Learning and Technology Adoption Impacts on Farmer’s Productivity

In Malaysia, conventional rice farming is the predominant method of rice cultivation with attendant problems like the harmful effects of the utilisation of synthetic pesticides and synthetic fertilisers. Thus, conventional rice farming was compared to the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method, a variant of agroecological rice farming, in Kampung Klerek, Bachok District, and Kelantan. It must be noted that the agroecological rice farming method is the farmer’s maiden attempt. Agroecological rice farming is a much more environmentally friendly approach. The aim of this paper is to compare conventional rice farming vis-à-vis agroecological rice farming from a financial perspective. Comparative Cost Benefit Analysis has been adopted to determine which the better alternative is. However, the results go beyond financial consideration as conventional rice farming is chemically driven whereas agroecological rice farming is grounded on environmentalism. The results indicated that agroecological rice farming is a better financial alternative with higher revenue and lower cost of production. The higher revenue is due to higher production yield whereas the lower cost of production is due to contributory factors like lower labour cost, lower seed utilisation and ancillary cost, zero cost for synthetic fertilisers and lower fuel and ancillary cost for machinery despite higher organic fertiliser cost. Thus, on a long-term basis, with the effect of the learning and experience curve, the cost of production can be lowered further. Moreover, the higher rice yield, less seed wastage, utilisation of organic fertilisers, organic pesticides and natural pest control methods are in sync with good environmental practices.

Customary land ownership dispute have been clearly attributed to three main factors, namely status, ownership validity and the actual area of land owned. Society’s conflict in relation to the matter can be attributed to the way the information is obtained. Most of the customary land owners obtained their land information orally; through word of mouth information.This matter has finally become a major challenge to the community when it comes to various assumptions and different interpretations related to the status and validity of the customary land owned. Hence, this study aims to reveal the feedback from the customary landowners in relation to the determination of the boundaries of the land among the Bidayuh community in Serian District, Sarawak. Besides that, the study also drew attention to the delimitation of the customary land disputes and its implications among the customary landowners. Information related to the purpose of the study was gathered through the focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with the customary landowners in the study area. The study found that there are several ways of defining the boundaries among the landowners. Accordingly, it can be concluded that land disputes in the study area are driven by issues of status and validity of ownership of land owned by customary land owners.To reduce the conflict, it was suggested that the available land are be measured by a qualified surveyor. Thus, when the land was measured, the landowner will obtain a clearer land title in terms of status and ownership of validity. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n4s3p17

Mendepani kekangan inovasi dan teknologi dalam kalangan pekebun kecil sawit di Sabah (Facing the constraints of innovation and technology among small-scale oil palm farmers in Sabah)

Modal intelektual adalah aset tidak nyata yang dapat memberi kesan kepada prestasi perusahaan mikro dan kecil (PMK). Makalah ini bertujuan membincangkan sorotan karya bentuk naratif bagi memahami konsep modal intelektual dan kaitannya dengan prestasi perniagaan. Menerusi sorotan literatur naratif maka satu analisis komprehensif, kritikal dan objektif mengenai pengetahuan semasa yang ada mengenai modal intelektual dan prestasi perniagaan dapat dikenal pasti dan membantu pembinaan kerangka konseptual teoritis yang inklusif dan selari dengan arus kajian semasa. Penemuan menunjukkan modal intelektual, yang terdiri daripada 3 dimensi iaitu modal insan, modal hubungan dan modal struktural, adalah pembolehubah penting dalam kajian mengenai pengurusan prestasi perniagaan. Asas kepada penciptaan kelebihan bersaing dan nilai tambahnya adalah berteraskan teori Pandangan Berasaskan Sumber (RBV). Di samping itu pengintegrasian perspektif Model Modal Intelektual Bersepadu (IICM) telah mengembangkan dimensi yang lebih menyeluruh dalam membentuk konstruk modal intelektual (IC) daripada 3 kepada 6 dimensi. Akhirnya, satu halatuju kajian akan datang berkaitan IC dan prestasi perniagaan telah dapat dikemukakan di mana IC dimodelkan sebagai salah satu pembolehubah daripada kategori aset strategik yang mempengaruhi prestasi PMK. Modal intelektual merupakan alat yang boleh dioptimumkan bagi mencipta nilai yang menyumbang kepada prestasi firma, manakala kepimpinan keusahawanan adalah tunggak penggerak yang menentukan sejauhmana alat yang dimiliki firma dapat digembeling secara optimum bagi menghasilkan prestasi perniagaan yang baik. Justeru itu, modal intelektual dan kepimpinan keusahawanan adalah faktor yang menjadi perhatian pengkaji masakini dalam membincangkan isu prestasi dan pengurusan strategik entiti PMK. Kata kunci: Modal Intelektual; Prestasi: Aset Tidak Nyata; Pandangan Berasaskan Sumber (RBV); Model Modal Intelektual Bersepadu (IICM)

Kesedaran, pemikiran mahupun interaksi kekeluargaan dalam kalangan orang Asli dalam memahami keperluan dalam konteks pemilikan tanah masih belum cukup kukuh. Adanya norma sosial dibentuk dalam kelompok masyarakat berserta identiti dan nilai orang Asli yang tersendiri memerlukan pengaturan melalui peruntukan formal dan undang-undang bagi menyelesaikan sesuatu isu atau konflik berkaitan tanah adat. Hak pemilikan sememangnya penting diperjuangkan untuk mengekalkan kelangsungan hidup dan usaha pemeliharaan dan pemuliharaan serta mengatasi persaingan ke atas tanah. Sehubungan itu, artikel ini menjawab persoalan terhadap kepentingan keperluan pemilikan tanah dalam kalangan masyarakat orang Asli. Objektif artikel adalah untuk memberi pemahaman atau justifikasi teliti mengenai keperluan pemilikan tanah dalam kalangan masyarakat orang Asli dengan menggunakan tinjauan literatur naratif yang diadakan berdasarkan data sekunder diperoleh melalui pangkalan data elektronik dan rujukan artikel dan jurnal. Hasil dan perbincangan melalui sorotan karya literatur mendapati bahawa keperluan pemilikan tanah orang Asli terbahagi kepada lima elemen utama. Antaranya merangkumi adat dan identiti (peruntukan formal dan undang-undang, identiti dan nilai), sosial (kesedaran dan pemahaman, interaksi kekeluargaan, norma sosial), ekonomi (pemeliharaan dan pemuliharaan, kelangsungan hidup, persaingan ke atas tanah), budaya (melindungi dan mempertingkat kawalan, mengatur tingkah laku), serta kepimpinan dan pemerkasaan (penglibatan dan kerjasama pihak berkepentingan, proses pembuatan keputusan). Kajian ini seterusnya menyumbang kepada sorotan kajian literatur yang sedia ada yang signifikan untuk memahami keperluan pemilikan tanah dalam kalangan orang Asli. Kata kunci: Orang Asli, pemilikan tanah, pengiktirafan tanah, tanah adat, tinjauan literatur Awareness, mindset and family interaction among indigenous peoples in understanding the needs of land ownership is infirm yet. The existence of social norms formed in the community groups with their own identity and values of indigenous people requires arrangements through formal and legal provisions to resolve any issue or conflict related to customary land. Ownerships are indeed important to fight for to ensure its sustainability, to maintain the effort on conservation and preservation as well as to overcome any competition over the land. This article highlights the importance of the need for land ownership among the indigenous community. The objective of this article is to provide understanding and justification of the need for land ownership among the indigenous community by using a narrative literature review which has been conducted based on secondary data obtained through electronic databases and some reference from articles and journals. Based on the narrative literature review, it found that the needs in land ownership can be divided into five main elements. There are tradition and identity (formal and legal provisions, identity and values), social (awareness and understanding, family interaction, social norms), economic (preservation and conservation, sustainability, competition over land), cultural (protecting and enhancing control, regulating behavior), as well as leadership and empowerment (the cooperation and engagement by stakeholders, managerial processes). This study also contributes to the existing literature which are significant for understanding the needs of land ownership among these indigenous people.   Keywords: Indigenous people, land ownership, land recognition, customary land, literature review