PEMBERDAYAAN PETANI KAKAO MELALUI PERTANIAN ORGANIK DI KABUPATEN KOLAKA TIMUR - Yolanda Fitria Syahri; Marlina Mustafa; Muhtar Amin (Departemen Budidaya Pertanian Fakultas Pertanian UNHAS, 2022)
Petani kakao di Desa Puundokulo, Kecamatan Poli-Polia, Kabupaten Kolaka Timur rata-rata memiliki kebun kakao seluas 1-6 ha dengan produksi saat ini rata-rata 300-600kg biji kakao/ha. Namun, produksi kakao saat ini jauh lebih rendah dibandingkan tahun-tahun sebelumnya. Masalah prioritas petani kakao di daerah ini adalah tingginya ketergantungan petani terhadap pupuk kimia dan tingginya intensitas serangan hama dan penyakit. Sebagai salah satu sentra produksi kakao di Kabupaten Kolaka Timur, belum ada upaya transfer ilmu pengetahuan sebagai upaya pemberdayaan sumber daya manusia (SDM) petani kakao. Berdasarkan hal tersebut, kegiatan pengabdian ini bertujuan untuk memberdayakan SDM petani kakao mengenai pertanian organik khususnya melalui pemanfaatan limbah kulit kakao sebagai bahan kompos, yang dapat mengurangi penggunaan pupuk kimia. Metode pelaksanaan yang diterapkan dalam kegiatan pengabdian ini terbagi menjadi dua tahap kerja, yaitu tahap persiapan dan pelaksanaan di lapangan. Tahap persiapan diawali dengan koordinasi dengan pihak terkait, dilanjutkan dengan pembuatan pupuk organik cair (POC), fermentasi POC, pengujian laboratorium kandungan nutrisi POC dan pembuatan pestisida nabati. Tahapan pelaksanaan kegiatan di lapangan dibagi menjadi tiga bagian kerja yaitu pengadaan bahan, pembuatan kompos dari limbah sekam kakao, dan evaluasi kegiatan. Evaluasi kegiatan di lapangan menunjukkan bahwa 60% petani responden menilai inovasi kompos sekam kakao sudah sesuai karena inovasi tersebut sesuai dengan kebutuhan petani dan kondisi lingkungan. Sebanyak 85% menilai inovasi kompos cangkang kakao memiliki tingkat kerumitan yang rendah, artinya sekam kakao sangat mudah diperoleh bahan bakunya, mudah dibuat dan mudah digunakan. Kata kunci: Pemberdayaan petani, Pertanian organik, Kakao. ABSTRACT Cocoa farmers in Puundokulo Village, Poli-Polia District, East Kolaka Regency have an average of 1-6 ha of cocoa plantations with current production of an average of 300-600kg of cocoa beans/ha. However, current cocoa production is much lower than in previous years. The priority problems for cocoa farmers in this area are the high dependence of farmers on chemical fertilizers and the high intensity of pest and disease attacks. As one of the cocoa production centers in the East Kolaka Regency, there has been no effort to transfer knowledge as an effort to empower the human resources (HR) of cocoa farmers. Based on this, this service activity aims to empower cocoa farmers' human resources regarding organic agriculture, especially through the use of cocoa husk waste as compost material, which can reduce the use of chemical fertilizers. The implementation method applied in this service activity is divided into two stages of work, namely the stage of preparation and implementation in the field. The preparation stage begins with coordinating with related parties, followed by the manufacture of liquid organic fertilizer (POC), POC fermentation, laboratory testing of POC nutrient content and manufacture of vegetable pesticides. The stages of implementing activities in the field are divided into three work sections: the provision of materials, making compost from cocoa husk waste, and evaluation of activities. The evaluation of activities in the field showed that 60% of respondent farmers assessed that the cocoa husk compost innovation had appropriate suitability because the innovation was following the farmer's needs and environmental conditions. As many as 85% assessed that the cocoa shell compost innovation had a low level of complexity, which means that the cocoa husk is very easy—obtained raw materials, easy to make and easy to use. Keywords: Farmer empowerment, Organic agriculture, Cocoa.