| Abstrakt: |
Agricultural extension plays a crucial role in providing technical assistance and advisory services to farmers, which directly affects their productivity and livelihoods. This study aimed to analyze the factors affecting agricultural extension performance in South Kotabumi and Abung Semuli. The study utilized a mixed-methods approach, including a survey questionnaire, interviews, and data analysis techniques, such as the Spearman correlation, IFAS, EFAS, and QSPM analyses. Our findings revealed that education, motivation, competencies, and social factors significantly influence the performance of agricultural extension agents. On the other hand, age, work experience, extension agent’s household, covering area, availability of infrastructure, economy, and environment had no significant correlation with their performance. Furthermore, the IFAS and EFAS analyses identified several internal weaknesses and external threats that may hinder the performance of extension agents, such as the effects of climate change and complicated administration problems. To address the identified weaknesses and threats, the QSPM analysis suggested that the WT strategy, which aims to improve weaknesses by utilizing external opportunities, was the most appropriate strategy. This study’s findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, stakeholders, and practitioners to improve the performance of agricultural extension agents and, ultimately, enhance the agricultural sector’s productivity and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
