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Science, Marine and Environment

USERS’ PERCEPTION ON THE ROLE OF AZOLLA IN THE FARMING PROCESS

Raihan Najwa binti Selamat , Jarina binti Mohd Jani *
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1
Faculty of Science and Marine Environmental, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030
1
Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia.
*Corresponding author: jarina@umt.edu.my

The use of Azolla in the farming process is widespread in Vietnam, China and
Philippines but not in Malaysia. Here, the use of Azolla is more for livestock feeding
compared to farming. It appears that the use of Azolla as a biofertilizer is not popular
in Malaysia. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine the users’
STUDENT RESEARCH DAY 2021 successfully conducted via Zoom Meeting platform and all data from the interview STUDENT RESEARCH DAY 2021
perception of the role of Azolla in the farming process and to investigate the current
use of Azolla as biofertilizer among farmers. Two online interview sessions were

v
sessions were transcribed from audio to text and then analysed using Thematic
Analysis approach. The coded information from different respondents were then
compared using Theme Similarity Analysis to identify the similarity of the
respondents’ perception of Azolla and the comparison of the coded information with
the scientific knowledge was also carried out. The results show that both respondents
have relatively similar perceptions of the role of Azolla in farming despite having
different experiences. They also have confidence in applying Azolla in their farming
process. To conclude, although not widely practised, the use of Azolla in the farming
process is perceived to positively contribute towards the sustainability of agriculture
and prevents negative environmental effects of using chemical fertilizer.

Keyword: Azolla, agriculture, biofertilizer, sustainability, organic-farming.

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