Digital Transformation of Farmers through Facebook: A Case Study of Farmer Empowerment in Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi Indonesia

ABSTRACT: Digital transformation in the agricultural sector is increasingly significant with the presence of social media, especially Facebook, as an instrument of farmer empowerment in rural Indonesia. This study aims to analyze the contribution of Facebook use to aspects of watermelon farmers’ empowerment in Amandete Village, Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi, through a descriptive qualitative approach. The results show that Facebook is not only used as a means of social communication, but has also developed into a primary medium for obtaining technical agricultural information, sharing experiences, and marketing crops directly to consumers. Through farming community groups on Facebook, farmers gain new knowledge related to cultivation techniques, fertilization, and pest control, while improving their technical skills and ability to solve problems independently. The platform also strengthens social networks, participation in digital farmer groups, and access to wider resources and market opportunities. Despite barriers such as limited digital infrastructure and technological literacy, the findings confirm that the use of Facebook has strengthened small-scale farmers’ adaptive capacity, self-reliance, and socio-economic resilience. This study makes conceptual and empirical contributions in filling the literature gap on the role of social media in farmer empowerment, and recommends the need for policy support and contextualized digital mentoring so that the benefits of digital transformation can be felt inclusively and sustainably in rural farming communities.

KEYWORDS: Facebook, Farmer Empowerment