Comparative Study of Rice Farmers’ Income Before and After the Implementation of Modern Agricultural Techniques: A Case Study in North Kluet and East Kluet Districts, South Aceh Regency

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the differences in rice farmers’ income before and after the adoption of modern agricultural techniques in Kluet Utara and Kluet Timur Subdistricts, Aceh Selatan Regency. This research employed a quantitative approach with a comparative method. Primary data were collected through questionnaires from 99 rice farmers selected using stratified random samplings. Data analysis was conducted using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test because the data were not normally distributed and involved paired observations.

The results show that there is a statistically significant difference in farmers’ income before and after the implementation of modern agricultural techniques, with a significance value of less than 0.05. The average income increased from approximately Rp 9,580,000 to Rp 9,670,000 per planting season. However, the increase is relatively small, indicating that the economic impact is not yet optimal.

These findings imply that the   adoption of modern agricultural technology needs to be supported by government policies, training, and access to capital to improve farmers’ welfare sustainably.