Persepsi Petani terhadap Penggunaan Pupuk Organik pada Usaha Tani Cabai Merah (Kasus: Desa Cinta Rakyat, Kecamatan Merdeka, Kabupaten Karo, Sumatera Utara)

Abstract

Red chili is a plant that is cultivated commercially and is in great demand in Indonesia. One of the areas that grows red chilies is in Cinta Rakyat Village, Merdeka District, Karo Regency, North Sumatra. Productivity in Cinta Rakyat Village has not yet reached 50% of optimal productivity. One of the problems that exists is due to the minimal availability and price of inorganic fertilizers. On the other hand, farmers are still accustomed to using inorganic fertilizers compared to organic fertilizers. Farmers must slowly switch to using organic fertilizer considering that inorganic fertilizers are increasingly popular and to maintain plant nutrients. This research aims to analyze how farmers perceive organic fertilizer. The analytical method used in the research is a Likert scale to look at farmers' perceptions and Multiple Linear Regression to look at the factors that influence farmers towards using organic fertilizer. The data is primary data by conducting interviews using questionnaires and secondary data from the Central Statistics Agency. The research results show that farmers' perceptions of the use of organic fertilizer in red chili farming are very good. Factors that influence farmers' perceptions of internal factors are education, land area, experience, income. Meanwhile, external factors are the role of agricultural instructors, cosmopolitan level, and the price of organic fertilizer.