Academy of Entrepreneurship Journal Volume 27, Special Issue 2, 2021 GROUP ACTIVITIES AND COMMUNICATION PATTERNS ON EMPOWERMENT OF THE SANTRI TANI MILLENNIAL GROUP (KSTM) IN INDONESIA: A CASE IN SUKABUMI AND PURWAKARTA WEST JAVA Dyah Gandasari, Bogor Agriculture Development Polytechnic Diena Dwidienawati, Bina Nusantara University David Tjahjana, Universitas Multimedia Nusantara Mochamad Sugiarto, Jenderal Soedirman University Mintarti, IPB University ABSTRACT The growth and development of the young generation workforce in agriculture is a priority in agricultural development programs. Youth are expected to be the next generation in the agriculture business. The KSTM program aims to empower and foster the interest of the young generation in the agriculture business. The purpose of this study was to identify group activities and communication patterns for KSTM. This study was quantitative research with a descriptive survey method. The population of this study was santri and development agents in Sukabumi and Purwakarta. The samples were determined purposively from 32 Islamic boarding schools and development agents. The selected respondents were 36 santri and 17 development agents. Research Results: a) The majority of these santri groups are relatively new, but the santri respond positively to the empowerment program and are active in the empowerment program. b) All respondents know that group activities originating from the KSTM program are empowerment activities carried out by “government” development agencies. c) There are differences in the frequency of communication for both Santri and agents due to different communication materials in each stage of the KSTM program and not all agents are involved in all KSTM activities. d) Convergent and linear communication patterns. Keywords: Agriculture Business, Communication Pattern, Young Generation INTRODUCTION The agricultural sector in Indonesia has a strategic role in national development. The agricultural sector is the largest employer of labor and has a function as a buffer for national resilience in the fields of economy, politics, and security (Ministry of Agriculture, 2013). The problem that occurs in the agricultural sector is that the absorption of labor in the agricultural sector is lower than the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contributed when compared to other sectors such as the industrial and service sectors. The agricultural sector absorbs 38.35% of the workforce but only contributes to GDP of 14.04%; while the industrial sector which only absorbs 12.78% of the workforce can contribute 25.39% of GDP, and the service sector which absorbs 14.75% of labor can contribute to GDP of 9.24% (Central Statistics Agency, 2010). The figure above illustrates that labor productivity in agriculture is low. The low productivity of labor in agriculture is influenced by many factors, including the level of education, mastery of technology, availability of facilities and infrastructure, market access, and capital (Ministry of Agriculture, 2013). One of the government's efforts to increase labor productivity in agriculture is through growing and developing the young Business Analytics for Sustainability 1 1528-2686-27-S2-41 Academy of Entrepreneurship Journal Volume 27, Special Issue 2, 2021 generation of agriculture. The growth and development of the young generation of agriculture is a priority in planning agricultural development programs. Youth are expected to be the next generation in innovative, creative, professional, independent and able to compete, and have a global perspective (Ministry of Agriculture, 2013). Educational changes in pesantren combine religiosity with social and economy in providing knowledge, skills, and independence for santri. Santri, as youths after graduating from the pesantren, are expected to have skills in entrepreneurship so that they can play a role in the development process both spiritually, morally, socially, and economically (Sulaiman, 2020). The Millennial Farmer Santri Group (KSTM) growth in the Agriculture Sector is one of the Ministry of Agriculture's programs in empowering the pesantren community. The KSTM program aims to empower and foster the young generation of santri' interest in doing business in agriculture. Increasing santri' interest in the agricultural sector is carried out through Competency Enhancement activities and providing facilitation in the agricultural sector. Santri who are members of the KSTM are expected to be able to take advantage of the KSTM program as a medium for learning organizations in the field of agriculture. They are also expected to be able to implement the results of technical guidance that is followed in the form of raising chickens in Islamic boarding schools (BPPSDMP, 2019; Ministry of Agriculture, 2013). The implementation of the KSTM program was carried out in 2019 in 16 Provinces in Indonesia. One of the provinces receiving the KSTM program in West Java. The KSTM program includes several stages, namely: Coordination and Outreach; Identification of KSTM Potential Farmer Location Candidates (CPCL); Verification, Validation, and Determination of KSTM; Implementation of Technical Guidance and assistance with learning facilities. The KSTM program is one of the community empowerment programs. The empowerment of communities is often seen to be linked to their capacities for example, organizational, infrastructural and personal capacity and the types of capital e e.g., social, physical, human and financial that the community can access (Fischer & McKee, 2017). Empowerment is a productive and dialogical learning process. A productive learning process, namely being able to utilize self-potential and the environment, cooperation to obtain material and immaterial benefits for the community (Mardikanto, 2010; Sajogyo et al., 1999) and a concept of economic development that reflects a new paradigm of development which is "participatory, empowering and sustainable" (Chambers, 1995). Empowerment is a dialogical process, namely the existence of good communication between one another involved in the empowerment process to obtain the same meaning of development messages among those who empower and are empowered (Jamil, 2003). Empowerment as a development model should use a directed approach to the needy, including the target community, and use a group approach (Noor, 2011) to bring people to empowerment and independence (Setyowati, 2019). Empowerment communication is a study that can show and reveal scientifically one side of the overall empowerment activity, namely the communication process that occurs in these activities. This study of the communication process can be used as learning material for development agents to achieve independence as an empowerment goal (Jamil, 2003). Empowerment communication is a new perspective in development communication with the spirit of voicing the voiceless (Setyowati, 2019); there is a dialogue between parties who have developed ideas and development subjects (Dilla, 2007). Empowerment communication is carried out in a convergent manner; communication interactions are carried out in a more democratic and participatory manner (Luisi & Hämel, 2021; Setyowati, 2019).This study aimed to identify group activities and communication patterns of KSTM empowerment in Sukabumi City and Purwakarta Regency, West Java, Indonesia. LITERATURE REVIEW Business Analytics for Sustainability 2 1528-2686-27-S2-41 Academy of Entrepreneurship Journal Volume 27, Special Issue 2, 2021 Community empowerment study refers to focusing on society, participatory, empowerment, and sustainability Chambers (1995); Rogers & Kincaid Convergence Communication (1981). Thus, the results of the study can theoretically be used to analyze KSTM empowerment. Empowerment should be the ultimate goal of any community development projects. While development often interpreted as the flow of resources from outside into community, empowerment push and-pull full participation of all community members to change their world by themself, from inside to outside (Ferguson, 2010 in Sianipar et al., 2013). According to Chambers (1995), community empowerment is an effort to formulate the concept and implementation of development programs that focus on society, participation, empowerment, and sustainability. Community empowerment is characterized as building community capacity, allocation of collective resources, developing new roles and community resources, collaboration and taking action (Luisi & Hämel, 2021). Community empowerment is oriented towards increasing the quality and quantity of resource productivity. It also focuses on equitable distribution of income, utilizing local resources, and opening up new jobs for the community. The other orientations are also for meeting basic needs, fulfilling the present generation but continuing into future generations oriented towards economic growth and human life quality (Dwijiwinoto, 2007 in Sulaiman 2020; Mardikanto, 2010). Convergent communication theory becomes a relevant theory in empowerment. Communication exchanges information and meanings that aim to create mutual understanding and understanding and move towards convergence (Rogers & Kincaid, 1981). In convergence theory, communication is a process of sharing information between two or more participants in a social network that leads to social outcomes such as mutual understanding, collective agreement, and collective action, as well as psychological outcomes such as perceptions, interpretations, understandings, beliefs, and actions (Rogers