Farmers’ Readiness in Adopting Superior Hybrid Corn Seeds: A Case Study of Bengkulu Province, Indonesia

This study aims to develop a model to assess the readiness of farmers in Bengkulu Province to use high-quality hybrid corn seeds. The study considers several variables, including the price of high-quality corn seeds, farmers’ knowledge of hybrid corn cultivation, factors influencing corn productivity, and farmers’ expectations of corn productivity. The study uses a Likert scale and SEM-PLS for data analysis. The population for this study consists of all members of corn farmer groups in North Bengkulu Regency and South Bengkulu Regency, totalling 813 individuals. A sample of 20%, 183 people, was selected using simple random sampling. Data and information were collected through direct interviews with the respondents’ farmers using a questionnaire. The findings indicate that the price of high-quality corn seeds and factors influencing corn productivity directly impact farmers’ expectations of corn productivity, except for farmers’ understanding of hybrid corn cultivation. Additionally, the price of high-quality corn seeds and factors influencing corn productivity influence farmers’ readiness to use high-quality hybrid corn seeds, after passing through the mediating variable, namely farmers’ expectations of hybrid corn productivity, except for the variable of farmers’ understanding of hybrid corn cultivation.