Linking Livestock Farmer Group Performance to Household Food Security: Evidence from West Sumatra, Indonesia

Abstract

Livestock groups are widely promoted for agricultural development, but empirical evidence linking their institutional performance to household food security remains scarce. This study described the food security status of livestock-farming households and examined the relationship between livestock group performance and household food security in West Sumatra, Indonesia. A descriptive quantitative design was used, involving 45 respondents from nine Madya-class livestock groups, surveyed from August to October 2025. Group performance was assessed using the Farmer/Livestock Group Capacity and Independence Assessment (PAKEM POKTAN) instrument, while household food security was classified by combining food expenditure share and energy adequacy level. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Spearman's rank correlation, and ordinal logistic regression at a 5 percent significance level. Results showed that 46.7 percent of households were food secure, 44.4 percent food vulnerable, and 8.9 percent food insecure. Group performance was significantly but weakly correlated with food security status (rs = 0.312; p = 0.037), yet had no significant effect in the ordinal logistic regression model (p = 0.060; Nagelkerke R² = 0.094). These findings indicate that current group capacity is associated with, but does not directly determine, household food security.