Organic Farming and Sustainable Agriculture in Malaysia: Organic Farmers' Challenges towards Adoption

Abstract

Agriculture in Malaysia is characterised by high levels of fertiliser and manure applications and consequently environmental pollution. Sustainable agriculture and organic farming are being promoted by the government as a way of eliminating unsustainable agriculture. Despite the benefits that organic farming brings to farmers and environments, its adoption rate is still low among Malaysian farmers. A study of organic farmers in the Cameron Highlands was conducted to reveal the challenges that have been occurred with regard to adoption of the practice. The results indicate that organic farmers face challenges with regard to land tenure, certification processes, hiring foreign workers, marketing, training and extension services and governmental support. Issues and challenges were discussed. The paper concludes with some recommendations.

Full text

Asian Social Science; Vol. 10, No. 4; 2014
ISSN 1911-2017 E-ISSN 1911-2025
Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education
1
Organic Farming and Sustainable Agriculture in Malaysia: Organic
Farmers' Challenges towards Adoption
Neda Tiraieyari1, Azimi Hamzah1 & Bahaman Abu Samah1
1 Institute for Social Science Studies, University Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
Correspondence: Neda Tiraieyari, Institute for Social Science Studies, University Putra Malaysia, Malaysia. Tel:
63-8-946-1866. E-mail: ntiraie@yahoo.com
Received: September 5, 2013 Accepted: December 17, 2013 Online Published: January 26, 2014
doi:10.5539/ass.v10n4p1 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ass.v10n4p1
Abstract
Agriculture in Malaysia is characterised by high levels of fertiliser and manure applications and consequently
environmental pollution. Sustainable agriculture and organic farming are being promoted by the government as a
way of eliminating unsustainable agriculture. Despite the benefits that organic farming brings to farmers and
environments, its adoption rate is still low among Malaysian farmers. A study of organic farmers in the Cameron
Highlands was conducted to reveal the challenges that have been occurred with regard to adoption of the practice.
The results indicate that organic farmers face challenges with regard to land tenure, certification processes,
hiring foreign workers, marketing, training and extension services and governmental support. Issues and
challenges were discussed. The paper concludes with some recommendations.
Keywords: organic farmers, organic farming, small-scale producers, sustainable agriculture, Malaysia
1. Introduction
Environmentalists, ecologists, agricultural professionals, and policy makers are examining why the massive
usage of chemicals in agriculture has led to soil and water pollution, loss of biodiversity, the destruction of
natural habitats and many other negative consequences (Sadati, Fami, Asadi, & Sadati, 2010). Sustainable
agriculture is at the heart of organic agriculture. Organic Farming (OF) is one of the agro-ecological approaches
needed to grow enough food for the increasing population (Azadi et al., 2011). This approach minimizes external
inputs such as chemical fertilizers, pesticides to produce non-toxic crops. Thus, it is less environmentally
damaging and has much potential to produce more food, as a news release from the University of Michigan has
explained. It is known to be an approach that aims to overcome some negative impacts of the Green Revolution
on soil, water, landscape, and humans. According to (Partab, 2010) OF is an ecological agriculture that mostly
depend on the management of ecosystems. This agricultural approach is not applicable just for developed
countries but is also suitable for the developing world as well. In developing countries can contribute to
socio-economic sustainability (Scherr & McNeely, 2008; Willer, Yussefi, & International Federation of Organic
Agriculture Movements, 2004). For instance, it is claimed that OF can help rural development by contributing to
tourism activities and generating employment and income to support local economies, especially in poorer
countries (Hülsebusch, 2007; Scialabba, 2000).
While about 1 billion people in the developing countries are suffering from food, shortages and environmental
degradation through unsustainable agriculture, yields in developing countries could increase by converting to OF
(American Chemical Society, 2006). According to (Smolik, Dobbs, & Rickerl, 1995), OF is more profitable than
conventional farming in the long-term. Studies conducted by (Badgley et al., 2007) have shown that OF can
produce almost the same yield of conventional farming in developing countries. (Badgley et al., 2007) examined
a global dataset of 293 examples, in order to compare yields of organic versus conventional methods of farming.
Results showed that in developing countries, organic farmers produce 80% more than conventional farmers.
(Badgley et al., 2007), also reported that OF could produce enough food and fiber to sustain the current human
population without more land being cultivated. Another study by the (American Chemical Society, 2006) on 286
farm projects in 57 countries showed that organic farming not only protected the environment but also the yields
increased by an average of 79 percent. According to Ann (2007), “OF can yield up to two or three times as much
food as conventional farming on the same amount of land” which invalidates the assumption that OF cannot
produce enough food and fiber to feed the world.

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Scholars have argued much about the urgency of sustainable agriculture generally and OF in particular, with
regard to agriculturally based countries such as Malaysia (Ahmad, 2001; Barrow, Weng, & Masron, 2009). In
this country, almost 90% of Malaysian farmers in the food sector are small-scale producers for uneconomic sized
farms, with a high cost of production, inputs and yield are low, and with low quality of products (Tiraieyari &
Uli, 2011). The government’s policy towards agriculture stresses increasing production to achieve food
self-sufficiency. The Malaysian government has helped farmers with fertilizer subsidies to increase their
production and improve their income (FAO, 2004). Therefore, the efforts for producing sufficient food and fiber
for self-sufficiency have meant that Malaysia has adopted an intensive agricultural system and consequently has
suffered environmental damage (Barrow et al., 2009). However, recently because of the growing awareness of
the effects of unsustainable agriculture on their health and nature, the demand for organic products has risen
among consumers considerably (Christopher, 2012). According to (Rezai, Mohamed, & Shamsudin, 2011) the
rapid socio-economic development and the increasing standard of life has changed consumers’ perceptions and
awareness of organic products. As a result, the market for organic products in Malaysia has been developing
quickly from few years back. Nonetheless, the supply of locally produced organic products is not enough to
satisfy the increasing demand. Consequently, Malaysia needs to import organic production from other countries,
especially from Australia, the U.S., and New Zealand (Christopher, 2012). In fact, the government has more
appreciated the value of the agricultural sector and its contribution to the economy of country. Sustainable
agriculture practices have also been lunched in the country in order to transform the agricultural sector in a
sustainable manner. In the Third National Agriculture Policy (NAP3), organic agriculture was identified as a
niche market opportunity for Malaysian small-scale producers (Ahmad, 2001). Even though the national
agricultural policies are along with the standard of sustainable agriculture, but the current agricultural practices
differ in terms of sustainability (Murad, Mustapha, & Siwar, 2008) and efforts made to promote OF in Malaysia
have not generated acceptable results. A number of farmers have also been adopted sustainable agriculture in
general and OF in particular practices are negligible. Malaysian farmers’ challenges towards adoption of the
programme may not be entirely clear for the policy makers. To our knowledge, few researchers have focused
their study on unsustainable agriculture and the environmental damage caused by conventional farmers in
Malaysia (Barrow, Chan, & Masron, 2010; Barrow, Clifton, Chan, & Tan, 2005; Barrow et al., 2009). In fact,
little is known about organic farmers that adopted such practices in Malaysia. This study is designed to highlight
the challenges of organic farmers in Malaysia.
1.1 Organic Farming in Malaysia
In Malaysia, OF has a relatively young history (Christopher, 2012). It was begun by the Center for Environment,
Technology and Development (CETDEM) in 1986 in a one ha in Sungai Buloh. In the mid-1990s, the country
started to import organic products. The consumers for organic products were mainly cancer patients. In 1995 a
number of commercial OF vegetable growers included more than 500 families (Wai, 1995). Malaysian
government plans included encouraging small-scale producers to invest in OF as approach to increase their
income, protect the environment and promote the country’s exports. The NAP3 identified organic agriculture as
a market opportunity, mainly for vegetable and fruits growers (Gunnar, 2007). In the eighth Malaysia Plan (2001
to 2005), the government aimed at increase of organic production by 250 ha (Wai, 1995). Government included
the providing of assistance to farmers up to US$1,300 per ha in forms of infrastructure development. This also
involved a certification scheme to cover the domestic market. Organic farming received government support
through the establishment of national regulations for the Malaysian Organic Certification Program known as Sijil
Organik Malaysia (SOM), which was launched in 2003 by the DOA to facilitate OF in Malaysia and to certify
farms based on the requirements of the Malaysian standard MS1529:2001 (Kala et al., 2011). This standard,
which is based on the Malaysian standard, sets the requirements for production to cover all stage of production.
Moreover, the standard includes standards to control those hazards that affect the environment, food and
workers’ health and safety (Malaysia & Bahagian Pertanian, 2007). The scheme is open for participation by all
farmers who are engaged in the primary production of fresh organic food products. The DOA is responsible for
the implementation of the organic scheme. A group of trained agricultural officers has been assigned to carry out
field inspection to verify that the farm operations or practices are in accordance with the organic standards. In
2002, the Minister of Agriculture noted that support services such as extensions, research, and development
would be devoted for developing organic agriculture in Malaysia. In the ninth Malaysia Plan (2006-2010), the
government targeted the OF, which was said to be worth more than US$ 200 million over 5 years. The Ministry
of Agriculture planned to have 20,000 ha of (OF) by year 2010 and to increase local production by 4,000 ha per
year.
In 2001, the DOA reported that there were only 27 organic farmers in the whole country with a total area of 131

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ha. Currently, there are several privet organic farms in Malaysia. In 2010, it was about 42 certified holders
occupying 1130 ha of land under OF system focusing on vegetable production, fruits, animal husbandry and
aquaculture. In 2013 the DOA reported that there was a total of 89 farms occupying 1633.89 ha of land under OF
and that 49 farmers have valid certification while 40 farmers had expired certification. The majority of organic
farmers were in the Pahang states of Malaysia. OF is mostly restricted to vegetable growing and very few fruits
are grown organically. Most organic fruits import from Australia, New Zealand, China, Korea and Japan. Local
organic vegetables have a higher price; usually three times more than l conventional products due to the
labor-intensive approach (Ahmad, 2001).
2. Method
This survey was designed to highlight the challenges that certified organic farmers are facing with regard to
adoption of these practices. We used focus group interviews as a data collecting strategy. Qualitative data was
collected from small groups of farmers that were successful in adopting organic technologies and in marketing
their organic products. Data for this study was collected using focus group discussion (FGD) with organic
farmers. Farm visits were also used to get a better vision of the problem. Focus group discussion (FGD) was
conducted in March 2013.
2.1 Location of Study
The study was conducted in the district of Cameron Highland. The main reason why this area was studied is that
it has been the most important productive region in producing vegetables in the country. It is a mountainous
region of peninsular Malaysia with a total land area of 71,218 ha and mild temperatures and 5500 ha of the total
land are devoted to agriculture. Due to the favorable climate, this area becomes the main producer of vegetable
in Malaysia. Vegetable occupy (50%) of agricultural land, followed by tea plantation (40%), flower (7%) and
fruits (2%) (Aminuddin, Ghulam, Abdullah, Zulkefli, & Salama, 2005). Currently there are 13 certified organic
farmers in Cameron highland. We managed to get certified organic farmers through contact with director of
organic farmers’ association. The organic farmers’ association is an independent small organization named the
Cameron Organic Produce (COP) managed by representatives of the organization. The organization was
established in 1996.
2.2 Participant and Sampling Procedures
We conducted three focus group discussions with one group of organic farmers (n=6) from the Cameron Organic
Produce (COP), one group of individual organic farmers (n=4) and directors and managers of COP as rich source
of information (n=3). According to Stewart and Shamdasani (1990) there are no general rules for the best
number of focus groups. They mentioned the rationale of working out the number of groups according to the
homogeneity of the population, and the comfort of research application. Furthermore, they suggested that one
focus group may well be enough. Regarding the size of focus group, Carey (1994) revealed that smaller groups
were more manageable than bigger group. She states that the fewer people there are in the group, the greater the
possibility that they will interact. In this study one of the researchers who involved in the project played the role
of moderator. Millward (1995) suggests that the moderator should be directly involved in the project because
they will be sensitive to the issues. The moderator explained the method and the purposed of research to the
participants prior to commencing the interview. The use of tape recorder was also explained, and participants
were informed that they can stop the interview/ discussion at any time they wish.
3. Results
The following outline presents our findings on famers’ challenges towards adopting (OF) in Cameron Highland.
3.1 Land Issue
Farmers mentioned the land issue as their main challenge, especially for those who do not own the land, in order
to start organic farming. The issue of Temporary Occupation Licenses (TOLs) was brought up in the Cameron
highland in the early 1980s. Farmers are allowed to cultivate the land temporarily and the land is renewed
annually by the government but the government as the owner can reclaim the land. Hence famers are not
motivated to invest in land conservation when they never know how long they will be able stay on the land.
Furthermore, farmers cannot get financial assistance or any kind of loan from the banks since the banks do not
recognize TOL to give loans to the farmers. Farmers also reported delays in renewing their TOLs. The majority
of small-scale producers in Cameron Highland are working on land which is held by the issue of Temporary
Occupation Licenses (TOLs) by the government. Although the organic farmers we interviewed own the land and
work on farms of less than 2 ha, these were mostly inherited from their parents. But due to land issue in Cameron
Highland they cannot expand their farms and buy more land.

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3.2 Labour Shortages
Organic farmers in Cameron highland reported that labour shortages as the second most important challenge.
Since their activities are done manually and organic technologies are mostly labour intensive, they have greater
labour needs compare conventional farming methods. Due to the lack of local labour, organic farmers rely
heavily on foreign labour to handle their work effectively. There is a great need for organic farmers in Cameron
Highland to employ foreign workers, especially those from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. In Malaysia,
foreign workers in the agricultural sector must be directly employed by the government due to the immigration
procedures and the need for working permits. The needs of foreign employees in the Malaysian agricultural
sector cannot be denied. However, the recent government’s policy has been to create more employment
opportunities for locals and there has been a serious effort by the Malaysian government to reduce the country’s
dependence on foreign labor.
3.3 Lack of Training and Extension Services
The farmers reported a lack of extension services for organic farming in Cameron Highland. There is no training
in OF provided by the DOA or other government agencies to the farmers. Not much extension work has been
done on transferring OF to the farmers. As a result organic farmers must seek information through multiple
channels such as their colleagues, members of farmers’ association, internet and attending workshop. The
farmers reported that extension workers have little technical knowledge of organic agriculture. In other words,
extension workers are not specifically trained in organic agriculture.
3.4 Marketing
Farmers reported two main challenges in marketing their products in Malaysia. Firstly, the majority of people are
not aware of the health benefits of consuming organic products, although demand for organic products has risen
considerably among Malaysian people. Secondly, many people cannot afford to purchase organic products.
Organic farmers have overcome these challenges partly by marketing their products through farmers’
associations. The organic farmers’ association establishes direct contact with special domestic buyers. The
organic farmers’ association in CH had also developed a specific website for selling their own products. Organic
farmers also mentioned that exporting their products to a neighboring country such as Singapore is another
challenge for them, although the demand for organic products in Singapore is very high. However, this country
does not import organic products which are produced and certified to the SOM standard.
3.5 Certification Process
One of the main problems of the certification process is that it is extremely expensive. In addition, some
unnecessary complexity increases confusion among farmers. Moreover, they reported the certification process
takes too long for the government, at roughly 2-3 years. Organic farms have to be examined annually by a
certified provider. Normally, members of the farmers’ association build strong social relationship among
themselves for developing and spreading information to overcome the complexity of the certification process.
3.6 Governmental Support
The farmers mentioned a lack of financial support from the government as their last but not their least challenge.
In fact, organic farming requires significant on-farm and off-farm investment. Organic farmers need financial
support to support their investments in soil conservation, production costs, labour costs, certification cost, and
packing and storage facilities. According to the farmers, the government is not providing incentives for organic
farmers. Mostly they receive help from NGOS.
4. Discussion and Conclusion
This article has reviewed the status of sustainable agriculture and organic farming in Malaysia. Sustainable
practice has great potential in the country and therefore needs considerable support from the government.
Maximizing production has been the most important goal for agricultural agencies and as a result governmental
support for sustainable agriculture and organic farming has been limited. Organic farming and sustainable
agriculture has not been practiced by the majority of farmers and the percentage of organic farmers in Malaysia
is very small. Focusing on environmental awareness cannot secure conversion and it should not be the only
approach offered by agricultural agencies to farmers. Government agencies should go beyond promoting such
practices. The results of this study have also revealed challenges to organic farmers in Cameron Highland in
terms of adoption of organic practices; include land issue, labour shortages, a lack of training and extension
services and marketing, a lack of governmental support and the certification process. Among these the land issue
appears to be the most serious barrier for farmers in converting to organic farming in Cameron Highland. Land
tenure is critical to the adoption of such programmes. Obviously, tenant farmers would not be interested in

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investing in the land and go through a difficult conversion period without a strong guarantee of access to the land
in later years. The unsolved land issue in Cameron Highland inhibits adoption of any sustainable agricultural
practices. Organic agriculture is being promoted in Malaysia as a strategy to raise small-scale producers’ income,
protect the environment, and reduce food imports. However, from almost 2000 small-scale producers in
Cameron Highlands who mainly work on farms of less than 2 ha only 13 adopted the program (Barrow, 2010).
These 13 organic farmers own the land. One of the main ways Malaysian governments could influence adoption
of the new method is through establishing property rights for small-scale producers. Wealthy farmers should not
only be the target group for the program. Initially the DOA can begin with those who have stable forms of land
tenure and can provide incentives and extension services to them. In addition, the Malaysian government should
promote long-term rental contracts for small-scale producers and make provision to compensate farmers upon
the termination of their contracts for investments made by them to improve the land. The Government should
also target landowners and convince them of the importance of the land-conservation measures needed to obtain
their support before promoting organic agriculture among small-scale producers.
It appears that small-scale producers rely on friends and media to receive information on organic farming. In
order to promote the adoption of organic agriculture among small-scale producers, the government should
support the adoption of the programme. The DOA should implement a policy of providing information on and
research into organic farming. Agricultural extension has been essential in transforming the quality of
information supplied to farmers. So the government should increase training for extension agents and specialists
so that they can become recognized as useful sources of information on organic production. The DOA and other
agricultural agencies should put organic farming on their priority programme list in order to facilitate the
building of knowledge and human resources development. In other words, the success of this programme
depends to a large extend on the training of farmers. The DOA should take steps to create adequate human
resources and experts in research and extension should be one of its first priorities. An adequate number of
well-trained extension agents on sustainable agriculture generally and OF specifically will play significant role
in achieving sustainable agriculture in Malaysia. The DOA should facilitate the regular delivery of knowledge
and experiences to farmers and provide them with direct incentives. Research, education, and extension efforts
on sustainable agriculture and organic farming should be directed to organic agriculture in Malaysia.
The government can play a role in improving market access and helping organic farmers establish local
marketing association. There are market opportunities for tropical countries such as Malaysia, especially for
products that are not produced in Europe. Policy makers can also focus on the successful experiences of some
Asian countries such as Japan, China, Korea and Thailand for Malaysia.
It is recommended that Malaysia needs to allocate resources and expertise to create organic research and
development institutions/agencies. The government should consider providing direct incentives and some
financial support to organic farmers. They should also facilitate certification process systems and hire foreign
labour, in order for such projects to be successful.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the Research Management Center (RMC) in UPM, which supported this study.
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