Self reliance of ornamental plants agribusiness actors during the Covid pandemic in Surakarta

The government’s appeal to reduce activities outside as an effort to prevent the transmission of Covid-19 has disrupted various sectors. However, to some ornamental plant agribusiness actors in Surakarta, this condition actually has a good impact on their business. This study aims to describe the ornamental plant agribusiness actors and analyze their independence as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic in Surakarta. Informants in this study were determined by snowball sampling technique. The data collection was done by in-depth interviews and observation. The results showed that there were ornamental plant agribusiness actors who were able to survive in the midst of the pandemic and some even developed well, because their sales turnover increased.


Introduction
The global Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the economy and caused changes in people's behavior. The call to break the chain of the virus spread that has been carried out so far requires the public to reduce activities outside. Surakarta City is an area where the majority of people live from micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)/Usaha Mikro Kecil Menengah (UMKM) as many as 70% of MSMEs are trying to survive during this pandemic. One of the efforts made is ornamental plant agribusiness.
Ornamental plant commodities have a great appeal as a business because they are in great demand by the public during the pandemic. The majority of ornamental plant agribusiness actors have increased in almost all of Surakarta, because many people buy plants to divert boredom during work from home (WFH), or just to keep themselves busy because they have to reduce their activities outside. In addition, ornamental plants are currently also used for religious activities, ceremonies, weddings, decorations, and as a form of congratulations and condolences. This change in society for the better provides opportunities for ornamental plant business actors in Surakarta. For this reason, ornamental plant commodities are currently very potential to be developed.
Based on the results of previous research, ornamental plant agribusiness in Samarinda before the pandemic could earn an average income of Rp. 81,198,620.00 per year, with a Net B/C Ratio of 1.82. This shows that the ornamental plant business in Samarinda City is financially feasible to cultivate [1]. Likewise, the results of research before the pandemic in Surakarta showed that the average income of ornamental plant agribusiness entrepreneurs was Rp. 23,150,766.14 per year, with an R/C ratio of 1.17 [2]. In Nigeria as a developing country, ornamental plants are one of the commodities that have received recognition through the development of large cities as an initiative to beautify the environment [3]. In connection with these conditions, researchers feel the need to examine the extent of the independence of ornamental plant agribusiness actors in Surakarta during this pandemic. Self-reliance is one of the important parameters or indicators in the empowerment program. During the pandemic, almost all empowerment programs that are directly related to the community are rarely carried out because there is a policy of limiting activities outside, including empowerment of ornamental plant agribusiness actors.
Self-reliance is a certain situation or condition that makes an individual or group of people who have reached the condition that they are no longer dependent on the help or generosity of third parties to secure the interests of individuals or groups. Independence in the context of developing society has the meaning as a process of seeking an element of empowerment so that people are able to increase their dignity and get out of poverty and underdevelopment, including ornamental plant agribusiness actors [4]. Furthermore, it is argued that independence is a behavior that is based on one's own ability to achieve satisfaction from exploratory behavior, so they are able to manipulate the environment [5]. Autonomy drive is the tendency to achieve something, overcome something, act effectively on the environment, and plan and realize expectations. Functionally, autonomy can be defined as a tendency to act freely and orally [6].
Independence is a component of individual attitudes in responding to the empowerment process, so that they are able to use their own resources based on the knowledge gained, work alone in a self-created environment based on the skills acquired. Independence does not mean being able to live alone, but being independent in decision making, namely having the ability to choose and having the courage to reject all forms of unprofitable cooperation [7]. Individuals who have high performance will be able to think rationally and abstractly, see the past, present and future, so they are able to think objectively. All of that are a person's freedom or not depending on others, as well as getting satisfaction from the work done because of encouragement from within.
With regard to independence, this study aims to analyze the level of mastery of science and technology, the ability to see opportunities, the ability to act, and the marketing ability of ornamental plant agribusiness. A person's independence is very important in today's increasingly modern era although independence is not an easy thing to implement, especially for business actors whose income depends on consumers. The city of Surakarta has an area of about 44.04 km2 which is divided into 5 sub-districts, namely Jebres, Banjarsari, Pasarkliwon, Laweyan, and Serengan districts. Only a small part of the land is used by the community for ornamental plant agribusiness. Based on the description above, the research question formulated is: How is the independence of ornamental plant agribusiness actors both on farm and off farm activities in Surakarta city? This study examines the independence of ornamental plant agribusiness actors both on farm and off farm activities in Surakarta City. Based on the research objectives, it is hoped that the results of the research can later be used as consideration for the preparation of Surakarta city government policies in the development of ornamental plant agribusiness.

Research methods
This study aims to analyze the independence of ornamental plant agribusiness actors during the Covid-19 pandemic in Surakarta. The data collection was done by in-depth interviews and observation. The research location was in Surakarta with the consideration that in Surakarta there were many ornamental plant agribusiness actors such as in Nongka Market, Pucangsawit, Legi Market, Sondakan, and Pedaringan. Informants in this study were determined by purposive sampling, namely by meeting one of the ornamental plant agribusiness actors at the sales center, then to obtain the next informant taken by snowball sampling technique. Triangulation was used extensively in data collection methods to ensure data validity.
The data analysis method is carried out by: -Data collection: the data analysis process begins by examining all available data from various sources, namely interviews and observations that have been written down in personal notes and documents. 3 -Categorization of data: the researchers make the main summary, processes, and questions as well as coding with categories that have been determined and in accordance with the theory used. Researchers classify them into certain themes according to the research problem. -Synthesis of data: after the data were in accordance with the category, they then were brought together, so that the researchers could see the relationship between the categories that exist, whether they were interconnected or contradictory. -Conclusions: the process where the researchers have interpreted the synthesis of the data obtained by combining equations, relationships or relations, patterns, themes and information or special data that emerged during the research and then adapted to existing theories and literature. -Data triangulation: the process of checking back the data that have been obtained. This is intended to check the validity of the data, both from data collection methods, theories and research conclusions so that the validity of research data results is guaranteed. -Discussion: the meaningful results of the data were discussed with theory and literature to interpret the meaning.

The profile of ornamental plant agribusiness in Surakarta City
Ornamental plant agribusiness is a business that includes ornamental plant cultivation, plant rental services, and sales. Cultivation of ornamental plants is carried out from seedling or plant propagation, and maintenance. The ornamental plant trade is carried out in several ornamental plant sales centers in Surakarta City. Ornamental plant business does not only rely on plants but also on production facilities and accessories, such as: planting media, fertilizers, pesticides, growth regulators, pots, and so on. The increasing demand for ornamental plants by the people in the city of Surakarta has encouraged this business to bloom even more. In addition to old business actors who are increasingly eager to increase their business, the new business actors also enliven this business. The ornamental plant business in Surakarta City mostly fulfills domestic needs, not export-oriented. The types of plants that are traded are very diverse and the prices vary, ranging from cheap ornamental plants to premium prices.

The labor
Laborer according to Law no. 13 of 2003 is everyone who is able to do work to produce goods or services both to meet their own needs and for the community. The results showed that the number of laborers involved in ornamental plant agribusiness actors in Surakarta City was mostly less than 3 workers. The reason why ornamental plant agribusiness actors have a workforce of less than 3 people is because they usually use family labor. The use of family labor is due to the small scale of the business and to reduce labor costs. There are also ornamental plant agribusiness actors who from the beginning did not have external laborer and only relied on laborer from their families, but after the pandemic there were additional laborer because their sales turnover increased. The micro business unit has no effect on employment. Micro-enterprises have a limited number of workers between 1 to 4 people. Microenterprises tend to carry on their business with the sole purpose of sustaining life [8].

The technology used
Technology is a whole tool, machine, method, process, activity, or idea that is made to facilitate human activities. Production technology is the entire method or object used by ornamental plant agribusiness actors to facilitate their business production activities. In this study, production technology (cultivation) is divided into three parts, namely manual, semi-manual, and modern technology. The results in the field show that most of the ornamental plant agribusiness actors in Surakarta City still use manual and semimanual production technology. The use of technology, such as tissue culture in business production, is to make it easier to increase the number of plants in a period of time. The application of appropriate technology is able to produce a production technology package that can increase production capacity and income [9].

The startup capital
Business capital is something that is used to establish or run a business in the form of money, goods, or energy. Based on the research that has been carried out, it can be seen that the business capital owned by ornamental plant agribusiness actors in Surakarta City mostly comes from their own capital or with the help of loans. However, there were only few who took the loans because they feel burdened when repaying it.
There are ornamental plant agribusiness actors who have the principle of not taking loans, as much as possible and using their own capital as little as possible. If they have economic difficulties, then the alternative is to take loans from family or relatives who do not have an interest and instalment system and can be more flexible. If there is loan capital, it is used to help get assets that cost quite a lot, namely cars for the benefit of sales distribution and land and or buildings to open a place of business. Sources of loans come from banking institutions. The method of payment is in monthly instalments. The interest is 6% per year and some is 1% every month. Ownership of business assets in this study is mostly selfowned and some are still borrowed or leased. Capital is not always about funds or money, but can be in the form of skills, will, honesty, integrity, intelligence, determination, or other things [10].
Most of the ornamental plant agribusiness actors borrowed from BRI in the KUR (Kredit Usaha Kecil/small business credit), PKK, and cooperative programs. MSMEs actors are able to run their business if they have sufficient capital. If the amount of capital owned for each business actor is too little it will actually complicate his business, especially if the capital he has is not his own capital. it will increase the financing burden [11]. The working capital issued by ornamental plant agribusiness actors is at most Rp. 20,000,000 and at least Rp. 200,000 per month. Working capital itself is capital that is issued periodically to carry out its business. Working capital is usually used for consumables and in a short period of time. According to Sudaryono [12], to be able to run a business, you definitely need initial capital whose value varies depending on the type of business being run and the size of the business being started.

The business length
The length of business is the length of time the entrepreneur has lived in running his business. In the research that has been carried out, it can be seen that the ornamental plant agribusiness business actors in Surakarta City vary from 2 years to 31 years. Some have started their business since the 1990s and most recently started in 2019. The ornamental plant agribusiness entrepreneurs feel changes that occurred in their business from before the pandemic to the time of the Covid-19 pandemic. The length of the business determines the experience, the longer the effort, the better the quality of the business [13].
Business class is a level of business to distinguish business levels based on the value of assets owned by the business. Based on Law no. 20 of 2008 concerning Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that businesses with assets (excluding land and buildings of business premises) < Rp. 50,000,000 is included in the micro business class, assets > Rp. 50,000,000-Rp. 500,000,000 included in the small class, assets >Rp. 500,000,000-Rp. 10,000,000,000 belongs to the middle class. In this study, it can be seen that most of the ornamental plant agribusiness businesses in Surakarta City are micro-class businesses, and some are small-scale businesses. In this study, there were 8 informants who were included in the micro-enterprise and 2 informants were included in the small-scale business. The goal of ornamental plant agribusiness actors in Surakarta City is mostly just to survive.
Business development requires sufficient capital and manpower, while the capacity of ornamental plant agribusiness actors has limited capital. The management of micro-enterprises is carried out in a simple manner so that it is more of a choice as a business forum that produces economic value [14]. In this study, it was found out that most of the ornamental plant agribusiness actors in Surakarta City do not have legal status, and only a few have legal status in the form of incorporated company/ Perseroan Terbatas (PT), Commanditaire Vennootschap (CV), and trading business/Usaha Dagang (UD). Ornamental plant agribusiness businesses are still classified as micro and small businesses, so they feel they do not need legal status.

The legal entry status
Based on the information from ornamental plant agribusiness actors, they actually want to have legal status, but if they have to pay taxes or extend their legal status, they will hesitate again. There are advantages and disadvantages to having a legal status. The advantage is that if they have legal status, they can work with the government, which is certain to get a market (fixed sales). But some find the government bureaucracy very complicated, so that many ornamental plant agribusiness business actors are reluctant to propose legal status. The need for legal entities for ornamental plant agribusiness actors will be felt in line with the development of business scale and the need for cooperation with the government or other parties. This supports the results that one of the characteristics of small businesses is that most of them are characterized by not having legal entity status [15]. The data in the field shows that most of the ornamental plant agribusiness actors are in the form of IUMK and NIB because if there is an assistance program from the government, they must have the permit requirements. Empowerment for business actors needs to be done to provide more information in order to support their business. One of the main activities that need to be implemented in the empowerment program is the provision of certainty of legal entity status, ease of licensing, incentives for the establishment of a network system [15].

The status of place of business and the time used for work
The status of the place of business is the status of the ownership of the place used to carry out its business. The results showed that most of the ornamental plant agribusiness actors in Surakarta City had the status of their own place of business, only a small part of which the status of their place of business was rented and jointly owned (inheritance) shared with relatives.
The amount of time per day used to run a business varies. Some are 8 hours a day and some are 12 hours per day. Most of them work more than 8 hours because their time is more flexible. This can be explained because the business is run with their own family members, and they will close the stall when they feel tired. During the COVID-19 pandemic, their working hours are reduced due to social restrictions and the government's rule of working hours, which is not to exceed 21.00 WIB. Meanwhile, it is stated that trading businesses will get more income if they work longer hours [16].

The characteristics of ornamental plant agribusinesses in Surakarta
The characteristics of ornamental plant agribusiness actors are part of the identity which is a selfreflection of an individual that distinguishes it from other individuals. The characteristics in this study include age, last education, and residence status. The age of natural ornamental plant agribusiness business actors in this study is still in the productive age category, namely 47.8 years, the youngest age is 31 years and the oldest is 72 years. Age is one element of identity that can affect its business activities. Young ornamental plant agribusiness actors certainly have stronger physical conditions than older respondents. Age can also affect the level of adjustment to technological developments that are always changing.
The productive age population is the population that is able to produce labor to meet the needs of life and often plays a role as the bearer of the needs of the non-productive age population. The older someone, the level of maturity and strength of a person will be more mature in thinking and working. They will be more trusted by the community because of the experience and maturity of his soul. The population in the productive age category is considered to have been able to produce goods and services in the production process. Age factor can also determine the success of running a business. One of these aspects can involve experience and physical. The older a person is, the more experience there will be, so that it can be used as learning.
Regarding the last education level of ornamental plant agribusiness entrepreneurs, the majority graduated from high school/equivalent, although some are undergraduates, and some even have master's degrees. The status of residence of ornamental plant agribusiness actors in Surakarta who became informants were all their own, no contract or rent.

The production process
Production of ornamental plants or floriculture is a cultivation activity involving various kinds or types of plants that have a selling value because of their canopy, stands or flowers (Figure 1). The many variants of ornamental plants require cultivation in various ways or cultivation techniques. Based on the observations in the field, it can be seen that the production process in each business has similarities with each other. Cultivation of ornamental plants is still limited to plant propagation and maintenance, not many have done plant breeding that can produce expensive ornamental plants. In the agribusiness of ornamental plants, it all starts with the preparation of materials and tools, care and maintenance, propagation, sales. Most of the ornamental plant agribusiness actors in Surakarta City carry out manual and semi-manual production processes. There are also a small number who have used growth regulator technology, bonsai in the production process. This is because the production carried out by ornamental plant agribusiness is still limited to the local area, so that simple manual tools have been found to be quite helpful in the production process. The conventional aspects of production do not reflect a good production process. The simple production process is due to the limited market orientation. This way of thinking needs to be changed in the context of business development by providing optimal assistance regarding the potential of ornamental plant agribusiness businesses so that they can develop to reach a wider market [17]. Product is anything that can be offered by a manufacturer to be noticed, requested, sought, purchased, used, or consumed by the market as a fulfilment of the needs or desires of the relevant market. At the beginning of the pandemic, ornamental plant cultivation became a hobby for the majority of the people of Surakarta City because of the work from home (WFH) policy. Many people cultivate ornamental plants to spend their spare time. Consumers' demand for ornamental plants at the beginning of the pandemic increased quite a bit, even some plants experienced an increase in prices.
Raw materials will always be needed in every production process. Raw materials are a number of goods purchased from suppliers and will be used or processed into products that will be produced by business actors. According to this research, the supply of raw materials is carried out by buying directly

Selling
Based on field observation, ornamental plants that are traded in several sales centers in Surakarta are obtained by buying directly from the market or from regular suppliers. Ornamental plant agribusiness actors get raw materials from flower farmers suppliers (nursery) from various regions such as Tawangmangu, Bandungan, Boyolali and Karanganyar. Ornamental plants purchased from farmers are usually partially bred by ornamental plant agribusiness entrepreneurs manually.
Sale is an integrated effort to develop strategic plans that are directed at satisfying the needs and wants of buyers, in order to get sales that generate profits. Sale is an important thing in a business, because it can generate profit. The method of selling products also varies, as based on research conducted, most of the products are sold by direct selling and there is also a consignment system. Loyal customers will benefit business actors because they will always buy their products in the future. The net profit obtained by ornamental plant agribusiness actors varies from under Rp. 1,000,000 to more than Rp. 2,000,000, some even have a net profit of Rp. 50,000,000 per month [18].
Pricing also determines the outcome of the process of selling ornamental plants. The price of a product is a determining factor in market demand. Price is something that is very considered by consumers in buying products. The determination of the price of ornamental plants is mostly carried out by the ornamental plant agribusiness entrepreneurs themselves. The determination of the price made by the seller is considered more appropriate because the seller knows what factors affect the price of the product offered. However, sellers will also continue to consider the quality and consumer demand. Location in product marketing also determines the level of sales of a product. Location selection has a strategic function because it can also determine sales turnover. The sales turnover of ornamental plant agribusiness in Surakarta City has increased overall. Business turnover that has increased in value has reached more than 30%. Income earned from operating results is used for daily needs and business operational costs. Business operational costs include production costs, packaging costs, and marketing costs [19].
The results of determining the location will be followed by a distribution process. Distribution is one of the most important marketing functions in marketing. The distribution process is carried out by picking up at the place of production, delivering directly to the buyer's place, or selling through stores. The payment systems used also vary, but most are made in cash and a small part is by consignment system. People prefer to get payments or transact in cash because they think it is more practical [20].

Constraints and hopes
Constraints are a condition where symptoms or obstacles and difficulties become obstacles to the achievement of a desire. Constraints in the financing aspect experienced by most ornamental plant agribusiness actors are limited capital, and lack of land for nurseries. The land in Surakarta City, which has been dominated by the trade and settlement sector, has resulted in less open land. In addition, ornamental plant agribusiness actors experience problems in packaging when the goods are sent out of town, considering that ornamental plants are goods that are prone to damage. Not all ornamental plant agribusiness players experienced an increase in sales during the covid-19 pandemic, but there were some who experienced a decline in turnover, especially those who became hotel partners. The results showed that there were ornamental plant agribusiness actors who were able to survive in the midst of a pandemic and some even developed well, because their sales turnover increased.

The level of independence of ornamental plant agribusinesses
Self-reliance is one of the important parameters or indicators in the empowerment program. During the pandemic, almost all empowerment programs that are directly related to the community are rarely carried out because there is a policy of limiting activities outside. This study tries to portray the independence of ornamental plant agribusiness actors during a pandemic in managing their businesses to be able to survive in conditions of uncertainty and be able to develop their businesses. Independence is shown in tenacity in maintaining business, ability and mastery of cultivation knowledge and skills, ability to see opportunities, ability to act, and marketing skills.
From the results of interviews with ornamental plant agribusiness actors, it shows that the level of independence in the development of ornamental plant agribusiness in Surakarta City includes the love for ornamental plants and the field of business they are engaged in, always trying to carry out more advanced propagation and cultivation techniques for cultivators, the ability to see opportunities in determining the types of plants to be developed, the ability to cooperate and build institutions between the same business actors, as well as the ability to do marketing using various media and marketing channels.
To support independent business actors, it is necessary to have the efforts and efforts of the entrepreneurs themselves, and support from external parties. From business actors, cultivation knowledge and technology need to be mastered by cultivators through independent learning processes such as courses and internships. An increase in skills in breeding techniques that produce new variants is needed. Strengthening cooperation and building associations between farmers and traders provides business opportunities with a wider scope of business.
Marketing efforts are the key in encouraging the ornamental plant business to be more developed. Existing sales centre still play an important role, supported by the use of social media, because they are considered important by ornamental plant business actors to develop their business. For this reason, business actors take advantage of social media, although it has not been carried out optimally through social media that are considered to have high market opportunities such as Facebook, Instagram, websites, and WhatsApp.
The government's role in creating a business climate through regulation and ease of export, as well as adequate technical guidance is very much needed. The ability to see opportunities from most business actors is also categorized as high, because some business actors have the courage to take action to make new innovations and dare to take high risks. For example, they dare to apply for a loan because at the beginning of the pandemic, sales turnover increased.

Conclusion and suggestions
Based on the description above, it can be concluded: (1) Ornamental plant agribusiness is a form of business that is able to survive during the pandemic because of the ever-increasing demand for ornamental plants, according to the needs of the people who are under pressure; (2) The independence of ornamental plant agribusiness actors shows development from time to time in maintaining and developing their business. Efforts are needed to improve cultivation capabilities, develop business scale with cooperation between business actors, and improve marketing capabilities to increase sales turnover.