conventional method (with pesticides/chemicals) is estimated at 1.01 while the ratio is 2.37 when organic farming is practiced. The level of farmers’ empowerment and awareness with regards to pesticide use was however found to be relatively low. Therefore an empowerment model and strategies for pesticide use among onion farmers and related stakeholders (ABGC) are needed. The empowerment strategy is health, technology and socio-cultural aspects. These selected strategies are determined by the FDG and in-depth interviews , and supported by quantitative evidence obtained from the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Pesticide use model and strategy for onion production in Brebes can only be achieved when there is awareness among all stakeholders (ABGC) to fulfill the commitment to make onion production more sustainable and pro environment in the long run.