The objectives of this research are:1) analyses the influence of exposure innovation information, human capital, innovation promotion, and rate of adoption of corn innovation toward social capital; and 2) analyses the influence of social capital, exposure innovation information, human capital, and innovation promotion toward rate of adoption of corn innovation. The research was conducted in East Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara Province, from July to October 2008. The research it used survey method with combining quantitative and qualitative approaches. Data of the research were collected through an in-depth interview on 220 respondents and 12 informants. Based on result of the research, it is concluded that social capital was significantly influenced by factors such as the innovation communication frequency, innovation communication intensity, work motivation, farmer's attitude, innovation economic benefit value, market availability, and rate of adoption of corn innovation. The factors was significantly influenced toward rate of adoption of corn innovation were social capital, information access of innovation, innovation availability, and market availability. However, in adoption process of corn innovation, farmer's exposure toward innovation information, human capital, and innovation promotion worked through the social capital. The capital is one of the factors required to consider in improving the adoption of corn innovation, so the revitalization of social capital should be done by using various of cohesively approaches. Key words : social capital, innovation information, adoption, corn innovation ABSTRAKTujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk 1) menganalisis pengaruh keterdedahan informasi inovasi, modal manusia, promosi inovasi, dan tingkat adopai inovasi jagung terhadap modal sosial dan 2) menganalisis pengaruh modal sosial, keterdedahan informasi inovasi, modal manusia, dan promosi inovasi terhadap tingkat adopsi inovasi jagung. Penelitian ini dilakukan di Kabupaten Lombok Timur, Nusa Tenggara Barat, dari bulan Juli -Oktober 2008. Penelitian menggunakan metode survai dengan mengkombinasikan pendekatan kuantitatif dan kualitatif. Data dikumpulkan melalui

This research was conducted in Kalikajar Sub District Wonosobo Regency. The purpose of this research were to understand how far the role of farmer group in the application of SRI (System of Rice Intensification), influencing the factors in the role of farmer group in SRI application, and to understand the influence of the farmer group’s role in the SRI application in Kalikajar Sub Wonosobo Regency. The method were used in this research was descriptive analysis. The data were analyzed by proportion test, multiple linear regression analysis and simple linear regression analysis.The result of this research showed that more than 50% at sample evaluated that using rates the role of farmer group in high category. Farmer’s attitude and the role of extension agents positively affected to the role of farmer group in SRI application. The farmer’s level of education, land scale, farmer’s experience, frequence of the attendance, and the role of farmer group’s leader have no affect in the role of farmer group in SRI application. The role of farmer group as learning media, cooperation media, and production unit has positively affected to SRI application in Kalikajar Sub District Wonosobo Regency which means the application of SRI increased as the increased of the role farmer group.

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In Indonesia, the activity of agricultural development is very much emphasized through the effort of human resources (HR) empowerment, in which this effort is done through agricultural extension including farmer group approach. In 1993, Martaatmadja (1993) recorded that there were 250,000 farmer groups in Indonesia, but the only active ones were 20 percent of them. In 2000, in Gunungkidul Regency , it was recorded that there were 1446 farmer groups, in which the active ones are for instance the main class as calculated to be about 10.46 percent . Active farmer groups which were able success in the activity of business unit less than 10 percent.This research is meant to study the factors influencing the successs of farmer groups as business unit. The research was done in Gunungkidul Regency by using the method of survey, with groups as its unit of analysis, and there were 90 farmer groups as sample taken by the method of Stratified Random Sampling. Each group was represented by 5 members taken randomly as group representatives, including 1 member of the board (no the chairman), 2 developed/ active farmers, and 2 regular/ less active farmers. The resulting data of the research were analysed using multiple regression, using computer program of SPSS. Then, analysis was developed through path analysis, using computer program ofAmos.The result of this research shows that factors influencing the success farmer groups as business unit were: self efficacy ofmembers of groups, interaction among members, and leadership style of chairman of groups.The success of groups as business units generally evidenced in middle and main class offarmer groups, with the conduct of certain activities: agricultural equipment rental (sprayer, diesel water pump machine, etc), stalls owned by group, cooperatives owned by groups, livestock/ fisheries owned by groups, partnership with companies, etc.

PendahuluanPenyuluhan pertanian sebagaimana diamanahkan dalam UU N0. 16 Tahun 2006 tentang Sistem Penyuluhan Pertanian, Perikanan dan Kehutanan merupakan bagian upaya mencerdasakan bangsa dan memajukan kesejahteraan umum dan pemerintah berkewajiban untuk menyelenggarakannya (Anonim, 2006). Penyuluhan Pertanian dalam UU ini diartikan sebagai proses pembelajaran bagi pelaku utama serta pelaku usaha agar mereka mau dan mampu menolong dan mengorganisasi dirinya dalam mengakses informasi pasar, teknologi, permodalan dan sumber daya lainnya sebagai upaya untuk meningkatkan produktivitas, efisiensi usaha, pendapatan dan kesejahteraan serta meningkatkan kesadaran dalam pelestarian fungsi lingkungan hidup. Olehnya itu penyuluh pertanian dalam pelaksanaan tugas yang diembannya harus berdasarkan pada tugas dan fungsi yang telah ditetapkan.Seseorang penyuluh dapat dikatakan berkinerja baik, apabila terdapat bukti-bukti atau indikator ukuran tingkat pencapaian yang mengarah pada tercapainya tujuan. Untuk mengetahui kinerja seseorang penyuluh diperlukan adanya suatu penilaian kinerja. Penilaian ini dimaksudkan sejauhmana keberhasilan seorang penyuluh dalam kurung waktu tertentu dan penilaian tersebut dapat dijadikan masukan bagi perbaikan kinerjanya.Kabupaten Konawe dimana tugas dan fungsi penyuluh pertanian tertuang dalam indikator AbstractThis study aims to provide information on the level of performance of agricultural extension Konawe Southeast Sulawesi and the factors that influence. The unit of analysis This study is of agricultural extension, taken/withdrawn in census namely throughout civil servants of agriculture extension worker of the research sites (130 people), while of the objectivity to assess the performance of agricultural extension also taken two farmers who are in the target area so that the number of agricultural extension farmers is 260 people. Data of results in research the analysis use the proportion test, with the provision that the largely the performance level of agricultural extension (> 50 %) in the category which low. Based on the results obtained by the analysis of the proportion test of Z count value as big as -7,89 is smaller than the Z table at 5% confidence level is equal to 1.960, then the research hypothesis which states that most of the agricultural extension worker number (> 50 %) have in low performance level is rejected, because the reality shows that the level of performance of agricultural extension who are being. Keywords: Performance, level, agricultural, extension AbstrakPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk memberikan informasi tingkat kinerja penyuluh pertanian di Kabupaten Konawe Provinsi Sulawesi Tenggara dan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi. Unit analisis penelitian ini adalah penyuluh pertanian, yang diambil/ditarik secara sensus yaitu seluruh penyuluh pertanian PNS yang ada di lokasi penelitian (sebanyak 130 orang), sedangkan untuk menilai objektivitas kinerja penyuluh pertanian juga diambil 2 petani yang berada di wilayah binaan penyuluh pertanian sehingga jumlah petani adalah 2...