Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues is a peer-reviewed journal which publishes original research papers and case studies

Food needs will continue to increase due to year by year, Indonesia's population continues to increase, while the amount of food production cannot compensate for the increase in population. To guarantee national food security, the Indonesian government continues to strive to procure sufficient amounts of rice, including the use of high-yielding seeds, balanced and efficient use of fertilizers, control of pests and diseases, etc. These efforts are only focused on achieving targeted rice production but have not paid attention to the level of income obtained by farmers when cultivating rice compared to cultivating other agricultural commodities. The research was aimed to: (1) determine the income level of a rice farmer, especially in Sidrap District, which is a rice barn area in South Sulawesi Province; and (2) to determine the feasibility of rice farming in the area. One indicator of the feasibility of rice farming can be known based on the value of R / C ratio as well as Break Even Point (BEP) production and Break Even Point (BEP) prices. This study found that the level of income obtained by rice farmers in Pitu Riawa Subdistrict, Sidrap District was Rp. 13,624,672 / ha and was feasible to be cultivated with R / C ratio> 4.24; BEP production of 358 kg; BEP price of IDR 1,152 / kg.

Following global trade agreements, Asian countries have been highly aggressive in implementing free trade. These conditions will impact all sectors, including agriculture. This study aims to examine the impact of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), World Trade Organization membership (WTO), and the Doha Round implementations on agricultural producer prices in Asian countries (PPI). The study was conducted using secondary data from 1991 to 2020. The data for 28 Asian countries were analyzed using the first difference General Method of Moments (GMM). The results show that implementing the GATT raises the PPI, but implementing the WTO has the reverse impact. PPI is unaffected by the Doha Round. Inflation, exchange rate, value-added, human capital, and land area equipped for irrigation are all positive contributors to PPI. Several recommendations are made to increase PPI in Asian countries: increasing commitment to agricultural fair trade, increasing agricultural value-added, improving educational opportunities for agricultural business players, and prioritizing agricultural infrastructure investment.

Yield fluctuation is a major risk in all agricultural sectors, and it influences Goal 2 (food security) of the UN SDGs. Yield fluctuations are expected due to climate change, risking stable coffee supplies, and compromising coffee-exporting countries’ ability to earn revenue to pay for food imports. Technology minimizing yield fluctuations is crucial for food security and for coffee farmers to earn a stable income. Fluctuations are small if yields remain close to the mean yield trends. In this study, the coffee yields of major producers are analyzed, together with zonal temperature data, to see where coffee is grown with stable technology under rising temperatures; thus, we demonstrate the advantages of the Yield Stability Index (YSI) over traditional stability measurements in guiding policy formulation and managerial decisions. The Yield Stability Index (YSI) is applied for 1961–1994 and 1995–2020, for the world’s 12 major coffee-producing countries. The YSI indicates that of the 12 countries, only Indonesia, Honduras, and Mexico maintain stable yield levels, while Brazil and Vietnam considerably improve their yield stability, which traditional stability measures cannot grasp. Country-wise differences exist in environmental vulnerability and adaptability, with implications for food security. The novelty is the application of the YSI, and the connection between yield stability, climate change, and food security.

Recent technological advancements have revolutionized agriculture in Asia, leading to significant changes in crop yield stability. This study examines the changing face of crop yield stability in Asia resulting from the increasing adoption of innovative technologies in agriculture. Through a review of current research and case studies, the impact of technology-driven changes on yield levels, variability, and predictability is explored. The study applies a yield stability index (YSI) to evaluate the yield stability of six crops in seven Asian countries during two periods (1961–1994 and 1995–2020), comparing the countries, crops, and stability changes between the two segments. The novelty of the research is the application of YSI, which, contrary to usual stability metrics, can distinguish between rare large extreme yields and frequent minor fluctuations, and based on this feature, evaluates the suitability of the prevailing technologies to local environmental conditions. The YSI is used to evaluate the stability of technologies, indicating whether the technologies can respond well to the annual variations of environmental conditions. Positive YSI values indicate stable technologies that can respond well to the annual variations of environmental conditions, and the concept of a well-technologized crop is used for crops in countries with stable positive YSI values, indicating the suitability of the actual crop to the actual geographical environment. These results can guide production technology developments and the introduction or abandonment of certain crops in certain geographical zones, especially regarding the implications of climate change and global warming. This study highlights the transformative power of technology in improving crop yield stability and food security in Asia, while discussing the potential challenges associated with these changes and the need for continued research to address them.

International trade relations have been considerably affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Our analysis was aimed at identifying its effect on the global trade network of green coffee beans, comparing the COVID-year 2020 to the pre-COVID year 2018. The methodology applied was that of social network analysis using trade value data for the above two years. Our results show that between the pre-pandemic and the pandemic years, the role of some major actors considerably changed, and many trade relationships were disrupted. Overall trade value decreased, and the number of trade connections also changed—some countries gained, but more countries lost compared to their former positions. The network measures, i.e., degree distribution, betweenness, closeness and eigenvector centralities, modularity-based clustering and the minimum spanning tree, were suitable for quantifying these changes and identifying differences between affected countries. The changes found between the two years are assumed to be due to the effects of the pandemic, but further analysis is needed to reveal the actual mechanisms leading to these results.