Farmer Survey

The objective of this questionnaire is to understand the gaps in farmer’s knowledge in growing oil palm, the trainings they have received and medium of training that would be use useful to them. Thereafter, using the results we would be able to identify the medium and area of training that these farmers would benefit most from.

Questions are based off of the information compiled by Akvo, SNV and Lotte Woittiez at https://akvopedia.org. They cover 5 key themes: planting material; harvesting, grading, transport; plantation maintenance; fertilizer application; and pests and diseases.

A. Rank each area of training you have received with numbers from 1 to 5 (5 meaning you are very familiar with that topic and 1 that you are not familiar but received training).

1. Harvesting, Grading, Transport

1

2

3

4

5

2. Plantation Maintenance

1

2

3

4

5

3. Fertilizer Application

1

2

3

4

5

4. Pests and Diseases

1

2

3

4

5

B. Rank the following from 1 to 5, with 5 being the area which you want more training and 1 where you don’t need any more training.

1. Harvesting, Grading, Transport

1

2

3

4

5

2. Plantation Maintenance

1

2

3

4

5

3. Fertilizer Application

1

2

3

4

5

4. Pests and Diseases

1

2

3

4

5

C. Rank the following from 1 to 7, with 7 being the most useful medium of training for you and 1 being the least useful to you.

1. Farmer field schools

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

2. Video training

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

3. SMS/Call service

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

4. Radio

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

5. Board Games

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

6. Application on smartphones/tablets

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

D. Have you received any other areas of training?

1. Select the bad harvesting practice. (select 2)

A. Harvesting using correct procedures (frond cutting, bunch cutting)
B. Harvesting all fruit bunches that you can visibly see at one time
C. Harvesting only ripe bunches
D. Only gathering the fruit kernels on the ground
E. Good and fast transport of the bunches to trader

2. Which is a good harvesting practice? (select 3)

A. Harvesting using correct procedures (frond cutting, bunch cutting)
B. Harvesting all fruit bunches that you can visibly see at one time
C. Harvesting only ripe bunches
D. Only gathering the fruit kernels on the ground
E. Good and fast transport of the bunches to trader

3. Identify the proper ways to store and spray herbicides and pesticides (select 3)

A. Storing food in containers previously used to store chemicals is acceptable if the containers have been washed
B. Wearing full protective clothing - Rubber gloves; Boots; Gas mask or mouth cover; Safety glasses; Rubber apron
C. Spraying only carried out by trained personnel
D. Only chemical containers containing toxic chemicals need to be labelled
E. When preparing chemicals carefully follow the instructions

4. Which bunch, or bunches, will give you a deduction?

5. Why is a soft cover of weeds on the plantation necessary? (select 2)



A. It looks beautiful
B. It prevents soil erosion
C. Naturally attract animals that will eat pests
D. To strengthen the roots of the oil palm

6. When are children allowed to work on the plantation? (select all that apply)

A. Whenever they want
B. At age 10
C. At age 15
D. At age 18
E. At age 20
F. When it does not interfere with attending school and completing after-school assignments

7. Are you allowed to use fire to convert/open/clear land?

Yes
No

8. How high must the water table of canals be for plantations located in peat land?

A. 10 cm
B. 20 cm
C. 30 cm
D. 40 cm

9. Select the bunch with the best characteristics to take to mill (meaning you will receive NO deductions).

10. Which photo displays the technique of “circle weeding?”

11. Match the mineral to the effect its deficiency has on the oil palm.

Select... Potassium Boron Magnesium

Select... Potassium Boron Magnesium

Select... Potassium Boron Magnesium

12. What do you do when you see this stripe on your oil palm leaves?



A. Harvest the FFB
B. The tree needs water
C. Buy fertilizer - the tree has a potassium deficiency
D. Ask your neighbor

13. What is the maximum depth of peat land that you can still use for agricultural purposes, according to Indonesian law?

A. 0 meters
B. 3 meters
C. 8 meters
D. 10 meters

14. Which of the following practices are good for your plantation’s soil fertility? (Select all that apply)

A. Leave your plantation's soil bare through routine clean-weeding
B. Apply salt as additional fertilizer
C. Cultivate leguminous cover crops
D. Allow weeds to grow tall
E. Maintain short weed undergrowth
F. Use palm fronds in steep areas

15. Match the pest to the damage it causes an oil palm.

Rat

Beetle

Caterpillar

Select... Rat Beetle Caterpillar

Select... Rat Beetle Caterpillar

Select... Rat Beetle Caterpillar

16. Ganoderma, also known as basal or upper stem rot is a ____________ kind of infection for which the cure is ___________.

A. Bacterial; more water
B. Fungal; currently nothing but good growing practices are the best prevention
C. Parasitic; more pesticides
D. Not an infection; the oil palm is healthy

17. Which of the following fertilizing practices minimize the risk of environmental pollution?

A. Apply fertilizer superficially across the plantation before it rains
B. Apply the full required fertilizer amount once per year
C. Apply fertilizer in holes or small ditches around each tree
D. Throw fertilizer in the plantation’s canals for systematic spread

18. In which land categories can you establish palm oil plantations? (select 2)

A. APL
B. HPK (Hutan Produksi Konversi)
C. HP (Hutan Produksi)
D. HPT (Hutan Produksi Terbatas)
E. HL (Hutan Lindung)
F. Taman Nasional
G. Cagar Alam
H. Suaka marga satwa
I. Taman hutan rakyatv

19. What is the right distance between palms, when planting?

A. 4-6m between palms, depending on variety & terrain steepness
B. 7-10m between palms, depending on variety & terrain steepness
C. 10-12m between palms, depending on variety & terrain steepness
D. 12-15m between palms, depending on variety & terrain steepness

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