Farmers’ Perceptions And Internal Factors Influencing Sustainable Coffee Farming In Coffee–Livestock Integration Systems

Politeknik Negeri Lampung

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Abstract

Smallholder coffee farming in developing countries faces increasing challenges related to environmental degradation, rising production costs, and economic vulnerability. Coffee-goat integration has emerged as a circular agriculture approach that enhances resource efficiency through the use of coffee by-products as livestock feed and goat manure as organic fertilizer. This study examined the influence of farmers' internal factors and perceptions on the sustainability of coffee farming within coffee-goat integration systems in Ulu Belu District, Lampung Province, Indonesia. Data were collected from 33 coffee farmers selected through purposive sampling and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4. The findings revealed that farmers' perceptions had a positive and significant effect on coffee farming sustainability (β = 0.520; p = 0.001), whereas internal factors represented by knowledge, attitudes, and motivation showed no significant direct effect on either perceptions or sustainability. In addition, farmers' perceptions did not mediate the relationship between internal factors and sustainability. The study indicates that the sustainability of coffee-goat integration systems is primarily driven by perceived practical and economic benefits rather than individual capacities.