Analisis Kemudahterancaman Pesawah Padi di Kawasan Pembangunan Bersepadu Terengganu Utara, Malaysia

One of the challenges in the development of paddy farming sector is the high level of vulnerability this sector faces in terms of economic, ecological and social impacts. Thus the study aims to determine the vulnerability model of paddy farmers in the Northern Terengganu Integrated Agriculture Development Area (IADA KETARA) Malaysia so that factors can be identified and properly controlled in order to achieve the goal of sustainability of paddy farming. Vulnerability factors were determined based on three constructs: Climate Change (PIK), Economic Change (PEK) and Social Change (PSO). The study involved 350 respondents, surveyed by stratified random sampling. The data obtained through interviews using a structured questionnaire was analyzed by Structural Equation Model (SEM). The study found that climate change (PIK) negatively affect paddy farmers while the economic (PEK) and social (PSO) changes have positive impacts. The impacts of climate change were influenced by three indicators: the temperature is getting hot (PIK2), diseases and pests affecting rice growing (PIK6), as well as the frequency of the floods in the rainy season (PIK3) with factor loading values of 1.00, 0.98 and 0.64. The impacts of the economic changes were influenced by four indicators, namely cost of inputs (PEK1), access to capital (PEK3), policy/strategy (PEK5) and repayment of loans (PEK6) with factor loading values of 0.94, 0.99, 0.92, and 0.65. While the impacts of social changes were influenced by five indicators, namely: knowledge of farmers (PSO2), collaboration with neighbors (PSO3), access to education (PSO4), access to health (PSO6), and social discrimination (PSO7) with factor loading value of 0.74, 0.66, 0.92, 0.86 and 0.83. Therefore strategic efforts are needed to reduce the impacts of climate change (PIK) and increase the impacts of social change (PSO) towards achieving paddy farming sustainability goals.