Assessing the Sustainability and Performance of Local Soybean Production in Indonesia: A Multidimensional Scaling Analysis

Abstract

Local agricultural commodities in Indonesia require efforts to improve performance as well as soybean commodities. The prolonged deficit of local soybeans in meeting national soybean needs raises the suspicion that the imported soybean option is a more reliable deficit solution. This raises the fundamental question of how sustainable local soybean production will be in the future. The multidimensional scaling analysis method was used to assess each attribute on an ordinal scale based on sustainability criteria using the Rap+ application. The study was conducted in 6 provinces in Indonesia, which were determined deliberately by considering the level of productivity. The diagnosis results showed that the average sustainability index value ranged from 38.67-49.54. This shows that the sustainability status is in the less sustainable category. In the social dimension, the most sensitive attribute, namely the leverage attribute that if intervened will cause an increase in the sustainability status of the social dimension is agricultural extension. Research findings related to agricultural extension are suspected that the better the condition of agricultural extension services, the higher the average soybean production. Follow-up to the diagnosis results can be done by clustering measures. This is a rational action to achieve effective mutual development between provinces.