Transformation of Agricultural Wage Systems and Its Implications for Farmers in Cepogo, Boyolali, Central Java, Indonesia

Agribusiness Study Program, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: amalia.nadifta@staff.uns.ac.id

Abstract

The gotong royong (mutual cooperation) system was initially used to manage labor in Indonesian agriculture, including in Genting Village, Cepogo Subdistrict, Boyolali Regency, Central Java Province. Over time, the family structure changed, and many younger villagers migrated to cities in pursuit of employment, resulting in a labor shortage. Consequently, the agricultural system gradually transformed into a wage system. The purpose of this study is to characterize the shifts from mutual cooperation to a wage system, pinpoint contributing factors, and examine how the wage system affects farmers and farmworkers. The case studies in this study are designed using a qualitative approach and presented descriptively with thematic analysis. NVivo 12 Software was used to process verbatim data gathered through interviews, observations, and documentation studies. Agricultural labor has evolved into an economic transaction rather than an expression of social solidarity. Genting Village now employs two different wage systems: a daily wage system and a wholesale system. The wage system has new implications for the economic, social, and psychological well-being of farmers and farmworkers. Although the wage system is largely unavoidable, the values of mutual cooperation and social solidarity should be integrated into contemporary agricultural practices.