Identification the effective group size to enhance social capital in beef cattle farmers group in Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract Strengthening the cattle farmer groups in Indonesia cannot be separated from their social capital supports, including developing trust, norms, relationships, and networks. There is a question about how many members in a farmers group can produce high levels of social capital. This study aimed to identify the group size to enhance the social capital within a cattle farmers group. The study was conducted through a survey method on 147 Kebumen Ongole Crossbreed cattle farmers using a multistage sampling method. The descriptive statistical method and two-way ANOVA were used to analyze the data. The cattle farmer groups were divided into three categories: category I (<15 farmer members), category II (15-20 farmer members), and category III (> 20 farmer members). The results show that the social capital of farmer groups in Kebumen Regency, Indonesia was classified into high (score =120.80). There was a significant difference of social capital among group categories (P<0.05). The group with 15-20 farmer members had the highest social capital (score=126.77) when compared to the other groups in different categories. Therefore, various efforts to enhance the social capital should be systematically developed, starting by forming farmer groups with number of memberships 15 to 20 farmers per group.