The Impact of Barsha Pump Use Towards Access and Control to Financial Management of Farmers in Waingapu, Sumba Island in Indonesia

Abstract

Sumba in one of the driest island in Indonesia where community is suffering lack of water for household as well as agriculture purposes, particularly in the dry season. To solve the problem, Max Waingapu Radio Foundation has installed the Barsha pump, which is water-powered technology instead of fuel based and the impacts of the project are not yet evaluated. Therefore, this study is aming to investigate the impacts of the use of Barsha pumps on the access and control in the financial management mechanism among the farming community. This study carried out two times in-depth interviews as well as focus group discussions in nine villages of Waingapu. The results show that the benefits from the project opened possibilities for farmers to irrigate their fields and produce crops during the dry season and to increase income as well as standards of living. Moreover, the most important findings is that the access and control of financial management of farmers are quite impressing, especially the female farmers.

Keywords: Farmers, Barsha pump, financial management

DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/88-03

Publication date: August 31^st 2019