Argumentation: Threats Reduced Agricultural Land
Threats Reduced Agricultural Land
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Since
the industrial revolution various kinds of goods have been produced to fulfill
human life using various types of machines. By using the machine the ability to
produce goods becomes faster and more efficient. This has led to the opening of
many industrial estates to support the increasing human needs. Due to the lack
of strong government regulations in order to prevent land conversion, many
agricultural lands have been converted into industrial zones. While some
Indonesians earn a living engaged in agriculture. Therefore, the opening of
industrial estates on agricultural land be stopped because it can threaten food
security, threaten the balance of the ecosystem, and many farm workers have
lost their jobs.
First,
the opening of industrial states on agricultural land threatens food security.
That is by reason of agricultural land is a factor supporting the needs of
people's lives, especially in the food sector. However, paddy fields have now
been converted into industrial zones which have lessen agricultural land in
Indonesia every year. The data shows the switch of function of agricultural
land successive with the loss of community interest in working in agriculture,
this can be seen from the increase in the conversion rate of agricultural land
every year, in 2015 there was land conversion which caused Indonesia to lose
24,200 hectares of agricultural land (Ministry of Agriculture, 2016). As a
result of this, food production especially paddy has reduction which has an
impact on the national need for rice that is decreasing. Friyatno et al. (2001)
stated that lost harvest areas, reduced productivity of paddy fields, and the
application of cropping patterns are the effects of shifting the function of
paddy fields resulting in loss of rice production. The impact of the conversion
of agricultural land to the food sector also affects the price of food on the
market, especially the price of rice. Seeing that rice production is declining
but community needs are rising so that demand is greater than the existing food
supply, this causes the price of rice on the market to expand. The data
indicates the price of rice Rp.11,073 per kg was the price of food in December
2013, where the price increased by 0.5 percent (Central Bureau of Statistics,
2014). So based on the data that has been provided, in my opinion agricultural
land which is now being converted into industrial estates has a negative impact
on national food security, this can be seen from the decline in agricultural
land that continues to increase, resulting in reduced food supply especially
rice, in addition to land reduction agriculture has an impact on the economy of
the community, where food prices on the market have increased so that food
prices are not affordable by some people.
Second, the conversion of the function of
agricultural into industrial zones threatens the balance of the ecosystem. That
is by reason of agricultural land has an important function for human life,
regardless of food needs but agricultural land also plays an important role for
the balance of the ecosystem. Many ecosystems are disturbed because land use
change has a negative impact on environmental sustainability. This can be seen
from the many changes in land which was originally a wet land has now become a
dry land which of course it destroys spatial planning that has the potential to
cause flood disasters. The studies claims that among several factors causing
floods, land use change is the main cause of floods in many areas (Kodoatie
& Sjarief, 2006). This is due to agricultural land is a land that is very
easy to absorb rainwater. In addition, agricultural land functions to absorb
carbon as well as being a place to live animals. As a result of land use change
itself many animals have lost their homes and oxygen supply is decreasing.
Hariyanto (2010) postulated that agricultural land not only serves as a buffer
for the needs of the food sector but has an ecological function of carbon
sequestration, regulating water systems etc. So based on the statements above,
in my opinion the conversion of agricultural land has a negative impact on the
balance of the ecosystem, it can be seen from the effects that occur such as
flooding, loss of shelter of animals, and depletion of oxygen supply for human
life.
Third,
the opening of industrial estates which caused agricultural land to decrease
resulted in many farm workers losing their job. This is due to the fact that
Indonesia is an agrarian country where most of the population earns a living as
a farm laborer. Dharmawan et al. (2007) stated that the emergence of
unemployment is the impact of the many farm workers who find it difficult to
find work because of the conversion of agricultural land. Therefore, the change
of land use has resulted in high rates of urbanization caused by the
livelihoods of people, especially rural communities who have lost their jobs
and decided to try their luck in urban areas to get a job. Irawan (2005)
presented a description of decreased employment opportunities caused by land
use change will affect the income of farmers, therefore the level of purchasing
power will decrease and this will have an impact on the economy of farmers,
especially in the food sector. In addition, the conversion of land functions
has resulted in many farm workers turning professions. This is due to economic
demands and reduced employment opportunities for farm laborers which causes farm
laborers to find other work. So, based on the data that has been presented in
my opinion, the conversion of the function of agricultural land causes the farm
workers to lose their jobs, this results in high rates of urbanization, in
addition to the economic demands of many farm workers who switch professions to
the non-agricultural sector.
In conclusion, that the conversion of agricultural land into industrial areas must be stopped inasmuch as it causes several threats, including threatening food security, threatening the balance of the ecosystem, and farm workers losing their jobs. From this, it can be seen that the conversion of agricultural land has a negative impact on the environment and society. In this case, the government must set stricter regulations regarding the transfer of land functions. It would be better if the government and the community work together to reduce the activities of land use change that can damage the environment and harm local communities.
References:
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(2010). Pola dan Intensitas Konversi
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