Pembangunan pertanian belum menciptakan petani yang berdaya. Sebagian besar petani Indonesia adalah petani kecil yang pendapatan rendah, sehingga tergolong penduduk miskin. Kondisi ini menyebabkan ketidaktahanan pangan pada sebagian besar keluarga petani. Penelitian bermaksud untuk merumuskan strategi peningkatan keberdayaan petani kecil menuju ketahanan pangan. Data dikumpulkan pada Bulan Maret-Mei 2012 menggunakan metode: observasi, wawancara dan focus group discussion. Analisis data menggunakan statistik deskriptif dan structural equation modeling (SEM). Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa: (1) Keberdayaan petani kecil berada pada kategori rendah, dipengaruhi oleh lemahnya faktor-faktor: kualitas penyelenggaraan program, peran agen (pendamping/penyuluh/petugas), akses dan dukungan lingkungan, karakteristik petani kecil dan ketepatan proses pembelajaran. (2) Karakteristik petani dan keberdayaan petani kecil yang tergolong rendah berpengaruh terhadap rendahnya ketahanan pangan keluarga petani kecil. Strategi peningkatan keberdayaan untuk meningkatkan ketahanan pangan petani kecil melalui upaya perbaikan: kualitas penyelenggaraan program, peran pendamping, akses dan dukungan lingkungan, karakteristik petani kecil dan proses pembelajaran petani kecil. Kata kunci: pemberdayaan, keberdayaan, petani kecil, ketahanan pangan STRATEGY EMPOWERMENT TOWARDS SMALLHOLDERS FOOD SECURITY ABSTRACT. Agricultural development has not created an empowered farmer. Most of the farmers in Indonesia are the peasants who have low incomes, so that they are inclue the poor. This condition causes food insecurity in most of the peasant families. The research intended to formulate strategy to increase ability of the peasants towards food security. The data were collected started on March-May 2012 using some methods: observation, interview and focus group discussion. Data has analyzed by using descriptively and structural equation modelling. The research results showed that: (1) The ability of the peasants is low, due to weak factors: quality of program implementation, the role of agents of development (facilitators/program official/extension officers), access and environment support, the peasants characteristics and The learning process of the peasants (2) The characteristics of the peasants and the peasants ability at low category affect low food security of the peasant families. (3) Strategy to improve the ability of the peasants by optimizing efforts: the implementation of the program, increasing the role and competence agents of development, increasing access and support environment, improving the characteristics of the peasatns and increasing the peasants learning process.