SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT OF RICE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN MALAYSIA: A LIFE CYCLE PERSPECTIVE ON STAKEHOLDER WELL-BEING IN SELANGOR'S GRANARY AREAS

Abstract

The social sustainability of rice production systems in Malaysia remains underexplored despite stakeholders including rice mill workers, paddy farmers, and local communities facing various social challenges throughout the production lifecycle, necessitating comprehensive assessment to support the government's target of achieving 75% rice self-sufficiency by 2025. This study applied Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) methodology based on ISO 14040:2006 framework to evaluate social impacts in Sungai Leman and Sekinchan divisions of Barat Laut Selangor, utilizing three validated questionnaire sets with 5-point Likert scales based on UNEP 2020 guidelines and multistage sampling that yielded 355 respondents comprising 41 rice mill workers, 136 farmers, and 178 local community members, achieving content validity (I-CVI: 0.83-1.0) and reliability (Cronbach's Alpha: 0.813-0.894). Social impact analysis revealed highest mean scores for health and safety among rice mill workers (3.86), agricultural technology assistance among paddy farmers (4.16-4.20), and job opportunities among local communities (3.87-3.94), while Social Performance Scores demonstrated good sustainability levels across all stakeholder groups with rice mill workers (64.33), paddy farmers (63.29-64.29), and local communities (64.31-65.98), all achieving classifications within the good range (61- 80). The findings indicate socially sustainable rice production operations in both divisions, with key contributors including health and safety protocols, agricultural technology assistance, and job opportunity creation, supporting Malaysia's agricultural development goals and suggesting effective implementation of national policies, leading to recommendations for continued multi-agency involvement, enhanced technology dissemination through FAMA and AgroBank, and regular monitoring to support the national rice self-sufficiency target.