Impact of integrated crop management on rice farming efficiency in semi-arid West Timor, Indonesia

Abstract. Joka U, Nubatonis A, Nino J, Tabenu O, Ludji DG. 2025. Impact of integrated crop management on rice farming efficiency in semi-arid West Timor, Indonesia. Intl J Trop Drylands 9: 148-158. This study assesses the impact of Integrated Crop Management (ICM) on the technical efficiency of rice farmers in the semi-arid border regions of West Timor, Indonesia, specifically North Central Timor and Kupang District. These regions face significant agricultural challenges, including low soil fertility, erratic rainfall, and limited access to modern farming technologies. Despite national promotion of ICM, there is a lack of empirical evidence on how ICM adoption influences technical efficiency in semi-arid border environments, representing a critical research gap that this study aims to address. Using data from a structured survey of 150 rice farmers, the research applies a Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) with a Cobb-Douglas production function to estimate technical efficiency. The study revealed that seed input and labor significantly influence rice output, while education and full-time farming engagement are associated with reduced inefficiency. The mean technical efficiency score is 0.705, indicating that farmers operate at approximately 70.5% of their potential output. The gamma value of 0.821 suggests that 82.1% of output variation is due to inefficiency rather than random shocks. Comparative analysis revealed that high ICM adopters achieved higher efficiency (0.717) and yields (6,502 kg/ha) than low adopters (0.697 and 5,664 kg/ha, respectively). These findings demonstrate that ICM adoption improves resource-use efficiency and productivity, but its benefits depend on enabling conditions such as education, farm specialization, and extension access. Strengthening context-specific ICM adaptation, farmer training, and supportive policies is essential for enhancing resilience and reducing productivity gaps in semi-arid rice ecosystems.