Desain Pengembangan Komoditas Tanaman Pangan pada Kawasan Transmigrasi Pulubala, Kabupaten Gorontalo

Abstract

The IPB University Patriot Expedition aims to design a development plan for food crops, particularly corn, in the Pulubala Transmigration Area, Gorontalo Regency. The objectives are to identify leading commodities, analyze the value chain, and formulate an integrated upstream to downstream development strategy to promote sustainable local economic growth. The implementation methods include qualitative and quantitative approaches, such as field surveys, in-depth interviews with farmers and business actors, Focus Group Discussions (FGD) with multi-stakeholders, infrastructure observation, and secondary data and soil laboratory analysis. The study identified corn as the main leading commodity with a productivity of 5-6 tons/ha, supported by suitable agroclimatic conditions and stable market demand from the animal feed industry. However, the main challenges include damaged farm road infrastructure, dependence on rain-fed systems, a marketing chain dominated by middlemen, and a lack of post-harvest facilities and access to capital. A SWOT analysis places corn in the “Grow and Build” quadrant, which recommends an aggressive expansion strategy. This activity emphasizes the need for strategic interventions in the form of infrastructure improvements, strengthening farmer institutions, diversifying processed products, and applying appropriate technologies to increase the added value and sustainability of corn farming in the transmigration area.