Exploring the farmer productive behavior of cassava in effort of developing value-chain linkages to improve smallholder cassava production systems in North Sumatera, Indonesia

Cassava farming in North Sumatera is prominently for cash crops as feedstock to the tapioca starch factory. Multiple stakeholder engagement is needed to develop the value chain linkage to improve the smallholder cassava production system in North Sumatera. The project activity started in 2018 to improve the cassava farming system by introduced new cassava varieties, training on soil and fertilizer management, and linkage between multiple stakeholders to support the smallholder cassava farming. A Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and household surveys were conducted in 2019 to evaluate the changes in farmers' behavior and perspective toward the improvement of the farming system. The results showed that most of the farmers had improved their farming system, and consequently, the cassava tuber yield than in turn, increased the tapioca starch company productivity. However, several issues need to be solved in order to effectively upscaling the smallholder cassava farming in the region.