Farmers' Motivation Towards Environmentally Friendly Farming: A Cluster Analysis of Sociodemographic Profiles

¹ Center for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises and Cooperative Studies, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia
² Study Program of Agricultural Extension and Communication, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia
³ Study Program of Agribusiness, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia
⁴ Department of Agribusiness Diploma, Faculty of Vocational School, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia
⁵ Study Program of Agribusiness, Universitas Veteran Bangun Nusantara, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: bektiwahyu@staff.uns.ac.id

Abstract

Various factors influence farmers in Ngawi Regency in their efforts to transition toward environmentally friendly agriculture. Sociodemographic characteristics are important and interesting indicators to study. By comprehending farmers' motivations through their sociodemographic profiles, policy design for sustainable agriculture can be more effectively aligned with farmers' potential. This study attempts to analyze the sociodemographic characteristics of farmers and their motivation to adopt environmentally friendly practices, including organic, conversion-based, or conventional methods. The sociodemographic variables examined include age, education, occupation, and farming status. Data was collected from 200 respondents in Ngawi Regency using ordinal and Likert scales. The primary analytical tool used was the Two-Step Cluster Analysis, which grouped farmers into three distinct clusters. Cluster 1 (50.5%) had moderate motivation (average score: 54.8) and education (9.0 years); Cluster 2 (20.0%) had the highest education level (11.4 years) but the lowest motivation (54.3); Cluster 3 (29.5%) showed the highest motivation (58.1) with moderate education (9.5 years). These results indicate that higher education does not always correlate with higher motivation. The findings offer critical insights into designing targeted sustainable agriculture policies based on farmers' profiles. These findings provide valuable implications for the formulation of sustainable agricultural development strategies tailored to farmer typologies.