The empowerment of indigenous peasants through agricultural extension in Indonesia, 1900–1940

Abstract

During colonial government, large plantations in Indonesia used indigenous peasants as unskilled laborers. In 19th century, the government began to pay attention to empower indigenous peasants by the establishment of agricultural extension service. One important thing was how the success of agricultural extension program can sustain the Indonesian economy that occurred after the Second World War. However, very little writing in detail about the history of empowerment activities conducted in agricultural extension. Therefore, this paper is expected to fill the vacant historiography. It is intended to analyze the birth of agricultural extension and the efforts made by the agricultural extension services to empower indigenous peasants. By using the history method, the sources used in this study were colonial archives, journals, or magazines published in the period 1900–1945. The findings indicated that through the agricultural extension services, the government provided guidance to indigenous peasants in the form of providing superior seeds, as well as guidance in the use of technology and agricultural economics. In 1894 the export value of indigenous agricultural products was only 11%, however in 1937 it increased significantly to 45.8%, indicating that indigenous agriculture can support the economy of the colonial when facing the crisis. This means that indigenous peasants can be empowered through agricultural extension services. The success of extension model carried out in the colonial period which empower peasants to became independent and had a better quality of life, was adopted continously until Indonesia became independent.