Indonesia is the fifth largest cocoa-producing country in the world, and an increase in cocoa farming efficiency can help farmers to increase their per capita income and reduce poverty in rural areas of this country. This research evaluated the efficiency of Indonesian cocoa farms using a non-parametric approach. The results revealed that the majority of cocoa farms are operated relatively inefficiently. The average technical and allocative efficiencies (0.82 and 0.46, respectively) of these cocoa farms demonstrated that there is potential for improvement. The potential cost reductions range from 36 to 76%, with an average of 60%, if farmers practice efficiently. The technical and allocative efficiencies and cocoa farm economies are affected by the use of quality seeds, organic fertilizers, frequency of extension and training of farm managers, access to bank credit and the market, the participation of women, and the farm manager’s gender. An increase in the output would increase farmers’ income and reduce poverty in rural areas. This research suggests that the availability of extension and training provided to farmers as well as support for women farmer groups should be increased. Credit programs are also important for cocoa farmers, so policymakers should develop programs that make production credit more accessible for farmers, especially through cooperatives and banks.

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We aimed to assess and observe the accumulation of Cu, Cd, and Hg heavy metals on land and the contamination of plant tissues in Grand Forest Park, Palu, Indonesia, and its surrounding areas. The method used was a mix between survey and investigation, integrating data on research findings from before 2013 to 2016 with data from 2018. The data were analyzed using a correlation test, and descriptive statistics are presented in the form of tables and graphs. The results show that the highest concentration of Hg was found in the Poboya processing area (575.16 ppm) in 2013, though it gradually decreased to 287.64 ppm in 2018. The results of the Spearman’s rank test at the ∝ 0.05 level between average Cu land and Cu plant concentrations show that the obtained value (r) was 0.52 with a rho (ρ) of 0.13, which is not significant (ρ 0.13 > 0.05), while for Cd and Hg metals, the obtained r values were 0.88 and 0.86, respectively. These two metals showed significant correlations between concentrations of Cd and Hg on land and Cd and Hg in plant tissues (both ρ 0.001 < 0.05). Specifically, the transfer factor (TF) value at the sampling sites of the Grand Forest Park area, Ngatabaru, and PBY from the average of various Hg concentrations in plants was much higher than the TF values of Cu and Cd, specifically being Hg > Cd = Cu or 0.61 > 0.17 = 0.17.

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This study aims to analyze the recovery of the agricultural area’s function affected by the Poboya traditional gold mining in supporting the stability of sustainable food supply. We began the research by examining the existing mining land conditions through spatial analysis (land cover and land use changes from 2010 to 2019). Apart from that, it also analyzed the land’s health was through the soil’s physical and chemical properties, especially mercury. The observation proved that changes in the land’s cover and uses lead to decreased land quality and degradation. The existing condition showed heavy metals, particularly mercury, mostly polluted agricultural land in the mining area. The model design produced by this study may 1) emphasize land arrangement; 2) revegetation design with forestry, plantation, and food crops; 3) domesticated plant; and 4) environmental monitoring, concerning monitoring of soil quality, monitoring of erosion and sedimentation, water quality, acid mine drainage, successful revegetation, and others. These four aspects expect to help suppress the rate of land degradation in agriculture located in ex-mining areas and reduce forest destruction in the Grand Forest Park area.

This research aims to determine the attitudes of the farmers whose lands are affected by liquefaction in Jono Oge, Central Sulawesi Province, The Republic of Indonesia. The methods used here were integrated survey and experimental design. The survey approach was intended to figure out the attitudes of the farmers viewpoints: (1) to return to their activities on the agricultural lands affected by liquefaction; (2) to consume their own agricultural products; and (3) of their willingness to be relocated. The experimental design approach was used to figure out the effectiveness of organic material input combined with the SP-36 fertilizer. The obtained results were analyzed using the Likert Scale, diversity test, correlational test, and regression test. The results showed that the farmers persevered farming on the lands affected by liquefaction (Index = 88.82%) yet refused to consume their own agricultural products with the reason that corpses remained buried beneath their lands (Index = 27.82%); and they also refused to be relocated (Index = 28.80%). The continued production suitability of the affected land was also investigated. Terrain profile identification results in Jono Oge showed the disaster impact was dominantly landslide as it still showed a clear characteristic horizon between the topsoil and the sub soil. This contrasts to terrain at Petobo, Central Sulawesi Province, where the high mix of the topsoil with the sub soil of agricultural land affected by liquefaction, prevented demarcation of the horizon. The land treatment of organic material and SP-36 fertilizer showed that the combined dose (M) of 40-kg ha-1 with P 300-kg ha-1 had the highest effect by changing the field pH from 5.7 to 6.41, increased the availability of P and increased the corncob indicator plant weight. Based on these indications, the lands affected by the liquefaction in Jono Oge can still be used as agricultural lands through restoration, from both social and technical aspects.

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