Sustainability of Vegetable Hydroponic System in Pekanbaru City
Article Sidebar
Abstract
The decrease in the harvested area and the reduction in horticultural land caused by the conversion of agricultural land into plantations have prompted farmers to practice vegetable farming using a hydroponic system. This study aims to analyze the level of sustainability in vegetable farming using a hydroponic system, considering various dimensions and farmers' strategies to enhance sustainable hydroponic vegetable farming in Pekanbaru City. The sustainability index was determined using the Rap-Farm Ordination Technique along with the Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) Method, Leverage Analysis, Monte Carlo Simulation, and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to analyze hydroponic vegetable farming strategies in Pekanbaru City. A saturated sample of 30 hydroponic vegetable farmers from Pekanbaru City was included in this research. The results indicate that vegetable farming using a hydroponic system exhibits a relatively high level of sustainability across different dimensions, including economic, ecological, social, institutional, and technological aspects, with a score of 64.80. The sustainability level for the fifth dimension is moderately good (economic, ecological, social, and technological), whereas the institutional dimension is highly sustainable. Therefore, attributes from the highest-value dimension (institutional) and the lowest-value dimension (social) are given priority. Consequently, these two attributes are combined to enhance the sustainability level. One crucial aspect is improving knowledge of vegetable cultivation using the hydroponic system through training programs to enhance farmers' skills. Additionally, implementing and monitoring hydroponic vegetable farming emerged as a top-ranking alternative strategy to enhance farming practices. This research is expected to assist hydroponic vegetable farmers in enhancing their sustainable farming practices.
Keywords: AHP, hydroponic vegetable, Rap-Farm, sustainable farming, vegetable farming
Authors
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).