Vol.4 (2014) No. 3 ISSN: 2088-5334 Farmer Empowerment to Increase Productivity of Sago (Metroxylon sago spp) Farming Marliati Ahmad Faculty of Agriculture, Islamic University of Riau, Jl Kaharudin Nasution 103, Pekanbaru Riau, 28284, Indonesia E-mail: marliatiahmad@yahoo.com Abstract-- Domestic and world demand for sago starch continues to increase, both for the food and non-food resource. To response the opportunity, farmer empowerment need to be encouraged to increase current low productivity (less than 15 tonnes /ha/year). Through famer empowerment, traditional sago farming will changed to be managed farming, which enable farmers to implement and apply recommended technology called Best Management Practices and fulfil other related support to uplift their sago farming productivity. Keywords -- Low productivity. Farmer empowerment, Best Management Practices I. INTRODUCTION Indonesia is the biggest producer of sago starch in the world, with a production of 585,093 tons / year at this time from the total plant area of 1,843,287 ha (including 1,403,883 ha of natural sago in Papua and West Papua). Sago potential as a source of food and industrial materials has been recognized since the 1970s, but until now sago cultivation in Indonesia is still largely traditional and yet intense managed. Sago plant productivity is still low, at less than 10-15 tons / ha / year, standard rate if farmers manage the garden in general, in line with domestic and global demand continues to sago starch continues to increase, both for food and non-food materials. Sago palms (sago Metroxylon Rottboell), is a plant that stores starch in its trunk (Metro: pith, xylon: xylem, sago: starch). Sago palms are hypoxanthic plants (flowering one time in the life cycle) and soboliferous (saplings). The life cycle of plants from seed to establish sago seeds take up to 11 years in four periods of the early growth phase or clusters (russet) takes 3.75 years, tillering phase takes 4.5 years, infoloresensia phase (flowering) it took 1 year and phase seed formation takes time for 1 year. Sago is native to Indonesia, probably origin from the Moluccas and Papua. In these places germ plasma diversity found sago highest. But until now there is no data revealed since the beginning when sago is known. Sago is one of the potential sources of carbohydrates in addition to rice, especially for the people of eastern Indonesia as Irian Jaya and Maluku, as the main food. Sago plant productivity is still low at less than 10-15 tonnes / ha / year, because sago is not managed intensively. Most farmers still cultivate sago traditional, hereditary, with a little attention and even as a side job. Through intensive cultivation, by implementing Best Management Practices, or recommended technology, sago productivity can up to 25 tons / ha / year. Until last year, sago production of 210 tons or 4% - 5% of the national production potential to reach 5 million tons per year. Optimizing the absorption of production will be done by opening the market of alternative on the energy sector. The factors inhibiting the low productivity of sago consists of internal factors and external factors. Internal factors derived from sago farmers themselves in the form of low capacity (knowledge, attitudes, motivation and skills) farmers in the cultivation of sago. External factors such as the lack of extension activities and the provision of information due to lack of numbers and competency of agricultural extension field of sago, still strong socio-cultural values that are not visionary and promotion / support the development of sago palm and its products, the lack of performance that does not support farmer groups and the leadership group that did not effective, lack of facilitation from government agencies such as the agro-soft loan support, market information, support transportation infrastructure; national and regional development policy that puts prospective sago as a commodity; lack of proper facilitation 5