Volume 12, Issue 12 (December 2025), Pages: 244-252

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 Original Research Paper

Agricultural modernization as a prime mover of social change in farming communities

 Author(s): 

 Ratnawati Tahir *, Harnita Agusanty, Hikmah Hikmah

 Affiliation(s):

 Doctoral Program in Agribusiness, Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar, Makassar, Indonesia

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 * Corresponding Author. 

   Corresponding author's ORCID profile:  https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9321-4271

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2025.12.022

 Abstract

The modernization of agriculture (Green Revolution) has produced significant social impacts on rural farming communities, influencing class structure, gender roles, and community organization. This study aims to: (1) identify the characteristics and social structure of rural farmers, (2) examine the factors driving social change, and (3) explore the social issues arising within farming communities. Using a mixed-methods approach, qualitative data were collected from 15 purposively selected informants, and quantitative data were gathered from 90 randomly chosen rice farmers. The findings show four main farmer groups: large farmers with extensive land, medium farmers with adequate land, small farmers with limited land, and landless laborers. Key drivers of social change include demographic shifts, urbanization, changing social stratification, social movements, and technological developments. In South Sulawesi, especially in Sidrap Regency, changes in land ownership, population growth, the adoption of modern inputs, and mechanization have intensified social polarization and stratification. These changes often marginalize small farmers, highlighting the need for government policies that expand agricultural employment opportunities and strengthen rural production institutions.

 © 2025 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

 Agricultural modernization, Rural farmers, Social change, Land ownership, Mechanization

 Article history

 Received 8 July 2025, Received in revised form 15 November 2025, Accepted 2 December 2025

 Acknowledgment

The authors would like to express their sincere appreciation to all individuals and institutions that contributed to the completion of this research. Special thanks are extended to the Rector of Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar and the Institute for Research, Development, and Community Service (LP3M), Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar, for providing financial support for this study under Decree No. 004/KONTR-PENL/PENGABD/IV/1446/2024, April 28, 2024. 

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Ethical considerations

Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Institute for Research, Development, and Community Service (LPPM), Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar, Indonesia (Ethical Clearance No. 59/LP3M/05/A.4-VIII/XII/46/2024, approved on March 22, 2024). The study was categorized as a minor risk. All participants were informed about the objectives and procedures of the research, and their participation was entirely voluntary. Informed consent was obtained prior to data collection. Participants were assured of the confidentiality and anonymity of their responses, and all data were used solely for academic research purposes.

 Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

 Citation:

 Tahir R, Agusanty H, and Hikmah H (2025). Agricultural modernization as a prime mover of social change in farming communities. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 12(12): 244-252

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