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Finance, Accounting and Business Analysis 
Volume 4 Issue 2, 2022 

http://faba.bg 

A Women Empowerment Model in Improving Food Security of 

Agribusiness Communities   

Lili Marliyah*, Eko Heri Widiastuti, Agus Sutriyanto, Marhaeni Dwi Satyarini, Dwi Asih K 

Handayani  

Universitas Ivet, Indonesia 

Info Articles  
 

Abstract 

Keywords:  
empowerment, social capital, 
agribusiness 

 The purpose of this study was to describe women's accessibility in 

agribusiness in increasing food security and the effect of social capital 
conditions. The novelty in this research was the existence of a social 

capital-based women's empowerment model in the agribusiness 

community. The research method used was qualitative and the sampling 
technique used was purposive sampling. Structured interviews, 

observations, and documentation were used in data collection. Internal 
and eternal validity of the data was carried out with triangulation 

techniques. The results showed that the women's empowerment model 
was still partial, not yet integrated or developed in social institutions. The 

level of accessibility of women in the agribusiness sector stands out in 

several activities, specifically plant care, harvesting, post-harvest activities 
to marketing activities. Women's accessibility to resources and income 

were relatively balanced. Women were more dominant in the management 
of the use of production costs and the necessities of life. Women's access to 

using leisure time was relatively low, due to the dominance of domestic 
activities. The social capital structure of the agribusiness community in the 

Bandungan area was classified as outward-looking, judging from the 

elements of trust, norms, and networks between individuals. The size of 
the social capital or the social capital of the community in the Bandungan 

area was relatively large. The recommended model for empowering 
women in the agribusiness field was the emphasis on strengthening and 

revitalizing institutions or social capital that grew and developed in 
economic, social, cultural, religious, and political fields that created a 

conducive, participatory, and market institutional coordination system. 

Friendly competitions and the ideal conditions that were formed were 
expected to increase the accessibility of women in the agribusiness 

community, in terms of activities, resources, income, leadership, and 
leisure time. 

 

  

   

*Address Correspondence:   
E-mail: lilimarliyah@rocketmail.com 

 

 



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INTRODUCTION 

 

The topography of the Bandungnan area is in the form of lowlands to mountains, with varying 

altitudes, namely 547 M–1,190 M above sea level, with incepticol soil type which means the soil is fertile 

and has the potential for agricultural development, in fact almost 60% of the land is designated for 

agricultural business. In addition, the availability of labor is quite high, because the productive age 

population reaches 55.56%, and almost 60% of the population is farmers (UNDIP, 2003). Therefore this 

research is important to do to improve the agribusiness system which is not yet highly competitive, reduce 

institutional distortions, improve the bargaining position of farmers, reduce redundancy in agricultural 

trading systems and improve the low level of farmer share (Lili Marliyah, 1999). Especially at the present 

time, the Government of Central Java alone imported 60,000 tons of rice from Vietnam (Suara Merdeka, 

16 March 2007). This shows that the community's food security is still relatively unstable. 

Policies for the development of agricultural systems that are in accordance with the socio-economic 

anatomy of the formed community, support the creation of resilient agricultural development to achieve 

food security. According to Arifin (2004), efforts to strengthen the basis of agriculture and other natural 

resources are aimed at achieving food security and food sovereignty. Demands for efficiency and the 

development of agribusiness with high added value will color future agricultural development (Arifin, 

2004). 

Rosdiana (2015) said that it is very possible to empower and improve the quality of human resources, 

especially village women, through various activities to empower them economically, socially and 

psychologically. Empowering farming communities in the Bandungan area, which is a center for 

horticultural production (vegetables, fruit and flowers) as true entrepreneurship, is an undeniable necessity 

in supporting community food security. 

The empowerment of farming communities through various agribusiness system development 

programs based on historical studies is mostly carried out sectorally with a group approach, so far it has 

not yielded the expected results. Efforts to develop agribusiness systems, such as the Production Center 

Area Development Program, Market Infrastructure Development Program (STA-Jetis) and Cold Storage 

Development Program, Farmer Group Strengthening Development Program, are still experiencing many 

obstacles. 

In the development of a horticultural agribusiness system, it is hoped that the simultaneous approach 

will increase the food security of the community. Empowerment is also an effort to develop community 

satisfaction to be able to participate actively in the development process (Khairunnisa, 2017). 

Empowerment is an important strategy in increasing the role and opportunities of women in their 

lives. This is in accordance with the dual role of women which is divided into two, namely the domestic 

role, which is in charge of managing the household and the role of the public who work outside the home 

to work to meet the needs of family life (Burger & Moore, 1996). In agricultural development, empowering 

women farmers is a transformation process that is more applicable to be able to capture various changes in 

the allocation of economic resources, the distribution of benefits and accumulation in an effort to increase 

production, family income and the adoption and spread of technology (Roosganda Elizabeth, 2007). In 

line with Zaharani (2016) and Irawan (2015) who said one effort is needed in empowering women, namely 

through the creative economy in dealing with competitive rivalry level. 

Empowerment can be interpreted as a process towards being empowered or a process to gain 

power/strength/ability and/ or the process of giving power or strength/ability from those who have power 

to those who are less or not yet empowered. Process activities refer to a series of actions or steps that are 

carried out systematically chronologically reflecting the phasing of efforts to transform people who are less 

or less empowered towards empowerment. (Ambar Teguh S, 2004). In the concept of community 

empowerment, Winami (1998) suggests that the essence of empowerment includes three things, namely: 

enabling, strengthening potential or power, and creating self-sufficiency both individually and in 

community groups. 

Indicators of successful implementation of the empowerment program include: (1) reducing the 

number of poor people; (2) the development of efforts to increase income by the poor by utilizing available 

resources; (3) increased public awareness of efforts to improve the welfare of poor families in their 

environment; (4) increased independence of the group which is marked by the growing productive business 

of members and groups; (5) community capacity building and income distribution. (Sumodiningrat, 1999). 

 

METHODS 

 

In accordance with the problems and overall objectives of the research stages as many as 2 stages (2 

years), namely using a case study design, especially descriptive case studies, the approach used is a 

qualitative approach with the Gender Frame Work Analysis (GFA) model. The purpose of this approach 



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is to combine methods qualitative approach developed towards gender analysis to obtain comprehensive, 

systematic and in-depth information from the cases studied. The use of a qualitative approach is considered 

appropriate to be able to reveal the role of women in various fields of development, in this case the field of 

agricultural/agribusiness development and social capital structure in the Bandungan area. On In this early 

stage of research activity (2nd year), the research approach used is a qualitative approach, while the type of 

research is an intensive survey. The research location is set at six villages that are included in the 

Bandungan Area, namely Bandungan Village, Jetis Village, Candi Village, Kenteng Village and Duren 

Village and Banyukuning Village. According to the regional regulation of Semarang Regency number 3 of 

2002, this area is designated as an Integrated Economic Development Area (KAPET). These development 

efforts really need accurate data on community potential, especially data on women's accessibility and data 

on social capital potential owned by the Bandungan area community.  In this research activity, 

members of the population were all farmers living in the Bandungan area, consisting of 5 villages, totaling 

34,053 people. From the number of research populations that have been determined above, a number of 

key informants/key informants were determined as many as 54 people who were determined by the 

sampling technique, namely purposive sampling, namely the sample with the aim. In qualitative research, 

the researcher is the research instrument. 

The data triangulation step can be carried out by checking the degree of trust in the research results 

with several data collection techniques. In addition to checking the degree of trust with several data sources 

using the same method. Data analysis using structural analysis method. Besides being able to reveal 

meanings or symbols in society, this analysis can also reveal the logic behind these meanings (Burhan 

Bungin, 2006). 

 

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 

 

Social Capital of the Agribusiness Community in the Bandungan Region 

The parameters for measuring capital include three parameters for measuring social capital, namely: 1) 

Trust, namely the hope that grows in a society in the form of honest, regular behavior and cooperation 

based on shared norms. Communities that have good social capital are characterized by the existence of 

strong social institutions , so that capital will create a harmonious social life; 2) The norms include 

understandings, values, hopes and goals shared by a group of people. 

Sources of norms come from religion, moral guidelines and secular standards, for example a 

professional code of ethics that was born and developed based on past processes to support a climate of 

cooperation; 3) Networks of cooperation between humans are a form of dynamic infrastructure of social 

capital, which facilitates communication and interaction so that trust grows and strengthens cooperation. 

The network is used to build strong relationships both formal and informal. Strengthening the feeling of 

cooperation and the benefits of participation of its members is built through close social networks. 

The results of the study in measuring the variable social capital of the Bandungan area community 

using the parameters or indicators above, seen from the parameter of belief that the structure of social 

capital is quite good, considering that existing social institutions or institutions are supported by social 

norms that apply in society both social institutions engaged in the economic, social and religious fields. 

Judging from the sector, the majority of social institutions whose number and frequency of activities 

are often carried out are institutions in the religious field, then the economic sector, social institutions 

engaged in the field of arts and culture and the last group is social institutions engaged in politics.  This 

is in line with Nadhir (2021) stating that there are several activities in empowerment such as mentoring 

(becoming a mediator, especially accompanying members from those who don't know to know and from 

those who can't to can) and social welfare efforts (activities that are sustainable and independently serve 

the community). . 

If from the element of social capital, namely the element of norms, the more implementable structure 

is the number of social institutions engaged in the economic sector, then the religious and socio-cultural 

fields, then the political or government sector. The structure of social capital is seen from the networks of 

cooperation between people, so the structure of social capital can be stratified according to fields, namely: 

The first rank is the socio-cultural field, the economic field, the religious field and the last is the political 

field. 

 

Agribusiness Community Women's Empowerment Model in the Bandungan Area Based on Social 

Capital. 

From the results of collecting and processing research data from various data sources, it shows that 

efforts to empower women in research locations have not been able to improve food security, but can be 

carried out synergistically between relevant institutions authorized to carry out empowerment efforts. In 

this case efforts to empower women must touch various aspects and not only be incidental in nature 



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through social activities that are commonly carried out by women only, for example PKK groups and 

arisan, but empower and improve all activities, especially those that can increase social capital indicators. 

owned by the community. 

This is because women are village assets to play a role in increasing general welfare, as well as the 

international development paradigm which demands the involvement of women in development 

(Muhammad, 2022). As Bagus (2022) says that women's empowerment activities involve a process of 

increasing and development Power/ ability both knowledge, skill to power which can influence his life 

better and independent. 

In this case the empowerment effort utilizes the potential of social capital owned by the community in 

the Bandungan area. The condition of the social capital of the community has quite a huge potential if it is 

utilized optimally in the effort to empower women which includes social institutions in various fields, 

namely the fields of religion, economics, social culture and politics.  

 
CONCLUSION 

 

The change in the agricultural system from traditional to agaribusiness has resulted in a 

commercialization process in the Bandungan area. Changes in land structure caused by the influx of 

investors, workers and tourists have caused changes in the socio-economic life of the community. There is 

harmony between the agribusiness structure and the socio-economic structure of the community. Judging 

from the dimensions of the agribusiness structure, it describes an agribusiness structure that is small holder 

(small farmer) and seen from the socio-economic dimension it is relatively homogeneous, and there is no 

striking social layering/stratification. 

The social capital structure of the agribusiness community in the Bandungan area tends to be included 

in the outward looking type, or briddging social capital, that is, social capital is usually modern in nature 

from a grouping, association group or community, but the positive impact of the existing type of social 

capital has not worked out as idealized. Judging from the elements of trust, norms and networks between 

individuals, the size of social capital or social capital of the people in the Bandungan area has relatively 

large or strong potential. 

The results of the study show that the influence of social capital on the accessibility of women who has 

been running is still relatively small, integrated in every existing and developing activity in social 

institutions or institutions in the Bandungan community. Of the four areas of social capital that were 

validated for improvement in research activities, it turned out that only two (2) areas could be successfully 

developed in an effort to empower women, namely the economic field and the socio-cultural field. 

A model of women's empowerment in agribusiness with Emphasis on strengthening and revitalizing 

institutions or social capital that grows and develops in the economic and socio-cultural fields can be 

recommended so as to create a conducive institutional coordination system that has the opportunity to 

increase women's accessibility. The ideal conditions that are formed are expected to increase the 

accessibility of women in the field of agribusiness both in terms of activities or activities, resources, 

income, leadership and free time, so that women's empowerment and food security can be increased 

strengthening/revitalization between institutions or social institutions needs to be improved especially in 

providing opportunities for women to increase their accessibility in various fields of life, so that the positive 

impact of social capital is achieved. The need to increase women's empowerment in the Agribusiness 

Society in the Bandungan Area, especially in the fields of religion and politics. 

 

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