The Effectiveness of the Function of the Agricultural Extension System in Encouraging Local Food Independence in North Buton Regency, Indonesia: An Analysis of the AGIL Framework

Abstract

Food issues are becoming increasingly crucial amid climate change and population growth. The agricultural extension system plays a strategic role in ensuring food sustainability. However, its Effectiveness depends on the ability to carry out the Adaptation, Goal Attainment, Integration, and Latency (AGIL) functions simultaneously. This research generally aims to strengthen the agricultural extension system for food, and specifically, to analyze the effectiveness of the system's functions in encouraging local food independence using the AGIL Parsons framework. The research informants include researchers, agricultural extension workers, farmers, policy makers, and the private sector. The research design uses a combination of qualitative methods, including case studies, thus allowing detailed, in-depth analysis of the implementation of functions between subsystems. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, participatory Observation, and document analysis. The results show that adaptation is more carried out individually by researchers, extension workers, and farmers, with limited institutional support. The achievement of goals is driven more by actors' intrinsic motivations than by institutional goals. Integration between subsystems remains weak and occurs informally, while local values, integrity, and moral responsibility are the main forces maintaining the system's sustainability. The extension system in North Buton Regency is actor-driven. It faces structural vulnerabilities to policy dynamics, but the potential for food independence remains significant through the roles of individuals and local values. These findings provide insights into the development of resilient local food systems and theory-based analysis tools in assessing the effectiveness of system work.