(BANDUNG & INDRAMAYU, Indonesia, 22-25 April 2025) - As part of efforts to continuously improve the Rice Crop Manager (RCM) Indonesia platform, known locally as Layanan Konsultasi Padi (LKP), IRRI partnered with BRMP (Badan Perakitan dan Modernisasi Pertanian) Food Crops (formerly BSIP Food Crops) to conduct a Farmer Feedback Survey in West Java. The RCM project team from IRRI HQ, IRRI India, IRRI Indonesia and BRMP Food Crops worked hand in hand to gather firsthand insights from farmers who have used LKP recommendations to better understand its effectiveness in field conditions and identify areas for improvement.
KoboToolBox training for survey teams
On 22 April, a training session on the digital survey platform KoboToolBox was held at the BRMP West Java office in Bandung. It was opened by Abdi Hudayya, SP, Deputy Director of the Management Subdivision, and welcomed by Dr. Nuning Argo Subekti, M.Sc., RCM Project Coordinator from BRMP Food Crops. Dr. Nuning expressed her appreciation, saying “The Deputy Director of the Management Subdivision warmly welcomes the team and affirms BRMP West Java’s full support for the activity. This survey is an important step in gathering feedback on the use of LKP - whether farmers are satisfied with the results and what aspects can be improved. Since the beginning of the project in 2023, RCM Indonesia has aimed to enhance the formulation behind LKP. We sincerely appreciate BRMP West Java’s dedication and recognize the province as one of the most progressive among the eight target provinces.”
Enumerators from BRMP West Java and coordinators who would be deployed to the rest of target provinces participated in the training, which included a walk-through of the survey tool and finalization of the questionnaire.
BRMP West Java’s Deputy Director of Management Subdivision officially opens the training.
Field survey activities in Bandung and Indramayu
The survey on farmer’s feedback was conducted in Bandung and Indramayu. On 23 April 2025, seven rice farmers from Bandung who have followed LKP recommendations were interviewed. After the first day of survey, the survey experience was reviewed. The challenges, tips and inquiries which were faced during the pilot survey were reviewed and resolved. On 24-25 April, 15 rice farmers from Indramayu were interviewed.
Farmers are interviewed by enumerators on their LKP experiences.
One of the enumerators from BRMP West Java, Tri Hastini, shared her findings, saying “From the survey, we found out that several cooperative farmers have continued using LKP after the trial, recognizing its improved fertilizer efficiency in rice production. Interestingly, some non-cooperative farmers and extension workers have also adopted LKP practices independently.”
The feedback survey will be conducted in the eight provinces in the month of May with an objective to collect farmers feedback on the use and efficiency of LKP. The findings will be shared with the Indonesia's Ministry of Agriculture – BRMP and other stakeholders to make informed decisions on the best ways to scale the tool among Indonesia rice farmers to achieve full adoption and impact on the rice cultivation.
The RCM Indonesia project is being implemented by IRRI in collaboration with Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture - BSIP and other private entities, with funding support from the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.