The Model of Rural Youth Empowerment through Red Chili Farming in Sindangkasih Sub-district of Ciamis, Indonesia

Number of farmers massively decreased over years. In fact, BPS data shows an average decreasing value of 1.1 percent per year during the period 2010-2017. This study was intended to grow a new generation of farmers and was conducted in several villages that also became red chili production centers in Sindang Kasih Subdistrict of Ciamis. This survey research was aimed to: (1) Describe youth empowerment level in red chili farmer community, (2) Determine factors affecting youth empowerment, and (3) Formulate the strategy of youth empowerment. A total of 91 respondents in this study were selected from a population of 91 people according to Slovin formula. Data collection was done through closed-ended questionnaire that has been tested for its validity and reliability. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression were applied to analyze the data. Results of this study were included: (1) Youth empowerment level was categorized as moderate, (2) Factor that affected empowerment was youth involvement in agricultural program (X3) with coefficient of 0.581 (p≤ 0.01), while internal characteristic (X1) and external characteristic (X2) did not significantly affect empowerment, (3) Empowerment strategy could be started by increasing youth involvement in the existing agricultural development program.