The Effect of Farmer Participation in Agricultural Extension on Agribusiness Sustainability in Bogor, Indonesia

Abstract

Era of regional autonomy is marked by the transfer of agricultural extension management from the central government to local governments. That event does not immediately make the implementation of re-education work optimally. Nevertheless, the Bogor government has been trying to manage and organize extension in the hope of increasing the participation of farmers for the agribusiness sustainability. The research aims to analyze descriptively farmer participation and agribusiness sustainability and analyze the factors that influence agribusiness sustainability. The study was conducted in Bogor from July to November 2017. The study population is farmers who are members of farmer groups. Samples in this study are 93 people taken by using multi stage random sampling technique. The study variables consist of internal factors (X1) including age, education level, training, internship, agribusiness experience, perception and motivation. Further variables are external factors (X2), extension activities (X3), program factors (X4), participation of farmers (X5) and agribusiness sustainability (Y). Data were taken using questionnaire, and then, they were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression. The result showed that participation of farmers in extension activities is high (77.42%) and majority, they had the potential of agribusiness sustainability (87.09%). Factors affecting the agribusiness sustainability of farmers are training, internships, perceptions, motivation, extension activities and participation of farmers in extension activities.