The Shrinking Paddy Farms and the Bidayuh Women Rice Farmers: What Has/Have Changed?

• Main Authors: Nwanesi, Peter Karubi, Tracy, Peter Samat
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: UNIMAS Publisher 2021
• Subjects: HM Sociology; HT Communities. Classes. Races; S Agriculture (General)
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/44501/1/The%20Shrinking.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/44501/; https://publisher.unimas.my/ojs/index.php/BJK/article/view/4402
• Institution: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

This article critically evaluates factor(s) contributing to the declining rice farms, cultivation, and production among the Bidayuh communities. This is especially with women’s roles in rice production or cultivation within this unique ethnic group of Sarawak. The qualitative methods were the key approach for this research. As it is understandable that qualitative methods are effective at capturing issuesthat are sometimes immeasurable, and factual in determining the aims and objectives of a specific study. This is possible as qualitative methods are very elaborate and in-depth. The core findings of this research are the understanding that feminization of agriculture especially with rice production has become an impediment to the cultivation of rice in these areas. This is understandable as more women acquired formal education, they migrate to urban areas hundred folds in search of work leaving behind farms and farming especially the production of rice in their region.