The Sources And Determinants Of Income Of Single Cropping Padi Farmers In Malaysia

Despite the belief that single-cropping padi farmers constitute one of the very poorest groups in Peninsular Malaysia, little is known in detail about the level and sources of income of this group, or about the determinants of this income. Such knowledge is of considerable practical importance, for in its absence it is impossible to gauge the effect on this group of government policies, such as maintaining a high domestic price for rice, or providing new irrigation facilities. Furthermore, in designing a strategy aimed at reducing severe absolute poverty and at providing "basic needs" for everyone it is helpful to know what the social and demographic characteristics of the poor are and how their position could be bettered. With such consideration in mind we have undertaken the analysis of a set of surveys conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture which collected information on about 2700 households involved in single-cropping of rice. All the households surveyed were in areas where small-scale irrigation projects could be undertaken and the survey was undertaken with the immediate aim of providing information which would help evaluate the desirability of investing in such a project in the various areas examined.