Strategi Pengembangan Agribisnis Hortikultura di Wilayah Pedesaan

Program-program pengembangan agribisnis di wilayah pedesaan masih menyisakan permasalahan mendasar yanitu harga sarana produksi pertanian terus meningkat, sementara harga produk pertanian primer sangat fluktuatif. Kondisi ini terjadi karena posisi tawar petani yang masih lemah di antara pelaku agribisnis lainnya. Penelitian bertujuan untuk mengukur kelayakan usahatani dan menemukan strategi pengembangan agribisnis hortikultura di Kabupaten Simalungun, Sumatera Utara. Dengan 40 rumah tangga sampel, kelayakan usahatani diukur dengan Revenue Cost Ratio (RCR) dan strategi pengembangan ditentukan melalui Analisis SWOT. Urutan kelayakan komoditas adalah kentang, cabai merah, kubis, tomat, dan jeruk manis. Hasil analisis SWOT untuk pengembangan agribisnis hortikultura mengutamakan strategi W-O yaitu mengubah strategi melalui: kemitraan pemasaran, pengembangan sumber air di usahatani, peningkatan kualitas jalan desa dan jalan usahatani, pengembangan kios sarana produksi di perdesaan, peningkatan penyuluhan pertanian, penataan zonasi dan pola tanam komoditas unggulan, pengembangan agroindustri skala rumah tangga dan skala kecil di perdesaan, serta pengembangan fasilitas kebun bibit dan lahan demplot   Agribusiness development programs in rural areas still leave fundamental problems, which is the price of means of agricultural production continues to increase, while the price of primary agricultural products is very fluctuating. This condition occurs because of the bargaining position of farmers who are still weak among other agribusiness actors. The study aimed to measure the feasibility of farming and find a strategy for developing horticultural agribusiness in Simalungun District, North Sumatra. With 40 sample households, the feasibility of farming was measured by Revenue Cost Ratio (RCR) and the development strategy was determined through SWOT Analysis. The orders of feasibility of commodities were potatoes, red chili, cabbage, tomatoes, and sweet oranges. The results of the SWOT analysis for the development of horticultural agribusiness prioritized the WO strategy which was changing strategies through: marketing partnerships, water source development in farming, improving the quality of village and farming roads, developing kiosks for production facilities in rural areas, increasing agricultural counseling, zoning arrangements and leading commodity cropping patterns, development of household and small-scale agro-industry in rural areas, as well as the development of nursery and the demonstration of plot facilities.