Inovasi SAENTRA (Sarjana Entrepreneur Transmigrasi) dalam Kelembagaan Ekonomi untuk Akselerasi Peningkatan Ekonomi Kawasan Transmigrasi Mahalona, Luwu Timur, Sulawesi Selatan

Abstract

The Mahalona transmigration area in East Luwu Regency is a center for rice and pepper development but continues to face value chain challenges, including low production efficiency, dependence on middlemen, limited innovation, and weak institutional integration. Phase 1 of the Transmigration Patriot Program conducted by Team C (Team 3) aims to design an integrated and sustainable economic institutional collaboration model through an analysis of institutional typologies, inter-actor relationships, and the mapping of collaboration potential and constraints across all villages in the Mahalona transmigration area. The study employed interviews, surveys, focus group discussions, and various institutional and network analysis tools, including Social Network Analysis (SNA). The results reveal distinct differences in the institutional network characteristics of rice and pepper commodities in terms of key actors, relationship patterns, and information hubs. Based on these findings, a value chain restructuring model was developed by introducing a new institutional innovation, SAENTRA (Sarjana Entrepreneur Transmigrasi), as an economic hub with a strategic role in downstream processing, marketing, and value chain integration through collaboration with farmer groups, village-owned enterprises (BUMDes/BUMDesma), cooperatives, MSMEs, and business actors. This model is expected to accelerate regional economic growth and improve community welfare, provided it is supported by consistent policies, strengthened village economic institutions, improved access to financing, post-harvest infrastructure, and long-term multi-stakeholder collaboration.