Faktor-Faktor yang Mempengaruhi KineIja Penyuluh Pertanian dan Dampaknya pada Perilaku Petani Padi di J awa B ara

Abstract

Agricultural Extension Agents' performances were contingent upon many (I) Ai (I) C @ 3 (I) :J '" C tors, including their personal characteristics, motives, and competencies. To "'O~g:~:J !!l :J \C ~ g. tz:;sess the effects of these factors on the agents' performances and to determine O'"~or::::J g ~ ~ ~ U? ~e impact of the agents' performances on the rice-farmers' behavior. an ex-posl- '<:o:J~Qc E... Ai'<: c.. '<: :J :i!i~CfO study was accomplished. Three hypotheses were tested: (I) The agents' ",00:°0. ~ ~ ~ :ir £ § ~naracteristics, motives and competencies positively affected their performances ':9. ~ ~ ~: Ie ~ enhancing rice production, (2) The agents' characteristics, motives and ~ ! ~ g: ~ompetencies positively affected the rice farmers' behavior, and (3) The agents' g ~ ~ ~ ~aracteristics, motives and competencies were mutually correlated_ Data ~ ,g g ~quired for testing the hypotheses were collected from randomly selected 2 ~ ~ ~xt ension Agents and farmers. One hundred and seventeen agents and 351 ~ ~ ~ 'rmers were interviewed_ Two types of questionnaire, designed specifically for ~ g ~ ~ch type of responden, were employed in a survey accomplished in September 2' ~ g ~rough November 2008. LISREL program of the Structural Equation Model was ~: ~ § gsed to analyze the data. The results confirmed all of the three hypotheses. ~ g- g. g i:rther findings pointed out that the individual path coefficients of the agents' [ ~ i c8 aracteristics, motives and competencies on the agents' performances were .35, . g- :J I: ~ 7, and .40 respectively and were significant ·at alpha = 0.05; whereas the 2- ~ ~ ~ombined effects of the three variables on the agents' performance (R2) was 0.45 ~ 5 c sig nificant at alpha = 0.05 . Lastly, the coefficient of determination (R2) of the "'8 :J 3 '0 0 0'" agents' performances on the rice farmers behavior was 0.25 significant also at § ~ ~ alpha = 0_05, Therefore, it could be concluded that: (1) the agents' cr :J .? characteristics, motives and competencies positively affected their performances, "'8 "'0 ~ (2) the agents' performances positively affected the rice farmers' behavior, and N' r::: :i' 0 (3) the agents' characteristics, motives and competencies were mutually =c :J !D .A., i correlated. The strategic implication of this research finding was that ~ enhancement of the Agricultural Extension Agents' performances would lead to sa. 'lhprovement of the rice farmers' behavior.

Pada dekade I 980-an Indonesia telah berhasil mencapai swasembada beras. ~P roduksl beras yang pada tahun 1975 sebanyak 22,3 Juta ton menggelembung '§.32,74% menjadi 29,6 juta ton pada tallUn 1980. Perkembangan yang sarna juga ~terjadi pada tahun 1985, yaitu naik 31 ,64% dengan jumlah produksi 39 juta ton. :Namun tahun-tahun berikutnya, produksi beras menunjukkan perkembangan yang ;'"1 idak menggembirakan. Produksi beras pada tahun 1990 hanya tumbuh 15,75% -OUibandingkan tahun 1985 dan hal tersebut tidak sebanding dengan pertumbuhan ~ u mlah penduduk . Data juga menunjukkan bahwa dari tahun 2002 hingga 2007 13P roduksi beras Indonesia tidak stabi!. Rata-rata pertumbuhan tidak mencapai 5% dan c . ~ u as panen padi cenderung sarna saja. Tingkat pertumbuhan yang tidak stabi! tersebut 3.banyak dipengaruhi oleh kebijakan pemerintah yang kurang efektif dalam ~engembangan usahatani khususnya padi, seperti pengadaan benih padi, pupuk, ~estisida, kredit usahatani, harga produk, dan pemasaran hasil dan penyuluhan gpertanian. Sikap petani pada penyuluh menjadi acuh. Mereka apatis, ada atau tidak 'gada penyuluh pertanian di desanya, mereka sudah tidak peduli lagi. Aktivitas mereka .::!clilakukan berdasarkan apa yang sudah mereka ketahui, sehingga produktivitas usahatani padi mereka statis. Proses pembelajaran dalam berusahatani tidak be~alan optimal, mereka melakukan apa adanya.