Abstract:
This study aims to determine the reasons for not using rice straw in the rice field
landscape of Mandikapau Barat Village, Banjar Regency. Landscape ecology data
extracted from Google Maps. Types, rice production, farmer profiles, and knowledge of
rice straw utilization were identified through interviews. The relationship between profile
and reasons for not using rice straw was determined by bivariate analysis. Results
showed that fragments’ shape is generally elongated (70%) and others hexagonal (30%).
The corridor in dry rice fields is 40-50 cm narrow, while in wet rice fields, the
embankment width is about 60-80 cm. The average ownership of rainfed rice fields was
about ±3,917.6 m2. From nine rice field fragments observed, the average area was
±14,788.4 m2. The most widely grown local rice varieties are Siam Pandak Laut and Siam Cantik. The local rice production rate reached ±2.6 Ton Ha-1, while rice straw production was ±3.6 Ton Ha-1. Most respondents are women (76%), smallholders (80%), and aged 40-50 years (48%). Most respondents (84%) stated rice straw could not be used and had been passed down from generation to generation (64%). There was a relationship between gender and knowledge of straw utilization (p=0.036<0.050) and reasons for not using rice straw (p=0.021<0.050).
