Assessing the sustainability of garlic production for determining strategies in Garlic Sustainable Development Program

Abstract

Indonesia is the largest garlic importer in the world, relies on imports for over 95% of its garlic needs. To address this import dependence and meet domestic demands, the Government initiated the National Garlic Development Program. However, the program has yet to achieve the targeted production, even the development of garlic faces many obstacles that threaten its sustainability. The objectives of this study are as follows: (1) to determine the sustainability status of garlic production based on the dimensions of sustainability, and (2) to identify the leverage factors for the sustainability of garlic farming. The research location was purposively selected in Temanggung District, Central Java, which is Indonesia’s largest garlic production center. The sustainability status of garlic production was analyzed using multidimensional scaling (MDS). The results indicate that garlic production exhibits a less sustainable status across multiple dimensions. The identification of leverage variables, suggested interventions involve the following measures; enhancing irrigation systems and minimizing reliance on chemical fertilizers, providing price and marketing guarantees, reducing farmers’ dependency on subsidies, expanding the cultivated land through the application of advanced technologies for mass production of superior seeds, strengthening the involvement of agricultural extension officers, fostering consumer preferences and farmers’ engagement in garlic cultivation.