Does Participation in Farmer Groups Promote Environmentally Friendly Fertilizer and Pesticide Use? Evidence from Rice Farmers in East Java, Indonesia
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background and purpose – Reducing dependence on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides requires not only technical alternatives but also social institutions that help farmers learn, evaluate risk, and translate information into practice. This study examines whether participation in farmer groups is associated with greater use of environmentally friendly fertilizers and pesticides among rice farmers in Kepanjen Subdistrict, Malang Regency, East Java, and identifies the economic, communication, educational, and land-related factors linked to both participation and environmentally friendly input use. Methodology – Survey data were collected from 100 rice farmers in September 2025. The study uses a structural equation modeling framework with six latent constructs measured through 18 indicators. The measurement model is evaluated using indicator loadings, average variance extracted, discriminant validity, reliability, and variance inflation factors, while the structural model is assessed through path coefficients, indirect effects, R-squared values, and SRMR. Findings – Economic-system conditions are positively associated with farmer-group participation. Communication systems, education-related capacity, and physical aspects of land are positively associated with environmentally friendly fertilizer and pesticide use. Farmer-group participation itself has a positive and statistically significant path to environmentally friendly input use. The model explains 16.6% of variation in participation and 49.5% of variation in environmentally friendly input use. Implications – The findings suggest that farmer groups can function as practical learning and coordination institutions, but participation alone is insufficient. Policies should combine stronger group facilitation with credible technical communication, farmer learning, locally appropriate input demonstrations, and support adapted to land and production conditions. Originality – The study links institutional participation and environmentally friendly input use in a single latent-variable framework and distinguishes the factors associated with participation from those directly associated with farm-level environmental behavior.
Authors: Fatimah Fitri Muna Azzahra, Rini Mutisari
Institution: University of Brawijaya
Language: English
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7223172284