Korelasi Partisipasi Tenaga Kerja Perempuan dan Transisi Pertanian Organik di Asia Tenggara

Khairul Fahmi Purba, Dwi Wulan Sari, Yulian Junaidi, Yunita Yunita, Meitry Firdha Tafarini, Azqia Wardani, Etika Fuji Lestari, Maulidia Tri Yuliani

Abstract


Transformation toward sustainable organic farming systems in Southeast Asia is faced by labor market dynamics, including female labor force participation. This study aims to analyze the correlation between female labor force participation and the organic agriculture transition in several Southeast Asian countries—Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam—over the 2005 to 2023 period. This quantitative study utilizes secondary data from ILOSTAT and FAOSTAT, analyzing the collected data through descriptive statistics and Pearson Product-Moment correlation analysis. The results indicate that, overall, female labor force participation in Southeast Asia is high, averaging around 54% to 77%. Further findings reveal that the Philippines has experienced the most significant transition toward organic farming in the region. On the other hands, the transition to organic agriculture in Malaysia is stagnant. Furthermore, Indonesia and Thailand exhibit a significant correlation between female labor force participation and the transition to organic farming, though the direction of the correlation differs between the both. Other countries such as the Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Vietnam do not show a significant correlation. The study concludes that gender mainstreaming in sustainable agriculture across Southeast Asia is essential and must be tailored to the specific institutional contexts and stages of economic transformation within each country in the region.

Keywords


Female force labor; Gender equality; Organic agriculture; Southeast Asia; Sustainability

Full Text:

PDF

References


Akhtar, R., Masud, M. M., Jafrin, N., & Shahabudin, S. M. (2023). Economic growth, gender inequality, openness of trade, and female labour force participation: a nonlinear ARDL approach. Economic Change and Restructuring, 56(3), 1725–1752. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10644-023-09488-7

Akter, S., Rutsaert, P., Luis, J., Me, N., Su, S., Raharjo, B., & Pustika, A. (2017). Women ’ s empowerment and gender equity in agriculture : A different perspective from Southeast Asia. Food Policy, 69, 270–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2017.05.003

Amekawa, Y. (2010). Rethinking Sustainable Agriculture in Thailand : A Governance Perspective. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 34(4), 389–416. https://doi.org/10.1080/10440041003680254

Assefa, W., Kewessa, G., & Datiko, D. (2022). Agrobiodiversity and gender : the role of women in farm diversification among smallholder farmers in Sinana district ,. Biodiversity and Conservation, 31(10), 2329–2348. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-021-02343-z

Aziz, M. F. B. A., Mispan, M. S. Bin, & Doni, F. (2020). Organic Food Policy and Regulation in Malaysia: Development and Challenges. In G. B. Chen & R. Price (Eds.), Regulatory Issues in Organic Food Safety in the Asia Pacific (pp. 151–170). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3580-2

Beban, A. (2014). Is Organic Agriculture a Viable Strategy in Contexts of Rapid Agrarian Transition? Evidence from Cambodia. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 4(2), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2014.042.004

Best, H. (2009). Organic farming as a rational choice: Empirical investigations in environmental decision Mmaking. Rationality and Society, 21(2), 197–224. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043463109103899

Chinvarasopak, P. (2015). Key Factors Affecting the Success of Organic Agriculture in Thai Communities: Three Case Studies in Ubon Ratchathani and Srisaket Provinces. Thai Journal of Public Administration, 13(2), 105–130.

Cooke, F. L. (2010). Women ’ s participation in employment in Asia : a comparative analysis of China, India, Japan and South Korea. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 21(12), 2249–2270. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2010.509627

Daley, E., Osorio, M., & Park, C. M. Y. (2013). The Gender and Equity Implications of Land- Related Investments on Land Access and Labour and Income-Generating Opportunities: A Case Study of Selected Agricultural Investments in LAO PDR The Gender and Equity Implications of Land- Land Related Investment.

Dantsis, T., Loumou, A., & Giourga, C. (2009). Organic agriculture’s approach towards sustainability; Its relationship with the agro-industrial complex, a case study in Central Macedonia, Greece. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 22(3), 197–216. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-008-9139-0

David, W., & Ardiansyah. (2017). Organic agriculture in Indonesia: challenges and opportunities. Organic Agriculture, 7(3), 329–338. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13165-016-0160-8

Dayet, A., Diepart, J. C., Castella, J. C., Sieng, S., Kong, R., Tivet, F., & Demenois, J. (2024). Can organic rice certification curb the pressure of the agrarian transition in Cambodia? A farming system approach. Agricultural Systems, 217(April), 103953. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2024.103953

Emerson, R. W. (2015). Causation and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 109(3), 242–244. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482x1510900311

FAO. (2011). Food loss and food waste: Causes and solutions. In Food Loss and Food Waste: Causes and Solutions. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788975391

Gomiero, T., Pimentel, D., & Paoletti, M. G. (2011). Environmental Impact of Different Agricultural Management Practices : Conventional vs . Organic Agriculture. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, 30(1–2), 95–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/07352689.2011.554355

Goss, J., & Burch, D. (2001). From agricultural modernisation to agri-food globalisation: The waning of national development in Thailand. Third World Quarterly, 22(6), 969–986. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436590120099740

Islam, M., Jannat, A., Abdullah, D., & Rafi, A. (2024). Women participation in South Asian agriculture : a comprehensive systematic review. Discover Sustainability, 5(490). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-024-00649-w

Johnston, M. P. (2014). Secondary Data Analysis : A Method of which the Time Has Come. Qualitatve and Quantative Methods in Libraryes (QQML), 3, 619–626.

Klasen, S. (2019). What Explains Uneven Female Labor Force Participation Levels and Trends in Developing Countries? World Bank Research Observer, 34(2), 161–197. https://doi.org/10.1093/wbro/lkz005

Landhicho, L. D., Paelmo, R. F., Cabahug, R. D., Visco, R. G., & Abadillos, M. G. (2014). Prospects and Challenges in Promoting Organic Agriculture in the Upland Communities in the Philippines: Implications to Food Security and Nutrition. 2014 International Conference on Food Security and Nutrition, 67(12), 60–65. https://doi.org/10.7763/IPCBEE

Lanjouw, J. O., & Lanjouw, P. (2001). The rural non-farm sector: Issues and evidence from developing countries. Agricultural Economics, 26(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-5150(00)00104-3

Lawreniuk, S., Brickell, K., Chhom, T., McCarthy, L., Reach, M., & So, H. (2026). Gendering the safety net: Social protection policy and the limits to Decent Work in Cambodia’s garment sector. World Development, 199(November 2025), 107251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2025.107251

Lee, H., Owen, R. F., & van der Mensbrugghe, D. (2009). Regional integration in Asia and its effects on the EU and North America. Journal of Asian Economics, 20(3), 240–254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asieco.2009.02.001

Maertens, M., & Swinnen, J. F. M. (2012). Gender and Modern Supply Chains in Developing Countries. Journal of Development Studies, 48(10), 1412–1430. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2012.663902

Maohong, B. (2018). The rise of organic agriculture in the philippines and its development. In Asia in Transition (Vol. 7). Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8881-0_9

McKay, D. (2005). Reading remittance landscapes: Female migration and agricultural transition in the Philippines. Geografisk Tidsskrift, 105(1), 89–99. https://doi.org/10.1080/00167223.2005.10649529

Meemken, E., & Qaim, M. (2018). Organic Agriculture , Food Security , and the Environment. Annual Review of Resource Economics, 10, 39–63. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-resource-100517-023252

Meshram, S., Mansor, H. B., & Adhikari, T. B. (2026). Recent advances in organic agriculture: innovations, challenges, and opportunities. Frontiers in Plant Science, 16(January), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2025.1681928

Mohd Suib, N. A. binti, Salleh, N. H. M., Shukor, M. S., Chamhuri, N., Shahimi, S., Salleh, K. M., & Hashim, K. (2023). The Influence of Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) on the Productivity and Well-Being of Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO)-Certified Independent Smallholders in Malaysia. Agriculture (Switzerland), 13(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13050990

Muriithi, B. W., Menale, K., Diiro, G., & Muricho, G. (2018). Does gender matter in the adoption of push-pull pest management and other sustainable agricultural practices ? Evidence from Western Kenya. Food Security, 10, 253–272. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-018-0783-6

Mutiara, V. I., & Arai, S. (2017). the Challenges in Organic Agricultural Products Market in Southeast Asia. Reviews in Agricultural Science, 5(0), 36–44. https://doi.org/10.7831/ras.5.36

Najafabadi, M. O. (2014). A gender sensitive analysis towards organic agriculture: A structural equation modeling approach. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 27(2), 225–240. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-013-9461-z

Nath, T. D., & Athinuwat, D. (2020). Key factors of women empowerment in organic farming. GeoJournal, 86, 2501–2520. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-020-10211-6

Ndiritu, S. W., Kassie, M., & Shiferaw, B. (2014). Are there systematic gender differences in the adoption of sustainable agricultural intensification practices ? Evidence from Kenya. Food Policy, 49, 117–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2014.06.010

Ngan, N. T., & Ngoc, T. H. (2022). Development of Organic Agriculture in Vietnam : Some Theoretical and Practical Issues. American Research Journal of Humanities & Social Science, 5(3), 36–42.

Ngo, L. N., & Tran, T. Q. (2024). Gender equity in key agricultural policy documents in Cambodia and Vietnam from 2001 to 2021. Social Sciences and Humanities Open, 9(June 2023), 100830. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.100830

Ngo, M. H., Home, R., Kim, M. K., Grovermann, C., Yen, N. T. B., & Van Hoi, P. (2025). Promoting sustainable farming systems through technical efficiency enhancement: insights from the vegetable producers in Vietnam. Environment, Development and Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-025-07136-w

Nguyen-Anh, T., Pham-Thanh, D., Dao-Viet, A., & To-The, N. (2025). Do Community-Oriented Farmers Present a Greater Willingness for Organic Transition: Evidence From Vietnam. Agricultural Economics (United Kingdom), 56(6), 1168–1191. https://doi.org/10.1111/agec.70055

Nhem, S., & Lee, Y. J. (2019). Women ’ s participation and the gender perspective in sustainable forestry in Cambodia : local perceptions and the context of forestry research. Forest Science and Technology, 15(3), 93–110. https://doi.org/10.1080/21580103.2019.1595174

Panyasing, S., Yongvanit, S., Purnomo, E. P., & Tham, S. A. I. (2022). The Government Policy on the Organic Rice Farming Groups Embracing Sustainable Agricultural Production : Evidence in Thailand. AgBio Forum, 24(1), 83–94.

Radel, C., & Coppock, D. L. (2013). The World’s Gender Gap in Agriculture and Natural Resources: Evidence and Explanations. Rangelands, 35(6), 7–14. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2111/RANGELANDS-D-13-00036.1

Rammohan, A., & Tohari, A. (2023). Rural poverty and labour force participation: Evidence from Indonesia’s Village fund program. PLoS ONE, 18(6 June), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0283041

Reganold, J. P., & Wachter, J. M. (2016). Organic agriculture in the twenty-first century. Nature Publishing Group, 2(February), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1038/nplants.2015.221

Rehman, A., Farooq, M., Lee, D.-J., & Siddique, K. H. M. (2022). Sustainable agricultural practices for food security and ecosystem services. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28, 84076–84095. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-23635-z

Salazar, R. C. (2014). Going organic in the Philippines: Social and institutional features. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 38(2), 199–229. https://doi.org/10.1080/21683565.2013.833155

Schaner, S., & Das, S. (2016). Female Labor Force Participation in Asia: Indonesia Country Study. In ADB Economics Working Paper Series (Issue 474). https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2737842

Schreer, V., & Padmanabhan, M. (2020). The many meanings of organic farming: framing food security and food sovereignty in Indonesia. Organic Agriculture, 10(3), 327–338. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13165-019-00277-z

Schreinemachers, P., Chen, H. pu, Nguyen, T. T. L., Buntong, B., Bouapao, L., Gautam, S., Le, N. T., Pinn, T., Vilaysone, P., & Srinivasan, R. (2017). Too much to handle? Pesticide dependence of smallholder vegetable farmers in Southeast Asia. Science of the Total Environment, 593–594, 470–477. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.03.181

Siddique, S., Hamid, M., Tariq, A., & Kazi, A. G. (2014). Organic Farming: The Return to Nature. In P. Ahmad, M. R. Wani, M. M. Azooz, & L.-S. P. Tran (Eds.), Improvement of Crops in the Era of Climatic Changes (Vol. 2, pp. 249–281). Springer New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8824-8

Sinha, A. (2007). Farm sector, non-farm employment and rural livelihood: A study. Social Change, 37(1), 50–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/004908570703700104

Sitthisuntikul, K., Yossuck, P., & Limnirankul, B. (2018). How does organic agriculture contribute to food security of small land holders?: A case study in the North of Thailand. Cogent Food and Agriculture, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2018.1429698

Srivastava, N. (2011). Feminisation of Agriculture : What Do Survey Data Tell Us ? Journal of Rural Development, 30(3), 341–359.

Suh, J. (2015). Community-based organic agriculture in the Philippines. Outlook on Agriculture, 44(4), 291–296. https://doi.org/10.5367/oa.2015.0222

Sujianto, S., Hasibuan, A. M., Mahendri, I. G. A. P., Pribadi, E. R., Pujiharti, Y., Ardana, I. K., Ermiati, Sudjarmoko, B., Sukamto, & Gunawan, E. (2024). Drivers of Organic Rice Adoption Among Smallholder Farmers : Implications for Sustainable Development. International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, 19(1), 289–299. https://doi.org/10.18280/ijsdp.190127

Sumner, J., & Llewelyn, S. (2011). Organic Solutions? Gender and Organic Farming in the Age of Industrial Agriculture. Capitalism Nature Socialism, 22(1), 100–118. https://doi.org/10.1080/10455752.2010.546659

Suphanachart, W. (2019). Effects of Structural Transformation on income inequality in Thailand. Review of Integrative Business and Economics Research, 15(2), 358–373.

Uberti, L. J., & Douarin, E. (2023). The Feminisation U, cultural norms, and the plough. In Journal of Population Economics (Vol. 36, Issue 1). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-022-00890-5

Vanlalhriati, C., & Singh, E. N. (2015). Descriptive Statistics in Business Research. International Journal of Advanced Research (IJAR), 3(06), 1409–1415.

Waris, A., Nirmala, B., & Kumar, S. A. (2016). Gender gap and female workforce participation in agriculture in Andhra Pradesh , India. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 11(9), 769–778. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJAR2013.7683

Wijerathna-yapa, A., & Pathirana, R. (2022). Sustainable Agro-Food Systems for Addressing Climate Change and Food Security. Agriculture (Switzerland), 12, 1–26. https://doi.org/https:// doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12101554

Zaremba, H., Rietveld, A., & Bergamini, N. (2021). Toward a Feminist Agroecology. Sustainability (Switzerland), 13(20). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/su132011244

Zhllima, E., Xhoxhi, O., & Imami, D. (2021). Feminisation in Agriculture in a Transition Economy : Women ’ s Role in. Sociologia Ruralis. https://doi.org/10.1111/soru.12332

Zossou, E., Arouna, A., Diagne, A., & Agboh-Noameshie, R. A. (2017). Gender Gap in Acquisition and Practice of Agricultural Knowledge: Case Study of Rice Farming in West Africa. Experimental Agriculture, 53(4), 566–577. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0014479716000582




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.33087/mea.v11i2.442

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Jurnal MeA (Media Agribisnis) Published by Program Studi Agribisnis, Fakultas Pertanian, Universitas Batanghari
Adress: Fakultas Pertanian, Jl.Slamet Ryadi, Broni-Jambi, Kec.Telanaipura, Kodepos: 36122, email: meafpubr@gmail.com, Phone: 0741-60103


Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.