THE ADAPTABILITY OF SMALLHOLDERS TOWARD LIVESTOCK INTEGRATION WITH OIL PALM AND INCOME GENERATED

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of adoption of oil palm independent smallholders toward livestock integration technology. One hundred nine participants were interviewed using a structured questionnaire as the main research instrument. The assessment showed that 52% of the respondents owned and maintained the breeder buck given to them but 48% of these participants changed the breeds. Most of them (95%) constructed a goat shed for their animals but approximately only 5% tethered their goats under the pen. The benefits of the smallholders engaging in goat production are to make it a source of food and an additional income for the family. By practising livestock integration, the respondents are able to improve their quality of life because of the additional income they derived from the operation and the maximum utilization of resources it has done to their farms. The result shows that the smallholders can get either positive or negative additional income depending on their livestock management). Under good management, they can get positive returns in the long term or vice versa. In general, the livestock integration program indirectly helps to reduce the cost of fresh fruit bunch (FFB) production due to the reduced application of weedicide and diversity their income.