Models to Increase the Farmers’ Participation on the Implementation of Lowland Rice Balanced Fertilization in Cikoneng Subdistrict Ciamis

Lowland rice production is the main commodity from the agricultural sector of CikonengSubdistrict with an area of 740.26 ha. One of the efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture to overcome the problem of excessive use of chemical fertilizers, which lead to a negative impact on the environment, is to recommend the implementation of balanced fertilization. Thus, the research conducted with the title "Model of increasing farmers' participation in the implementation of balanced fertilization of lowland rice in Cikoneng Sub-district, Ciamis District. This study aimed to: describe the level of farmers' participation, analyze the factors that influence the level of farmers' participation and to formulate strategies to increase farmers' participation. The study was conducted for three months (April - July 2019) in Cikoneng Sub-district. The sampling technique was done by purposive sampling in four stages with a total of 80 people samples. The type of data consisted of secondary data and primary data with direct interviews using a questionnaire that has been proven with validity and reliability tests. Data were analyzed descriptively and multiple linear regression. The results showed that the participation of farmers in CikonengSubdistrict was categorized in the medium category, the factors that influenced farmers' participation were external factors reached 0.138 points and the characteristics of farmers (0.024).