Sustainability of Cocoa Farming from the Perspective of Farmers in Luwu District, South Sulawesi Province

Abstract

Low productivity can have an impact on farmers' income and welfare and can trigger a decline in farmers' interest in cocoa farming. BPS data shows that one of the cocoa production centres in South Sulawesi is experiencing a decline, namely Luwu Regency. Low productivity is considered the root cause of sustainability issues related to cocoa farming. This study aims to assess the sustainability of cocoa farming from the perspective of farmers in Luwu Regency. The research method used is descriptive with qualitative and quantitative approaches and uses SEM analysis with SmartPLS 3.0 software. The results showed that Economic Aspects (X1) had a positive and significant effect on the Sustainability of Cocoa Farming (Y), with a coefficient = 0.285, and P-Values = 0.018 < 0.05 while Social Aspects (X2) had a positive and significant effect on the Sustainability of Cocoa Farming (Y), with a coefficient value = 0.268, and P-Values = 0.018 < 0.05 and Environmental Aspects (X1) had a positive and significant effect on the Sustainability of Cocoa Farming (Y). 0.05 and Environmental Aspects (X3) have a positive and significant effect on the Sustainability of Cocoa Farming (Y), with a coefficient value = 0.270, and P-Values = 0.012 < 0.05.