Women empowerment through the home palm sugar industry in Hariang village, Sobang district, Lebak Regency in Banten Indonesia

Palm sugar is a home industry product that has been passed down from generation to generation in the Hariang village of Indonesia. Besides its unique characteristics, palm sugar is also an icon of an area, because not all regions have palm resources. Most of the palm sugar business actors, who are generally women, still have limitations, especially in product innovation. As a result, this home industry seems stagnant. Empowering women in the palm sugar home industry in Hariang village, Sobang District, Lebak Regency to develop the palm sugar home industry, strengthens the building of capacity of human resources. The objectives of this study were to (1) increase the capacity of palm sugar craftsmen in Hariang village, (2) increase business capacity in production and marketing management, (3) strengthen business group institutions (BGI) by utilizing infrastructure and production technology, to improve the product marketing function, and (4) develop an integrated home industry business system, with the support of local resources. The research was conducted at Hariang village, Sobang District, Lebak Regency in Banten Indonesia. The Miles and Huberman models for the analysis of qualitative data were adopted for this study from data collection, data reduction, data presentation to conclusion/verification. The realization of human resource competence strengthening activities is carried out by changing the mindset of women craftsmen through a broader network of participatory training by strengthening production management and marketing capabilities. The results of this study showed the need for the following from implementing the empowerment model (1) analyzing the needs of business groups, (2) creating training modules and conducting participatory business management training, (3) conducting technical guidance on production and marketing management, (4) strengthening institutions oriented towards the collective business community (socio-business), (5) benchmarking and partnership business, and (6) monitoring and evaluating the implementation and follow-up of assistance. In implementing the strategy to strengthen human resource capacity, women's business groups must be oriented towards producing premium quality home industry products capable of sustainable product innovation, in supporting business independence and building partnerships. Key words: Empowerment, Farmer Group, Home industry, Palm Sugar, Product Innovation, Women