Pengaruh Aktivitas Wanita Wirausaha terhadap Pertumbuhan Usaha Olahan Kentang di Kabupaten Kerinci Provinsi Jambi

Abstract

The creation of new entrepreneurs, especially in agribusiness becomes very important because Indonesia has a great potential in the agribusiness sector. Potatoes are one of Indonesia’s leading vegetable crops. Currently an increase in women activity of processed potato business in Kerinci Regency. This research aimed at identifying profil of women’s entrepreneurial and analyzing the forming factors of women’s entrepreneurial activities contributing to the growth of processed potato business. This study was located in Kerinci regency because there was an increase of women’s entrepreneurial activities. Primary data were collected through questionnaire to 111 woman entrepreneurs of potato processed business using sampling “census” technique, and the data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The exogenous latent variables were personal characteristics, entrepreneurial characteristics, opportunities, and resources. Whereas women’s entrepreneurial activities and growth of new enterprises were endogenous latent variables. The results showed that women entrepreneurs in Kerinci regency were dominated by women aged 35-45 years, had been married, have an education as junior high school, have two children. They were unique independent skillful individuals who had fleksible time to become business women and received permission husband and family. Businesses managed by women entrepreneurs has been running for ten years and classified as micro and small scale enterprises. The results Structural Equation Model (SEM) showed that showed that the built model had goodness of fit and good reliability measurement variables. Women’s entrepreneurial activities were reflected the most by resources and entrepreneurial characteristics. Entrepreneurial characteristics of woman entrepreneurs were formed by motivation, risk taking, and innovation. Thus women’s processed potato business in Kerinci regency had the entrepreneurial characteristics. Women’s entrepreneurial activities were positively proved to contribute to the growth of new enterprises on processed potato business. Therefore the program of cooperation with academics, market expansion, support tools and technology for woman entrepreneurs should be a priority of the Indonesian government programs in the future to enable the women to increase the number of women entrepreneurs in Indonesia.