Examining factors affecting rural farmers' well-being: a case study of settlers development programme or Program Pembangunan Peneroka (PPP) in Malaysia / Nur Raihan Asilah Rasali, Nor Ardyanti Ahmad and Mahazril ‘Aini Yaacob

Globally, governments and policy makers have introduced various programmes to address poverty issues among the rural poor. One common programme is an income generation programme, which aims to enhance the well-being of the rural poor. In Malaysia such a programme is known as the Settler Development Programme aims to increase the income and well-being of rural farmers. However, this programme has encountered challenges in enhancing the well-being of rural farmers, as numerous settlers have struggled to improve their income and living conditions. This study aims to investigate the factors that impede settlers from improving their income and overall well-being. This study employed a qualitative study and conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 22 respondents. This study is purposely selected the respondents among FELDA settlers using a purposive sampling method. The study's findings indicate that factors such as financial burden, limited capability to act, and technological challenges hindered the settlers from improving their well-being. This study suggests that the government should ensure that the programme is more inclusive, allowing settlers to actively contribute to and benefit from the PPP.