Analysis On the Problems Faced by Farmers in Farming and The Role of Agricultural Extension During Covid-19 Pandemic (Case Study in The Work Area Of The Nanggalo And The Koto Tangah Extension Center Padang, West Sumatera)

Abstract

Agricultural extension is a form of non-formal education that plays a role in improving the farmers’ ability and  capacity as  human resources so that they become strong and have the ability to access to various resources needed, and agricultural information as well as have the ability to plan and decide what is best for them in farming. This study aims to describe and analyze the problems faced by farmers in farming during the covid 19 pandemic, and to describe the role of agricultural extension especially during the covid 19 pandemic. This research was conducted with a qualitative approach, with the research location in the working area of the Nanggalo and Koto Tangah Agricultural Extension Center (BPP) which are located in the city of Padang, West Sumatera. The respondents of the study consisted of farmers in the working area of BBP Nanggalo and BPP Koto Tangah as many as 90 people. and agricultural extension workers as key informants. The data consisted of primary data and secondary data, collected during the covid 19 pandemic. The data analysis was carried out qualitatively by describing the research results in the form of percentages. The results of the study indicate that farmers experience problems at every stage of farming, namely the procurement of facilities on production, cultivation, harvest and post-harvest, marketing and partnerships with farming support institutions. The role of agricultural extension services has significantly decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is marked by a reduced intensity of extension and low frequency of visits to the farmer group due to during the implementation of micro scale the imposition of restrictions on community activities (PPKM) during which the visits was conducted through Text and WhatsApp application and individual visit.   The expected roles of extension workers during the pandemic related to their functions as facilitator are facilitating farmers to have access to capital institutions, marketing institutions, and institutions providing production facilities.