E. Nugroho, S. Azizah, T. Susilawati, I. Novianti
The cattle population in Indonesia remains far from sufficient to fulfill the national demand for meat. To cope with this problem, the government allows and increases the amount of imported life cattle and frozen meat. At the same time, Indonesia pursues self-sufficiency for meat by 2014, by increasing the local production with local breeds. Rambon cattle - originating from the regency Banyuwangi in East Java is one of Indonesia's native cattle breeds whose potential has not yet been fully explored. This study reveals the socio-economic impact of the Rambon cattle and the indigenous knowledge of the farmers in the village Kemiren. Sixty-five farmers were selected and interviewed using a questionnaire. The data were analyzed with an input-output analysis and a descriptive analysis. The study shows that on average a farmer owned 1.29 ± 0.80 head Rambon cattle. Most farmers attended their own cattle, instead of profit sharing with a shepherd. Moreover, Rambon cattle are mainly held as a draught animal to cultivate the land. Rambon cattle farmers earn yearly on average USD 188 per animal in addition to their use as a ploughing animal. The income of USD 188 is the result of selling the animal at the market after two years of fattening. This shows that with the contemporary but traditional management, Rambon cattle are socio-economic important to a farmer's household. The study suggests that the farmers with the highest amount of land have the possibility to maintain two extra animals to increase both their income and meat production. Those farmers who cannot increase the amount of animals can increase meat output by improving their management skills of feeding and reproduction.
Department of Socio-Economic, Brawijaya, University, Jalan Veteran, Malang, East Java, 65145, Indonesia; Department of Animal Production, Brawijaya, University, Jalan Veteran, Malang, East Java, 65145, Indonesia
