Abstract:
Coffee farming plays a vital source of income for the local community in Toraja.
Despite its significant economic role, the sustainability of smallholder coffee
farming in Toraja has not been assessed. Most coffee farmers possessed plots of
land of approximately 3-5 hectares, accounting for 77.27% of the total area. Only
22.73% of coffee farmers owned 6-8 hectare plots of land. The coffee farming
business generated revenue averaging between IDR 2,000,000 and IDR
4,000,000. This study seeks to assess the sustainability of the coffee farming
business in Sarang-Sarang Village, Sa’dan District, North Toraja. Forty-eight
farmers were selected as the sample through simple random sampling,
representing 10% of the population. Using a descriptive quantitative approach,
this study measured the economic, social, and technological dimensions of the
coffee farming business sustainability. Data were collected through a 4-point
Likert scale with the following categories: 4) good, 3) fair, 2) poor, and 1) very
poor. The applied data analysis involved scoring. The study's results revealed that
the sustainability of coffee farming was rated as good in social and technological
dimensions yet remains fair in economic dimensions. The social dimension
encompasses labor availability, interaction among farmers, and supporting
government policies and facilities. In contrast, the technological dimension is
bolstered by the application of superior varieties, pest and disease control, farming
machinery employment, and harvest and post-harvest processing techniques. This
study suggested enhancing the coffee industry, market availability, and applying
organic fertilizers to strengthen sustainability.
