Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Photo 5.1
A rubber smallholding in Hadyao (August, 2005)
a return so they did not always keep their rubber plots weeded, being busy with rice
cultivation. Therefore, the number of surviving trees averaged about 1,510 per
household (78 percent) and ranged from 120 to 6,900.
The factors affecting the number of rubber trees planted were investigated
through multiple regression analysis. Seven possible factors were included in the
model (Table 5.6). The model explained 24 percent of the variance in the total
number of rubber trees planted. The coefficients for planting rubber in the first
phase and for full-time equivalent household labour force were positive and statisti-
cally significant at the 1 percent and 5 percent levels, respectively. The age and
education of the household head were not significant factors, nor were access to
additional land, labour, or capital (credit). It appears that households with the
labour, skills, and initiative to plant first had been able to plant more rubber trees
and that, because they now had more experience in rubber cultivation and money
from selling their rubber, they were also better able to invest in new rubber plots,
compounding their initial advantage.
About 86 percent of the households reported that they planned to increase the
area under rubber trees (somewhat contradicting the view expressed by village
authorities). The reasons given were to have many trees for their children, to have
a permanent job as a rubber farmer and stop growing upland rice, to earn more
money because rubber provides a good income, and to claim access to land because
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