Judul: The Role of the Warehouse Receipt System in Enhancing Small-Scale Farmer Livelihoods in Developing Countries: A Case Study of Indonesia’s Warehouse Receipt System
Abstrak: The objective of this thesis was to studythe role of the WRS in the agricultural sector and smallholder livelihoods. A further aim was to discuss the importance of improving the agricultural performanceand rural farmer livelihoods through developing WRS that is accessible to farmers in Indonesia. The study analysed whether this policy scheme could overcome the problems faced by farmers and improve the performance of the agricultural marketing system, and has identified several conditions required to develop a more advanced WRS practice in Indonesia. The findings show thata developing countrywith considerable agricultural potential in which the majority of agricultural actors are small-scale farmers,Indonesia should maintain the development of the agricultural industry, focusing more on the smallholder farmers. However, it has been recognised that in many rural areas, farmers face various challenges during the post-harvest period, especially in the market value chain. Initiation of the WRS will deliver advantages such as increasing farmers’ incomes, improving agricultural productivity and enhancing the agricultural marketing system in rural areas. This mechanism will help farmers to avoid losses during the harvest season through extending the sales period of the crops and to gain profits from price variations. Additionally,it can provide access to short-term financing from financial institutions by collateralising warehouse receipts. The system also providesa mechanism that facilitates smallholders’ participation further down in the markets. Clearly, the policy is a sustainable scheme in the agricultural sector that could increase agricultural productivity, ensure the availability of goods with good quality and provide financial access for smallholders.
Keyword: Warehouse receipt system, agriculture,agricultural innovations, microcredit, rural finance, small-scale farmer

Judul: System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and conventional rice farming and its role in the Indramayu Regency Economy
Abstrak: Agricultural sector is an important income source for 35.09 % of the population of Indonesia. Most the farmer households with small area depend themselves on the farming business as their major source of income. Rice is the staple food for more than 95 % of the Indonesian population, and the rice farming business becomes the livelihood of 25 million farmer households and regional income so that it is not a surprise that fluctuation in rice production and its distribution may affect the national stability. The conventional method of rice cultivation tends to be inefficient, and it is not environmentally friendly with less optimum productivity; as a result, the farmers’ income is not maximum. The SRI method has been known in Indonesia since 1999; however, it has faced technical and social constraints in its development. In fact, the application of this method is expected to increase the rice productivity and farmers’ income as well as to improve the regional economy. The research was aiming at (1) conducting farming business of field rice using SRI method and conventional method in the farmer household scale; (2) comparing the amount of income obtained by the application of SRI method and by the conventional method in the scale of region; (3) conducting analysis on the income of the farmers and its distribution; and (4) conducting analysis on the role of rice on the regional gross domestic products of Indramayu Regency. The research was conducted at Indramayu Regency which is the center for rice production in West Java Province. The research method used consisted of ratio R/C analysis, linear programming, Gini Index Calculation, analysis on input-output table, and multiple regression. The results have shown that the field rice farming business in Indramayu Regency in the scale of farming business is feasible and profitable. The R/C ratio values of field rice farming business using the conventional method and SRI method are 1.83 and 1.96 respectively. The application of SRI method in the household scale has not increased the income of the farmers; however, it has increased the farmers’ income in the regional scale as much as 87.59 % on the rainy season, 86.16 % on the first period of dry season, and 228.68 % on the second period of dry season. The average income of the farmers using the SRI method is Rp 947,449/capita/month with the Gini Index value of 0.62 whereas the average income of the farmers using the conventional method is Rp 822,541/capita/month with the Gini Index value of 0.48. The contribution of rice farming business is 68.09 % toward the total of the farmers’ income, and as much as 1 % increase in the rice production will increase the regional gross domestic products of Indramayu Regency by 1.23 %. The application of SRI method on the field rice cultivation has potentially increased the RGDP by 4.49%; also, the utilization of rice straws can increase the RGDP of Indramayu Regency by 420 billion rupiahs.
Keyword: field rice, SRI method, farmers’ income, regional economy

Judul: Berat Badan Dan Morfometrik Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis Macularius) Pada Berbagai Umur
Abstrak: Leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) adalah jenis tokek yang hidup di permukaan tanah dan aktif saat fajar dan senja. Studi morfometrik dalam leopard gecko masih terbatas. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengukur dan membandingkan berat badan dan morfometrik leopard gecko dari berbagai umur. Sebanyak 14 ekor leopard gecko (3 ekor jantan dan 11 ekor betina) dikelompokkan menjadi empat kelompok: 0-6 bulan, 7-12 bulan, 13-18 bulan, dan 19-24 bulan. Pengukuran dilakukan setiap bulan selama tiga bulan sehingga hewan dapat ditimbang dan diukur lebih dari sekali. Selama 90 hari pascatetas, pengukuran berat dan panjang dilakukan setiap hari, dua hari, atau setiap minggu tergantung dengan tingkat pertumbuhan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kelompok umur 0-6 bulan memiliki berat badan 10.69±5.68 g dan total panjang 12.79±3.68 cm; 7-12 bulan memiliki berat badan 16.57±4.52 g dan total panjang 16.7±1.23 cm; 13-18 bulan memiliki berat badan 21.12±3.13 g dan total panjang 19.4±1.15 cm; dan 19-24 bulan memiliki berat badan 27.9±1.53 g dan total panjang 20.8±1.51 cm. Dapat disimpulkan pada leopard gecko kelompok umur 0- 6 bulan memiliki pertumbuhan yang lebih bervariasi pada berat badan, panjang kepala, panjang kaki belakang, dan panjang ekor dibandingkan dengan yang lain.
Keyword: berat badan, Eublepharis macularius, morfometrik, tokek