Improving the Quality of the Empowerment of Forest Farmer Groups in Non-Timber Forest Products Management through Extension Support in East Lampung and Sleman District

Abstract

The government efforts to empower the forest farmer groups have not effectively empowered the community. Extension support is one of the key factors that affecting the quality of empowerment. The purpose of this study is to analyze and find the dominant factors that influence and formulate strategies to increase extension support on the quality of empowerment of forest farmer groups in the management of non-timber forest products. The survey involved 248 members of the non-timber forest product management forest group in East Lampung District, Lampung Province and Sleman District, Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia. The result of SEM analysis shows that the extension support factors that have the potential to affect the quality of empowerment of non-timber forest product management group from the highest score are the support of forest civil servant extension, support for extension methods, extension institutional support, extension material support and extension infrastructure support.This study provides information to create an effective strategy for improving the empowerment of forest farmer groups in the management of non-timber forest products through the strengthening of extension support.