Determinants of youth engagement in rice farming: model formulation in South Nias Regency

Rice farming is a strategic sector for national food security; however, its sustainability is increasingly threatened by the continuous decline in farming households and low level of youth involvement in agricultural activities. This situation is also seen in the South Nias Regency, where youth involvement in rice farming is influenced by economic conditions, institutional support, technology adoption, government policies, and low self-efficacy. This study aimed to formulate a determinant model of youth involvement in rice farming. This study was conducted in march 2025. The quantitative research approach used the Structural Equation Modeling Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) method. The results show that economic, institutional, technological, and government policy factors significantly affect youth involvement in rice farming, either directly or indirectly through self-efficacy mediation. Self-efficacy has emerged as a powerful mediator that increases the influence of this determinant on adolescent engagement. These findings suggest that the declining in rice farming households is not only driven by structural constraints but also by weak self-efficacy among youth, which inhibits effective farmer regeneration. Therefore, strengthening youth involvement in rice farming requires a comprehensive strategy that integrates the development of self-efficacy, economic incentives, institutional strengthening, technological support, and coherent governmental policies.