The Influence of Characteristics and Institutions on the Empowerment of Cocoa Agribusiness Farmer Groups in South Sulawesi, Indonesia

agribusiness, is largely determined by the human resource. When human resources possess high motivation, creativity, and the ability to develop innovation, agricultural development is significantly improved. This phenomenon shows the necessity to strive for empowerment of farmer for capacity improvement. Therefore, this study aimed to (1) describe the level of empowerment of individual farmer and their groups, and (2) analyze influence of individual characteristics of farmer, groups, and the role of counseling in empowerment of groups member. The analysis was carried out in Soppeng Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, using a combined quantitative and qualitative design. A total of 70 respondents and 12 informants were included, consisting of farmer groups administrator, extension workers


INTRODUCTION
Plantation management is a comprehensive activity capable of addressing various problems and challenges (Marina, 2017).In Indonesia, cocoa is the leading commodity plantation subsector, making the country the third largest producer worldwide after Ivory Coast and Ghana (Hadinata and Marianti, 2020).Furthermore, the country ranks second (15.89%) and third (14.09%) in terms of area and production (Kementerian Pertanian, 2020).The main centers for cocoa production are located in the eastern part of Indonesia, including the provinces of South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, and Central Sulawesi.According to the contribution area, Sulawesi Island has the highest, accounting for 71.73% of the total cocoa production, showing its important role in cocoa trade (Arsyad, Nuddin and Yusuf, 2013).When the government is considering cocoa economic policies, the island should be prioritized.Based on Arsyad et al. (2015), the disruption of cocoa production on the island can cause instability in Indonesian output.Bulkis et al. (2019) stated that policies causing a reduction in input costs and an increase in output values enhance the competitiveness of cocoa commodities and vice versa.The development of cocoa agribusiness is significantly determined by human resources (Arsyad et al., 2020).Among tree species with high economic value, including coconut, rubber, cloves, and coffee (Kurniasari, Raya, and Witjaksono, 2019), cocoa is the leading export commodity (Wardhany and Adzim, 2018).Agricultural development is ascertained when human resources have high motivation, creativity, and ability to develop innovation.Consequently, it is necessary to seek empowerment of farmer to improve the ability of human resources.Government policies in supporting agribusiness development can also encourage the enthusiasm of farmer for production (Narulita, Winandi and Jahroh, 2014).The success of an agricultural development program is achieved due to support received from farmer participation, coupled with effective implementation in the field that is in line with specific targets (Ganda Elizabeth, 2019).One of the activities capable of increasing awareness and changing the behavior of individuals is extension services (Managanta, Sadono and Tjitropranoto, 2019).
The driving factors in agricultural development are natural and human resources, technology, and institutions (Bulkis, Rahmadanih and Nasruddin, 2020).However, the main problem could be due to the lack of ability of human resources to manage and maximize their potential.To develop cocoa agribusiness, the aim of empowerment is to achieve better agriculture, foster business, and enhance the quality of life (Astari and Bulkis, 2020).Therefore, the government is implementing various empowerment programs through agribusiness development based on the participation of the surrounding community (Sugiarso, Riyadi and Rusmadi, 2018) centered, participatory, empowering, and sustainable (Sumbi and Firdausi, 2016).According to Zubaedi, (2016), the concept of community empowerment positions humans as subjects of their world.Empowerment is considered important in increasing living standards, welfare levels, and community economic development (Iryana, 2018).In 1990, this concept was believed to be an alternative development to growth-centered development models (Fawcett et al., 1994).Furthermore, it is a pattern of development centered on the people to achieve community independence.
Agribusiness development strategy focuses on strengthening the capacity of members through farmer groups.The existence of farmer groups aims to increase knowledge and provide assistance, and relevant experience (Suryana and Ningsih, 2018).Farmer groups consist of individuals who are formally bound based on harmony, similarity in environmental conditions (social, economic, resources), familiarity, common interests, mutual trust, and have leaders to achieve common goals (Wangke and Benu, 2016)

METHODS
This study was carried out in Soppeng Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods.Questionnaires and interviews with farmer was conducted to collect primary data, which included individual characteristics of farmer (X1), Characteristics of Farmer Groups (X2), Role of Extension (X3), Farmer Empowerment (Y1), Farmer Groups Empowerment (Y2), and Agribusiness Development (Y3).For the analysis, a total of 70 respondents and 12 informants were included, consisting of farmer groups administrator, extension workers, and heads of estate services.The number of samples was determined using the random sampling method formula with the Slovin formula and produced 70 respondents from 250 populations.Although several empowerment programs have been implemented, the selection of Soppeng Regency was based on the prominence of cocoa as a superior commodity in the region, with consistent production from 2016 to 2017 (Asrul et al., 2021).
The hypotheses of this study are (1) Farmer characteristics have a positive and significant effect on empowerment; (2) Farmer groups characteristic have a positive and significant effect on farmer empowerment; (3) Role of counseling has a positive and significant effect on empowerment; (4) Empowerment of farmer has a positive and significant effect on their groups; and (5) Empowerment of farmer groups has a positive and significant effect on the development of agribusiness.
Data analysis is carried out using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) -Partial Least Square (PLS).SEM is used to calculate the effect that arises from the relationship between the variables analyzed based on the results of the data collection of respondent (Lowry and Gaskin, 2014).SEM-PLS functions efficiently with small sample sizes and complex models.Furthermore, it is capable of analyzing reflective and formative measurement models and latent variables with one indicator without causing identification problems.2 shows a significant increase in farmer knowledge in the medium and high categories by 91% after participating in empowerment activities.This increase spans across various aspects, such as understanding good quality cocoa, recommended cultivation methods, methods to address pests and diseases, and processing of cocoa cultivation products and marketing methods.Knowledge acquisition often triggers changes in the behavior of farmer, as awareness benefits of something tends to foster a positive (Riani, 2017).

AND
The increase in the skills of cocoa farmer after participating in empowerment activities was mostly in the medium and high categories at  2018), the implementation of extension began to focus on aspects of sustainability, namely increasing awareness in the preservation of environmental functions.Based on participation in groups activity, and the willingness to apply knowledge and skills to their farming business, this study found that 53% of farmer attitudes were classified as low, while 47% were in the medium and high categories.The attitude of some farmer was low due to the risks of changes in farming business.Furthermore, the attitude of farmer is more enthusiastic about the production facilities development program, accompanied by provided assistance.The role of agricultural extension workers was found to be essential in assisting farmer empowerment programs (Sundari, Yusra and Nurliza, 2015).and Mayulu, 2021).

Empowerment of Farmer Groups
An indicator of empowerment of farmer groups as part of the community is increased access to intellectual, social, financial, and natural/ physical capital (David and Asamoah, 2011).This method aims at improving cocoa handling to enhance the welfare of farmer.According to Purba and Sipayung, (2017), global cocoa development is directed at realizing efficient and effective agribusiness to improve the welfare of farmer, producing highly competitive yields, through increased productivity.This integrated and sustainable strategy is supported by strengthening business institutions and empowerment.Based on the perceptions of farmer both as administrators and as groups member, it is evident that farmer groups access to intellectual capital is in the medium (84%) and high (16%) categories.This shows that access to intellectual capital in the form of knowledge and skills in business farming is easier, including other groups and the government (Plantation Service and other institutions).The level of empowerment of farmer groups based on the perceptions of farmer as administrators and members of farmer groups is shown in Table 3.
The perception of farmer on social capital in the form of their social networks with other institutions and the participation of groups member is still low (59%), which is categorized in the medium 41% and high categories.This shows that some farmer as groups member have a wider network with other institutions to obtain information and other resources needed in their farming activities.The perception of some farmer regarding the participation of members is still low due to passivity in groups, limiting the spread of information related to farming.
Consequently  Data Sources: Primary data that has been processed, 2022.
fertilizers.However, one of the problems experienced by groups member is the large number of pests and diseases attacking cocoa trees, resulting in higher expenditure.Groups member also allocate some of their income in small amounts as cash which can be borrowed by others to meet farming business needs.To overcome these problems, members need sources of capital from non-members to improve agricultural production.Similarly, Ye et al. ( 2021) stated that access to finance for agricultural production is achieved by increasing financial benefits for agricultural producers, growth in production value, and improving the competitiveness of industrial exports.Natural capital includes land resources consisting of land tenure and productivity, water resources, and environmental services.Empowerment of farmer groups is carried out through the provision of natural/ natural capital, including the existence of forums and local management rules, the level of use, and preservation.Based on the perception of the majority (77%) of farmer, the access of cocoa farmer groups to natural capital is in a low category.This is because groups member gain knowledge about land sustainability and increase productivity.
However, most members carrying out farming activities do not engage in conservation activities regularly or consider the impact on land preservation, leading to decreased productivity.
Agricultural land ownership has an important role in farmer productivity (Rahmadi and Santoso, 2016).
Physical capital is basic infrastructure and other facilities built to support community livelihood processes (Saleh, 2015).Based on the perception of 63 (90%), empowerment of farmer groups also includes access to physical capital, which is in the medium category as shown in Table 3.This shows that farmer groups have functioned as managers of physical capital.Furthermore, these groups have a secretariat as a place to gather and store facilities, including infrastructure for optimal agricultural technology in farming activities.This availability can be a challenge and an opportunity for the sustainability of agricultural activities (Prihantini and Lutfiyanto, 2019).

Evaluation of the Measurement Model (Outer Model)
The evaluation is carried out to ensure that each indicator used is reliable and valid by testing convergent and discriminant validity.The results of the analysis of the PLS-SEM model are presented in Figure 1.
Table 4 shows the results of measurements using the router model to assess the effect of the individual farmer characteristics, groups, and the role of counseling on empowerment.Table 4 shows that all variable indicators have an outer loading value of > 0.7, except for Y3.2 (Farming Subsystem), which is below 0.7.This result is included in the model because of the standard value of 0.4.Study variable indicators with an outer loading value of > 0.7 are considered feasible or valid for use.This shows that enhanced characteristics of farmer such as education, farming experience, motivation, perceptions, and the desire to engage in farming, contribute to improved agricultural performance.Furthermore, formal and informal farmer education plays a role in increasing the productivity, profits, and performance of farmer households (Paltasingh and Goyari, 2018;Rahman et al., 2020).
Table 5 describes the reliability test of each variable showing that all values are satisfactory, indicating consistency.The AVE (Average Variance Extracted) value shows the best measure of convergent validity, indicating that the variable can explain most of the indicator variances.Based on these results, all variables have discriminant validity, with a composite reliability value > 0.7 (Shrestha, 2021).These results show that all variables have a high level of reliability, which is similar to Cronbach's alpha value for each variable > 0.7.(Fischer and Qaim, 2012).
The relationship between the level of farmer groups empowerment on agribusiness development is significant with a t-statistic value of 7.859 (> 1.96) and a p-value of 0.000 (<0.05).
Consequently, the H5 hypothesis is accepted, stating that "the level of empowerment of farmer groups influence the development of agribusiness".The original sample value is 0.544, showing that influence of the level of empowerment on agribusiness development is 54.4%, and the remaining 45.6% is affected by other variables.Agribusiness is a series of interrelated subsystems of a system, requiring effective farmer performance and adequate functioning (Banson et al., 2015).Evaluation of Goodness of Fit was carried out to show how well the study model fit with the data.The value of Goodness of Fit is seen from the R-square, which is used to measure how much the endogenous variables are influenced by others.When the R 2 value is above 0.67 for the endogenous latent variable in the structural model, it shows that the effect of exogenous variables on endogenous variables is included in the good category.Meanwhile, at 0.33 -0.67, and 0.19 -0.33, the values are in the medium and weak categories.The following is the R-square for each variable.
Based on Table 7, the R-square on farmer empowerment level variable is 0.734.This value shows that the percentage of the level of farmer empowerment can be explained by their characteristics, groups, and the role of extension services 73.7%, with a relatively strong effect.Meanwhile, the R-square for the level of farmer groups empowerment is 0.326.This value shows that the percentage of the variable level of farmer groups empowerment can be explained by farmer empowerment level of 32.6% and the effect is relatively weak.The variable is 0.296, showing that the large percentage of the variables can be explained by the level of farmer groups empowerment of 29.6% and the effect is relatively weak.
The Goodness of Fit is obtained from the Q-square, which is calculated below.Based on the calculation results, a Q-square of 4.8 6 7 is obtained, showing a great diversity of study data as explained by the model of 87.4%.Meanwhile, the remaining 12.6% is explained by other factors that are outside the model, indicating the presence of goodness of Fit.

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
In conclusion, this study showed that the level of empowerment among individual farmer including knowledge, attitudes, and skills was mostly in the "medium" category.The level of empowerment of farmer groups in access to intellectual capital was found to be in the "medium" category, while social, financial, natural, and physical were in the "low" category.Furthermore, there was a significant influence on characteristics Data Source: Primary data that has been processed, 2022.
Based on these results, suggestions that can be made are to increase the role of the facilitator in terms of monitoring and evaluation to optimize the process of empowering cocoa farmer groups.This increase would make empowerment program more sensitive to the problems faced by farmer groups, thereby ensuring effective operation.

Figure 1 .
Figure 1.Outer Model Measuring the Level of Empowerment of Cocoa Farmer Groups in Soppeng Regency Data Source: Primary data that has been processed, 2022.

Table 1 .
Latent Variables and Manifest Variables

Table 2 .
Cocoa Farmers in Soppeng Regency Based on Knowledge, Attitudes,

Table 3 .
Distribution of Perceptions of Cocoa Farmers on the Empowerment of Farmer Groups in Soppeng District, South Sulawesi.

Table 4 .
Value Outer Loading

Table 5 .
Reliability Test of Each Variable

Table 6 .
Value of Path Coefficient

Table 7 .
Value R-square