THE INFLUENCE OF FARMER CHARACTERISTICS ON ENTREPRENEURIAL ATTITUDES AND PERFORMANCE OF PADDY RICE FARMERS

Abstract

Agriculture is one of the sectors that has a strategic position and plays an important role in efforts to increase Indonesia's economic growth. Agriculture is the sector with the most labor force in Indonesia. However, the large number of workers in the agricultural sector can only contribute 8.82% to national GDP as of quarter 1 of 2023 (Agricultural Data and Information System Center of the General Secretariat - Ministry of Agriculture 2023). This reality shows the low level of labor productivity in the agricultural sector. One of the obstacles that exist in Indonesia's agricultural sector is the limited human resources in the agricultural sector in terms of low farmer capacity, such as managerial skills, very weak bargaining power, limited access to capital and various information, and low level of farmer education. For this reason, the objectives of this study are (1) to identify the characteristics of paddy rice farmers, identify production, identify income and identify the entrepreneurial attitude of paddy paddy farmers, (2) analyze the influence of farmer characteristics on entrepreneurial attitudes, (3) analyze the influence of farmer characteristics on the performance of paddy paddy farmers, (4) analyze the influence of farmer characteristics on the performance of paddy paddy farmers through entrepreneurial attitudes, (5) Analyze the influence of entrepreneurial attitude on the performance of paddy rice farmers and (6) Analyze the influence of farmer characteristics and entrepreneurial attitude simultaneously on the performance of paddy rice farmers. This research is located in Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. The population in this study is rice farmers. The sample was determined using the Slovin method as many as 80 farmers by taking proportionally each farmer group. The analysis methods used are Descriptive Statistical analysis and Partial Least Square (SEM-PLS) analysis. Based on the results of the study, it shows that; (1) The characteristics of farmers as a whole are in the good category, meaning that farmers have a productive age, which is an average age of 50 years, so it is still easy to receive technology. have a fairly good education, an average family of 6 people, have an average of 17 years of experience in rice farming, so it is easier to farm and implement strategies for the development of their farming with an average land area of 0.69 Ha which are still in the poor category. The average rice production of farmers is 5.7 tons/ha and the average income of farmers is Rp. 21,226,991/ha, the entrepreneurial attitude of farmers is in the category of quite high, (2) the characteristics of farmers have a significant effect on entrepreneurial attitudes (3) the characteristics of farmers have a significant effect on the performance of farmers (4) the characteristics of farmers have a significant effect on the performance of farmers through entrepreneurial attitudes (5) entrepreneurial attitudes have a significant effect on the performance of farmers. It is necessary to improve the characteristics of farmers and increase entrepreneurial attitudes because it has a significant effect on improving the performance of paddy rice farmers.