This study aims to investigate the concept of quality income from the perspective of the palm oil smallholders in Malaysia. This includes identifying the meaning of quality palm oil income based on the smallholders’ perspectives and evaluating the palm oil income quality according to a specific income quality dimension. This study employs a qualitative research design that involves structured-interviews with seven palm oil smallholders. The findings indicate the articulation of quality income concept reflects six themes consisting of the output, cost of living, operational cost plus surplus, personal criteria and commodity price basis. The evaluation of the quality of income, based on a range of criteria, shows that the informants perceived palm oil income as inconsistent, insufficient, unpredictable in its amount and the sustainability is subjected to extra effort taken by the smallholders. Three factors that disrupt the quality of palm oil income: high farm maintenance cost, workers problems, and irrelevant regulations that indirectly affect smallholders’ income. This is the first attempt to investigate the issue by presenting fresh insight directly from the smallholders through a qualitative investigation. Based on the analysis we have suggested a conceptual framework on factors affecting the quality of smallholders’ farm income which developed directly from the smallholders’ perspective.
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