Judul: The Level of Farmer’s Self Reliance in Making Decision for Business of Food Crops in Bogor District.
Abstrak: Food crop farmers is a profession that is known to a person whom doing food crops (rice and cash crops). Therefore, strengthening the farmer’s selfreliance is one of the important efforts in farmer-resource-based agricultural revitalization. Problems of agribusiness that have been existed in Bogor District, such as: small land owned farmers, low farmer income, utilization of simple tools for crop cultivation, low ability of farmers in applying new agro-technology and adopting innovation, farmers having low capital for carrying out agribusiness, and very few knowledge of farmers about postharvest processing and marketing are the reasons why farmer’s self-reliance in business of food crops is becoming very important to be increased. Based on the problems in Bogor District, research objectives are: (1) describing the level of farmers self-relience in making decision for business of food crops in Bogor District, (2) describing the characteristics of farmers in making decision for business of food crops in Bogor District, (3) describing the agricultural extension activities food crops in Bogor District, and (4) analyzing the factors that related to self-reliance of farmers in making decision for business of food crops in Bogor District. Research was carried out based on quantitative approach through descriptive explanatory survey. Total population of the farmers in studied areas was 12.838 people which have been existed in four farmer groups settled in Sub-districts of Pamijahan, Cigudeg, Cariu, and Tanjung Sari. Of 12.838 farmers, 154 people were determined as a number of research samples (respondent) that chose by using Slovin formula. Method of proportionate simple random sampling was used for getting the samples. Primary and secondary data were collected by using the instruments based on an operational definition of each research variable. Primary data were collected through a survey technique using questionnaires, interviews, observations and documentations, and some were directly recorded as daily notes. Secondary data were mainly taken from Local Government of Bogor District, i.e.: Statistics of Bogor District and of Pamijahan, Cigudeg, Cariu and Tanjung Sari Sub-districts, and some were cited from several reports. Data analyses were focused on descriptive statistical analysis consisting of frequency, percentage, mean value, sum of mean score and cross tabulations and inferential statistical analysis for determining the coefficient of Spearman rank correlation (rs). SPSS program for Windows of 19.00 versions was used for data tabulations. Questionnaire trial was conducted on 30 respondents excluding the determined samples, but they have the same characteristics; whereas test of validity was carried out by using the Pearson product moment correlation, from which 117 valid questions (rcalculation: 0.361 > rtable 0.3) were resulted, and test of reliability was done by using the method of Cronbach Alpha with the reliable results of (rcalculation: 0.643; 0.887; 0.916; 0.865 > rtable 0.60). Research results showed that: (1) the level of farmer’s self-reliance in making decisions for business of food crops, particularly in providing infrastructures and production inputs, food crop cultivation and post-harvest processing, could be categorized as high, except in marketing which is still low; (2) the food crop farmers in study areas have several characteristics, as follow: a productive age with the mean value of
Keyword: self-reliance, extension, business of food crops