The government’s policy is to encourage growth in the sector so that 50% of demand can be metlocally by 2020. The GKSI: Gabungan Koperasi Susu Indonesia – The Indonesian Dairy Cooperative Unionis the main organization tasked with supporting this goal and they possesses the resources from government and foreign donor support to do so (Soedjana, 2012: 61).

A number of areas have been identified as strategic and in need of improvement if the government’s targets are to be met. These include a number of different types of strategies aimed at increasing production and consumption at the national and local levels, improving breeding factors, animal feeds and feeding practices, disease control and health factors, better husbandry management effectiveness and productivity, marketing, support and partnership with government organizations, and financial support and better credit terms for small-scale dairy farmers.

The following are some examples of those strategies put forward to address problems in the Indonesian dairy industry:

• increasing milk consumption by attempting to change public perception about milk through campaigns that promote the drinking of fresh milk
• increasing farm sizes;
• promoting village breeding centers;
• policy initiatives to make it mandatory to raise 12 percent to 20 percent the number of farmers which are participating in the National Standards (SNI) on fresh milk;
• improving and extending the use of artificial insemination and embryo transfer;
• reducing calf mortality;
• improving forage production and feed concentrates;
• improving hygiene in milk production and handling;
• controlling reproductive diseases, including zoonosis;
• the lack of credit schemes with term loan programs and interest rates that are feasible for dairy farm businesses
• high prices of raw materials for concentrates feeds;
• prohibitive cost for genetic and breeding improvement or for imported semen due to unfavorable exchange rates for Rupiah against the U.S. dollar;
• high cost of veterinary drugs and equipment;
• the lack of credit schemes with term loan programs and interest rates that are feasible for dairy farm businesses;
• the role played by free markets and globalization where foreign milk producers have an advantage in terms of milk quality and pricing.
• the need to improve the income obtained of small-scale dairy farming for the farmers which is currently less profitable than cultivating food crops;
• the lack of technology and know-how for creating value-added products from milk such as yoghurt and cheese;
• the constraints on growth due to small-holder farmer dependence on the GKSI for many functions;
• a wide gap in terms of relationship, understanding and power or status, between the farmers and the GKSI.
• Excessive use of pesticides in dairy farming and horticulture that is having a damaging impact on the sustainability of agriculture and on the health of the environment;
• High cost of feed; as much as 70% of farmers’ production costs goes on purchase of feed;
• Poor quality of feed, largely consisting of green fodder without supplements leading to low quality and production output of milk;
• Lack of available land to plant green fodder, largely due to the shift of agricultural land for horticulture which is more profitable;
• Crop farming and horticulture are more profitable than dairy farming. This is an important factor that causes small-scale dairy farmers to hedge their bets by making horticulture their main economic activity, relegating dairy farming to a secondary activity;
• The provision of complete feed, sourced independently of the cooperative, and priced attractively, to improve the dietary intake of the cows and up the production levels and milk quality;
• The provision of education and training in hygiene and farm management practices to reduce the bacteria count and obtain better quality milk that will have a higher sale value;
• The provision of an alternative, independent marketing channel that will provide the farmers with a better price for their milk, providing a financial incentive to put their full energy into dairy farming and not treat it as a secondary occupation;
• The cooperation of a third party milk producer or processor to assist with processing and possibly the use of the farmers’ milk to produce value added products such as yoghurt or cheese.
• having a number of different, but related focuses,
• being multi-disciplinary, in that it looks at health issues but also at economic ones, and

(Soedjana, 2012: 61-62)

Economic challenges facing the Indonesian dairy industry have been highlighted:

(Madeley, 2006: 22, Panggabean, 2004: 73, Pingali, 2004, Sianturi, 2004: 76-77, Soedjana, 2012: 63)

From the farmers’ perspective, the following are extremely salient:

(Panggabean, 2004: 73, Sulastri and Maharajan, 2002: 32, Suradisastra, 2006: 14, White, 1996)

Some of the problems are at the national policy planning level, while others directly impact the farmers. In the present research, we see the problems that the farmers themselves consider important as crucial. This is because, firstly, they not only impact the farmers themselves, but also hold back realization of the government’s policy to encourage growth in the sector. Further, if the problems faced by the farmers are not addressed, then any other measure will not be likely to succeed. Finally, these problems are the most relevant for the present research because the scope of the research can only hope to implement interventions with these local factors.

The first visit by the research team to Pangalengan identified a number of problems in dairy farming and agriculture that were of concern to local dairy farmers and experts, among which the following are significant here:

Health and environment related:

Feed and income related:

Local farm experts see one single intervention as being able to solve many of their problems and being the most viable solution to improving local dairy farming, the introduction of improved feed, a mix of greed fodder and supplementary ingredients, known locally as complete feed. These local people see the independent availability of complete feed as attractive. They believe that independent sourcing of this could reduce feed costs which stand presently at 70% of production costs, to as little as 30%.

Taking all of these things into consideration, we reason that a single intervention such as either introducing complete feed or providing education in more hygienic dairy production practices cannot be on its own the driver of real change in the farmers’ circumstances, their farm management, profitability or impacts on health. We consider that the economic issue cannot be ignored.

Therefore, we believe that the choice of actions for the intervention stage of the research should involve the following:

and, if possible

The ability to put into action any one of these is dependent on a number of factors, but, if realizable, will give a greater chance of a sustainable set of conditions that can drive change at the local farm or district level and provide a blueprint for bottom-up change. We will study these ideas more closely to evaluate how they might be realized.

It makes sense that if the key problems can be addressed, then progress can be made in the sector and that this will benefit the farmers, the milk consumers, health policy targets, and larger economic aspects of the milk industry in this developing country.

Research is usually characterized by a narrow focus on one or other variable. However, no one variable in this case, if modified, can provide a solution to the question of how to improve the small-scale dairy sector.

What is necessary is research that identifies several essential aspects of dairy production which can be modified, and whose joint modification will lead to a sustainable improvement in dairying practice.

This means that the research cannot afford either to focus on a single variable, or to restrict itself solely to the gathering of data and its analysis.

Rather, the research that wishes to achieve the goal of helping to make a real improvement to the area must include any variable or aspect of dairy farming which, if omitted, would lead to the failure to achieve the main goal, that of improvement in the small-scale dairy sector.

The present research, then, can be characterized as:

combining academic work with practice that can be considered a laboratory for social change.

Overall, it can be seen as representing an eco-health approach, combined with a socio-economic and political dimension.

Questions

The research questions are:

1.     How do current dairy farm conditions and practices impact environmental, animal and human health?

2.     Which eco-health factors have an influence on dairy farming?

3.     What interventions can be shown to have a positive impact?

4.     Which obstacles to improvement are resistant to change?

5.     What are the implications of these things for policy?

The relationship among these issues is shown in Figure 1.

Questions 1 and 2 deal with the two-way relationship between dairy farming conditions and eco-health factors. Question 1 looks at the impact of dairy farming on eco-health and question 2 looks at the influence of eco-health factors on dairy farming.

Questions 3 and 4 focus on the interventions tried. Question 3 asks which of the interventions attempted during the research demonstrated a positive result on conditions in the dairy farm. Question 4 asks which obstacles to improvement are resistant to change desired through the intervention.Question 5 looks at the implica

tions for policy of the findings from Questions 1 to 4.

 

 Figure 1 Relationship among issues in the research questions

 

 

Rationale for the questions

This section provides a discussion, based on the literature, of the issues related to the research questions.

Questions 1 and 2 ask what the relationship between dairy farming and eco-health are.

1.     How do current dairy farm conditions and practices impact environmental, animal and human health?

2.     Which eco-health factors have an influence on dairy farming?

Successful interventions and obstacles to change

In this section, the issues related to Questions 3 and 4 are dealt with, based on the literature. Questions 3 and 4 look at interventions on dairy farming and at the obstacles that resist change.

3.     What interventions can be shown to have a positive impact?

4.     Which obstacles to improvement are resistant to change?

The role of policy

The first four questions look at the immediate context of dairy farming. Question 5 asks what the implications of the findings for these questions are for policy.

Question 5: The implications for policy

5.     What are the implications of these things for policy?

Outcomes of the research

The goals of the research are:

1.     To determine the effects of the current farm conditions on environmental, animal, and human health.

2.     To define the eco-health factors which have an impact on dairy farming.

3.     To identify interventions which improve on current practices.

4.     To identify obstacles to improvement that are resistant to change.

5.     To report to policy makers and stakeholders on the significance of the study at the local, national and regional levels.

Methodology

Overview

A three year research is conducted in Pangalengan, West Java, Indonesia on small-scale dairy farms.

Dairy farming in Indonesia

Dairy farming was introduced to Indonesia in 1905 with the importation of Frisian Holstein cows from the Netherlands, first to Boyolali, Salatiga and Ambarawa in Central Java, later moving into the Bandung area in West Java and then Nongkojajar, Malang and Batu in East Java (Panggabean, 2004: 70, Sulastri and Maharajan, 2002: 19). The first dairy cooperative in Indonesia was established in Pujon, Malang, East Java in 1962. The present Indonesian Dairy Cooperative Union (Gabungan Koperasi Susu Indonesia, GKSI) was established in 1979 (Suradisastra, 2006). Dairy farming today is almost exclusively located in rural areas of Java. Small-scale farmers make up the majority of dairy farming in the country (Panggabean, 2004).

Based on livestock statistics and census figures, the number of dairy cattle in Indonesia in 2010 stood at 597,213 head. Over 99% of dairy cattle are found on the island of Java. These were kept by 192,160 farm households, with an average farm size of 3-4 head of cattle per household. In 2011, the dairy cattle population in Java was distributed regionally with 23.4% in West Java, 25.1% in Central Java and 49.6% in East Java (Soedjana, 2012: 60). The main production areas on Java include Pangalengan and Lembang in West Java, Boyolali in Central Java and Pujon in East Java. Together, they account for 20% of domestic production of milk. One of the challenges facing the dairy industry in Indonesia is low productivity. With an average daily milk production of around 11.5 liters/milking cow and an average lactation length of 271 days, average production is 3,139 liters per lactation. West Java is the most productive area (Soedjana, 2012: 61). West Java has a long history of agricultural production for export with estates and the production of high value crops as well as small-scale dairy farms. Much of the agriculture has been based on contract farming lines (White, 1996).

Site selection and sampling

The research uses a purposive sampling technique to collect data from small dairy farms in Pangalengan. Geographically, Pangalengan lies to the south of Bandung, a major city in West Java. Pangalengan was chosen as the site of the study because of its long history of dairy farming, its proximity to Bandung and Jakarta and its geographical and social features which have supported a long association with dairy farming.

Variables for data collection

This section lists a series of variables on which data may be collected, first for Questions 1 & 2, and then for Questions 3 & 4. They are organized under a number of different headings that represent components of the research questions.

Questions 1 & 2: Dairy farm conditions and eco-health

The objective of this part of the research is to gather data on existing conditions, and any subsequent changes brought about because of intervention.

The categories of variables on which data will be obtained are:

• Dairy farm conditions and practices (Physical descriptors; Farm family/financial descriptors; Institutional descriptors; Miscellaneous economic indicators; Historical and socio-economic aspects of dairy farming; Gender issues; Cultural factors; Feeding management issues; Herd management issues).
• Ecohealth factors (Farm variables which impact the environment; Variables for animal health and well-being; Variables for human health

Variables which will be considered as the focus of data collection to answer these questions are listed below under these main categories.

• Physical descriptors of individual farms:
• Farm family/financial descriptors of individual farms:
• Institutional descriptors of individual farms:
• Miscellaneous economic indicators:
• Historical and socio-economic aspects of dairy farming:
• Gender issues:
• Cultural factors influencing dairy farming:
• Feeding management issues:
• Herd management issues:
• Farm variables which impact the environment:
• Variables for animal health and well-being:
• Variables for human health:

magnitude of scale, stock type, sheds and other equipment, home grown forages, purchased feeds, externally sourced forages, dry season feeding strategies, farm production characteristics.

land ownership, stock ownership, labour, family income, farm management skills, milk price.

milk marketing, farmer support system, monitoring milk quality, price control, cooperative agreement, cooperative services, government support, additional support, sustainability of farming, regional economic parameters, other performance indicators of farming households.

prices for: cows, basic feed, sales and retail price of milk, veterinary medications, veterinary doctor services, transport, upkeep, equipment, total income from dairy farming, other sources of income

key developments and events in history of dairy farming in Indonesia and Pangalengan

the function that women play in small family farms, their status

language, ethnicity, school education, technical training, knowledge levels of dairy farming, attitudes to dairy farming, self-perception and identity, occupation of other family members

stocking capacity, on-farm forage production, forage quality, concentrate feeding program, total feed costs, milk income less feed costs

percent productive cows, pattern of milk production, reproductive performance, heifer management

Site location: proximity to human habitation, to noise, to water; Size description: size of farm, physical construction, construction and materials used for cow stalls; Sanitation conditions in the cow stalls and surrounding areas; Waste management; Water management: contaminants, run-off, seepage; Use of disinfectants, fertilizers and other chemicals

Farm efficiency, breeding, feed requirements, housing, minerals and vitamins and common ailments and remedies; Biological functioning, natural living, and affective state; Adequacy of space for cows: crowding, stocking density, close confinement; Basic feed stock: composition and nutritional quality of feed, pesticides or other chemical residues in the feed; Feed supplements: what supplementary feed is given, composition, quantity; Feed management: patterns of feed management, seasonal, daily, monthly; Effects from efforts at intensification

Milking practices, frequency or other patterns of milking; Quantity of milk produced; Quality of milk produced; Climate, especially heat and humidity, seasonal patterns, maximum and minimum temperatures, rainfall; Veterinary services for sick animals; Waste management; Use of antibiotics, antimicrobials to treat or prevent disease or promote growth which may lead to resistance and animal-human transmission; Genetic profile of cows; Age of cows; Breeding, calving practices; Treatment of unproductive or sick animals; Typical diseases found in the cows

Indicators of mistreatment or cruelty.

Risk for consumers due to quality of milk or levels of bacteria or contaminants in milk: milk biochemistry, the microbiological safety of raw milk, requirements for milk quality and safety, the identification of pathogens in milk, and pesticides, veterinary residues and other contaminants in milk. Hygiene practices during milking; Bacteria in waste, breeding of flies, site of diseases, drainage and seepage; Methane, dust and other air-borne substances and respiratory problems

Use of antibiotics as a possible contaminant in the cow if slaughtered for meat;  Working conditions and their impact on health, for example accidents caused by cows.

magnitude of scale, stock type, sheds and other equipment, home grown forages, purchased feeds, externally sourced forages, dry season feeding strategies, farm production characteristics.

land ownership, stock ownership, labour, family income, farm management skills, milk price.

milk marketing, farmer support system, monitoring milk quality, price control, cooperative agreement, cooperative services, government support, additional support, sustainability of farming, regional economic parameters, other performance indicators of farming households.

prices for: cows, basic feed, sales and retail price of milk, veterinary medications, veterinary doctor services, transport, upkeep, equipment, total income from dairy farming, other sources of income

key developments and events in history of dairy farming in Indonesia and Pangalengan

the function that women play in small family farms, their status

language, ethnicity, school education, technical training, knowledge levels of dairy farming, attitudes to dairy farming, self-perception and identity, occupation of other family members

stocking capacity, on-farm forage production, forage quality, concentrate feeding program, total feed costs, milk income less feed costs

percent productive cows, pattern of milk production, reproductive performance, heifer management

Site location: proximity to human habitation, to noise, to water; Size description: size of farm, physical construction, construction and materials used for cow stalls; Sanitation conditions in the cow stalls and surrounding areas; Waste management; Water management: contaminants, run-off, seepage; Use of disinfectants, fertilizers and other chemicals

Farm efficiency, breeding, feed requirements, housing, minerals and vitamins and common ailments and remedies; Biological functioning, natural living, and affective state; Adequacy of space for cows: crowding, stocking density, close confinement; Basic feed stock: composition and nutritional quality of feed, pesticides or other chemical residues in the feed; Feed supplements: what supplementary feed is given, composition, quantity; Feed management: patterns of feed management, seasonal, daily, monthly; Effects from efforts at intensification

Milking practices, frequency or other patterns of milking; Quantity of milk produced; Quality of milk produced; Climate, especially heat and humidity, seasonal patterns, maximum and minimum temperatures, rainfall; Veterinary services for sick animals; Waste management; Use of antibiotics, antimicrobials to treat or prevent disease or promote growth which may lead to resistance and animal-human transmission; Genetic profile of cows; Age of cows; Breeding, calving practices; Treatment of unproductive or sick animals; Typical diseases found in the cows

Indicators of mistreatment or cruelty.

Risk for consumers due to quality of milk or levels of bacteria or contaminants in milk: milk biochemistry, the microbiological safety of raw milk, requirements for milk quality and safety, the identification of pathogens in milk, and pesticides, veterinary residues and other contaminants in milk. Hygiene practices during milking; Bacteria in waste, breeding of flies, site of diseases, drainage and seepage; Methane, dust and other air-borne substances and respiratory problems

Use of antibiotics as a possible contaminant in the cow if slaughtered for meat;  Working conditions and their impact on health, for example accidents caused by cows.

Questions 3 & 4: Successful interventions and obstacles to change

3.     What interventions can be shown to have a positive impact?

4.     Which obstacles to improvement are resistant to change?

Interventions likely to have a positive impact which will be used with the treatment group are:

1.     Complete feed

2.     Support for farmers in farm management and hygiene

3.     Combination of complete feed and support on management and hygiene

Obstacles have been reported in the literature but Question 4 requires that the issue is looked at afresh.

Procedures and methods

Treatment and control groups

The farms in the Cipanas area will form the treatment group and receive one of the interventions. The farms in the other area will form the control group and receive no special treatment. The sampling is to be purposive as explained above.

Farms will be allocated at an early stage to one or other of the groups as shown below.

 

Group	Number of farms	Treatment
Control	30	None
Treatment 1	10	Complete feed for 50 cows
Treatment 2	10	Support for farmers in farm management and hygiene
Treatment 3	10	Combination of complete feed (50 cows) and support on management and hygiene

 

In addition, we hope to be able to provide an alternative channel for sale of the milk which provides the farmers with a better price. This should be motivational to follow the requirements for intervention. In addition, it may be possible to send the milk on to an independent processor to use to produce value added products such as yoghurt or cheese.

The results obtained from the groups given one of two types of interventions or the two interventions jointly, can be compared with the results from the control group.

Stages of the research

The research will be conducted in a number of stages as follows:

Stage	Description
1. Preparatory	Planning, site visit, team building, proposal writing
2. Literature review	International literature, local literature
3. Preliminary Survey	General data gathering in Pangalengan to provide a rich context for the study
4. Local participation building	Building local participation and identifying local issues
5. Pre-intervention	Specific data gathering on the variables related to Questions 1 to 4
6. Intervention	Control group receives no intervention; Treatment groups 1 to 3 receive different interventions; data is gathered at intervals over several months
7. Post-intervention	Data is gathered at the end of the treatment period to identify improvements and obstacles
8. Analysis	Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data to answer Questions 1 to 4
9. Discussion and dissemination	Sharing of the results and discussion with farmers, other interested parties and the public; local leadership building by facilitating local leaders to share ideas to a wider audience
10. Publication	Academic publication in several journal articles and other genres

 

1. Preparatory

The preparatory stage involves conceptualization, initial planning and resourcing and also the submission of the draft proposal to IDRC.

In addition, includes a rapid situation analysis of the situation in Pangalengan in which several members of the research team travelled to Pangalengan, visited a large, agro-industrial scale dairy farm, saw SHDFs, travelled to plantations, met and talked with government officials from several organizations, met and talked with local veterinary doctors and local community leaders and visited a coffee farm.

The visit allowed the research team to quickly identify the issues and problems that are seen as important to local stakeholders. It also allowed the research team to gain the trust and cooperation of local leaders as potential participants in the research. Based on the information obtained, the research team were able to focus and revise their initial research plan and these insights are contained in this revised version of the proposal.

At the time of writing, this stage can be considered at or near completion.

The first visit by the team to Pangalengan identified the following problems in dairy farming and agriculture that were of concern to local dairy farmers and experts: lack of green fodder, poor feed quality, dairy farming being less profitable than horticulture, high feed cost, high bacterial count in milk, low production figures per cow, and farmers watering down the milk to offset production costs.

2. Literature review

Two main sources of literature will be accessed:

1.     Edited or peer-reviewed international academic literature on eco-health, dairy farming, human and animal health in the form of journal articles, books, reports;

2.     A selection of 31 theses and dissertations on different aspects of dairy farming in Pangalengan from a collection of 200 at four universities in Bandung and Bogor involving studies done over the last ten years on a range of topics on Pangalengan, such as agriculture, economics, and environment.

3. Preliminary Survey

A preliminary survey will be carried out to obtain contextual information on dairy farming in Pangalengan and on the dairy farms taking part in the research.

Local functionaries and bureaucrats will be asked to provide information and statistics from their records.

Methods used will be: Questionnaire; Focus Group Discussion (FGD)

4. Local participation building

Local participants, experts and leaders, as well as representatives of relevant organizations will be involved in the research.

Team members stationed in Pangalengan will play an important role as liaison.

The methods used will be: Focus Group Discussion (FGD); Meeting

5. Pre-intervention

Data will be gathered at the farms participating in the study and at the KPBS to obtain quantitative data on the key indicators of farm performance and on eco-health variables.

The methods used will be: Questionnaire; Site visit: sample collection; Laboratory tests

6. Intervention

The intervention phase will involve locally based team members managing and supervising the provision of (1) complete feed, (2) Support for farmers in farm management and hygiene, and (3) Combination of complete feed and support on management and hygiene. The control group will receive no intervention.

In addition, we hope to provide an alternative channel for sale of the farmers’ milk at a better price.

During this stage, data will be gathered at regular intervals over several months.

The methods used will be: Questionnaire; Site visit: sample collection; Laboratory tests

7. Post-intervention

After the intervention phase is complete, the last collection of data on the performance of farms and on eco-health indicators will take place at the farms in the Control group and the Treatment groups.

The methods used will be: Questionnaire; Site visit: sample collection; Laboratory tests

8. Analysis

Once the various types of data have been obtained, a quantitative and qualitative analysis will be performed to answer questions 1 to 4. The data and the findings of this analysis can be further analyzed to provide answers to Question 5.

9. Discussion and dissemination

The experience of the research project can be discussed and shared. Dissemination of results will target farmers, local bureaucrats, business people and other interested members of the public. It will involve the local community leaders and other stakeholders. It may make use of the national or international media and new media to share ideas as widely as possible. It is likely to make use of some or all of the following communicative media:

1.     Workshops in which local leaders alone or with the support of members of the research team share insights from the research project and from their own experience with local farmers with a view to encouraging wider implementation of innovative means of production.

2.     Presentations by local leaders or by members of the research team or other experts for the farming community, government officials, potential investors and the like about developing the dairy sector

3.     Media coverage in which the activities of the project are presented on television, in the print news or through new media. This could in news items, current affairs, documentary or discussion formats.

4.     Site visits in which interested persons can visit the on-going research to see directly how it is proceeding.

10. Publication

Academic publication includes the following genres of text:

1.     Progress reports. As the research goes forward, reports can be produced for local and international distribution on emerging findings and progress.

2.     Research articles for publication in peer-reviewed journals. The research results can be written up to produce at least three research articles on different aspects of the study. For example, one article could deal with the issue of feed, another with economic aspects of small-holder farming, another with health and or environmental issues. There is also the potential to write an article from an eco-health perspective.

3.     Policy briefs. The research project will also generate a number of policy briefs. These will contain recommendations to decision makers about the strategic implications of the study and its findings for the government’s policy of achieving semi-self-reliance in milk production by 2020.

4.     Project reports for the funding agency and other key stakeholders.

5.     Workshop or conference. Either a national or international conference can be organized to highlight the issue of developing the small-holder dairy farming sector in the Asia Pacific region.

Personnel and Partner Institutions

Host University

Research Team

Research team member affiliations

Stakeholders and Associate Institutions

Local Participants

Partner Universities

Government Institutions and Offices

Non-government Companies and Associations

Timeline

Stage	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5
1. Preparatory
2. Literature review
3. Preliminary Survey
4. Local participation building
5. Pre-intervention
6. Intervention
7. Post-intervention
8. Analysis
9. Discussion and dissemination
10. Publication