Profiles of Smallholder Dairy Farmers Groups after Volcanic Eruption Damage in Indonesia : A Case Study of Sleman Regency, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta <Research Note>

Merapi Mountain eruption has damaged farming activities including livestock farming, mostly caused by hot cloud of smoky ashes. This paper tries to describe the profiles of smallholder dairy farmer groups in Sleman Regency, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta Province (here after DIY Province) after the eruption. Field survey and focus group discussion were conducted to find the fact and the real situation of the farmers groups. Dairy farmers in group has colony housing for their cows together in a large dairy shed with individual responsibility on feeding and maintaining their cattle. Groups can purchase feed (concentrates) from cooperatives and sell to its members. Milk production from cows was sold to cooperative depend on its criteria and price. In order to recover after disaster, the three dairy farmers groups join GAPOKTAN to get assistance and funding from government for recovery after the disaster. GAPOKTAN help the groups in the population of their cattle, empowerment of the group, and develop their group's organization. The assessment of dairy farmers group performance is needed to improve further the linkages of other institutions to support and drive group's farming activity in terms of improving value chain of their milk production.