INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHENING OF OIL PALM INDEPENDENT SMALLHOLDERS SUPPLY CHAIN DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Oil palm independent smallholders need support from various efforts, one of which is through a program to strengthen independent smallholder institutions. Integrated institutions with the support of the IT Support System have influenced efforts to improve the welfare of independent smallholders, especially during the Covid 19 pandemic. This study aims to identify institutional problems, identify the role of actors in institutional strengthening and determine the design of information technology as a strengthening strategy. This research used a soft system approach (SSM) supported by qualitative and quantitative data collected from the Pelalawan and Kampar regency of Riau Province in Indonesia. The implementation of the seven steps of SSM supported by the Strategic Assumption Surfacing Technique and Analytic Network Process is based on knowledge and judgment from prominent experts. The local government is the key actor who plays an important role in strengthening independent smallholder institutions. Meanwhile, coaching and mentoring independent smallholders and cooperatives is a key program that must be implemented. Institutional strengthening of independent smallholders is a joint effort through synergy, support, and partnership between the government and business actors, from the plantation sector to oil palm processing. Institutional strengthening of independent smallholder farmers will increase the palm oil business profits and social welfare of the actors, including the smallholder farmers. The existence of information technology is believed to strengthen further the integration of roles between actors in the context of strengthening oil palm independent smallholders' institutions within supply chain strategy.
Independent smallholder; institutional analysis; IT support system; oil palm, supply chain.