Empowerment of Farmers in Encouraging Social Change 5.0 During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Banten Province

Abstract

This research captures the empowerment efforts carried out by the Banten Provincial Government for farmers in encouraging social change during the COVID-19 pandemic. The method used in this research is qualitative with an exploratory approach. The process of data collection was carried out by interview and documentation methods. The field results show the findings of the empowerment efforts carried out by the Banten Provincial Government for farmers by doing three things, namely providing support for food production in the form of seeds, fertilizers, and agricultural machinery. Empowerment is also carried out by assisting in agricultural production through “field school” activities that have the substance of learning and direct field practice to farmer groups. Another empowerment is by actively participating in agricultural production activities by conducting continuous monitoring and evaluation of various assistance and activities that have been provided to* farmers in need. The results of the empowerment carried out have an impact on increasing food production in Banten Province, especially for rice commodities. Another impact of the empowerment carried out is the occurrence of social changes experienced by farmers through the use of appropriate technology and agricultural mechanization which encourages agricultural production to become more efficient to increase the Banten Province Farmer's Exchange Rate. The urgency of this research is that the issue of farmer empowerment will have a major impact on food availability, especially during the pandemic which demands social changes for farmers in the use of agricultural technology.