Research on World Agricultural Economy

Factors Influencing Lowland Rice Farmers' Productivity: Evidence from East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Ida Bagus Made Agung Dwijatenaya

Program Study of Agribusiness, Faculty of Agriculture, Kutai Kartanegara University, Tenggarong 75512, Indonesia

Ince Raden

Program Study of Agrotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kutai Kartanegara University, Tenggarong 75512, Indonesia

Yonathan Palinggi

Program Study of Public Administration, Kutai Kartanegara University, Tenggarong 75512, Indonesia

Sundari

Program Study of Agrotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kutai Kartanegara University, Tenggarong 75512, Indonesia

Akhmad Arief

Program Study of Agribusiness, Faculty of Agriculture, Kutai Kartanegara University, Tenggarong 75512, Indonesia

Eka Rahmawati

Program Study of Agrotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kutai Kartanegara University, Tenggarong 75512, Indonesia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36956/rwae.v7i2.2785

Received: 27 September 2025 | Revised: 17 November 2025 | Accepted: 25 November 2025 | Published Online: 13 May 2026

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors affecting the productivity of rice farmers. This study employed a quantitative research design with an inferential statistical approach using SmartPLS. The research was conducted in five rice farming areas in Kutai Kartanegara Regency, East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia, with a sample size of 146 respondents. The results indicate that extension communication has a positive and significant effect on farmers' knowledge. However, the effect on farmers' skills is positive but not significant. Extension communication has a negative and insignificant effect on innovation adoption, and a positive but insignificant effect on farmer productivity. The effect of farmers' knowledge on innovation adoption was negative and an insignificant, while its effect on farmer productivity was positive but not significant. In contrast, the effect of farmers' skills on innovation adoption and farmer productivity was positive and significant. This study has several limitations. First, it focuses only on rice farmers in the five agricultural areas designated by the Kutai Kartanegara Regency government, so the results cannot be generalized to other areas with different conditions. Second, this study does not consider external factors that may influence the successful adoption of agricultural technology innovations, such as government policies, market access, and weather conditions.

Keywords: Extension Communication; Farmer Knowledge; Farmer Skills; Innovation Adoption; Productivity

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