Condition of Plantation and Development Strategy of Sago Garden

Abstract

Sago plants in Indonesia have great potential, such as a very large area, a high source of carbohydrates, high productivity, and can be used as various kinds of derivative products. Sago is a local specific food ingredient in Maluku. Especially people in rural areas consume sago as a staple food. This study aims to determine plantations' condition and sago gardens' development strategy in Sumber Agung Village, East Seram Regency, Maluku Province. The research sample is determined by purposive sampling because farmers desire and are willing to organize sago forests into sago gardens. The number of samples is 80 respondents. The results show that the sago garden is located in an area with Alluvial Plain physiography with choppy microrelief so that there are sporadic spreading basins that cause puddles. The height of this garden's location ranges between 25-35 m above sea level, with a slope varying between 0-3%. This microrelief condition results in a puddle of water, but this puddle is temporal, where the pool occurs during the rainy season and sometime after the rainy season. The people of Sumber Agung Village, who are very, welcoming friendly, and open to developing innovations in the management of sago gardens, are important to preserve Sago in the future. The transmigration community in Sumber Agung Village supports the structuring of sago gardens. This is evidence of ethnic diversity, but concern for Sago is grave. This is good because Maluku is famous for local sago food, so sago forests need to be organized into representative and sustainable sago gardens. The community's perception of factors towards the development of sago plantations shows that the convenience construct does not significantly affect the needs construct. While the aesthetics construct, the benefit significantly influences the needs to construct.