Rice field conversion and urban agglomeration in Indonesia: Between power and options

Abstract

Indonesia's urban areas are expanding. Moreover, in the making, much-involved rice field conversion. While the government is committed to achieving self-sufficiency, the conversion poses a definite threat. This paper questions the continued rice field conversion in urban fringes despite government interventions and aims to explain its underlying drivers using the political ecology approach. The study conducted in 3 rice producing regencies. Rice field conversion data obtained by analyzing land use dynamics data from the Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistic. The understanding of political settings and power distribution are achieved through a literature study. The result showed an evident conversion to urban uses in Bantul and Karawang Regency, but not visible in Deli Serdang. The political setting, law enforcement, high-cost farming, taxation, and sale system are held responsible for the low profitability of rice farming that leads to rice field conversion. The continued conversion despite government intervention indicated that the government is not the strongest actor in the scene.