How do young rural farmers use new media to improve business?

Abstract

The utilization of new media plays a significant role in addressing the challenges agricultural entrepreneurs face. However, young rural farmers have not fully tapped into the potential of new media for their business development. This study explores how young farmers in Gunungkidul Regency, one of the economically disadvantaged areas in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, use new media and its impact on their agricultural businesses. The sample represented 50% of young farmers in Gunungkidul Regency and was selected using proportional random sampling. Data was collected through questionnaires and analysed using quantitative descriptive and linear regression. The findings indicated that new media was mainly used for information-seeking (61.46%), communication (64.73%), and transactions (67.85%). It was also found that the use of new media significantly influences the development of young farmers’ agricultural businesses, with an R-squared score of 0.623. The statistical analysis showed an F-score of 175.44 with a significant level of 0.00%. The primary challenge in utilizing new media for business is the lack of skills in applying these tools effectively. To address this issue, it is recommended to provide training, support, and necessary resources to help young farmers better use new media for business growth.