FARMER RESPONSE IN USING INSECTS AS ALTERNATIVE FEED INTHEIR NATIVE CHICKENS CULTIVATION IN TOMOHON DURING COVID-19 SITUATION

Laurentius J.M. Rumokoy, Wisje Lusia Toar, Lentji R. Nangi

Abstract
   The native chickens farming activities in Tomohon could support a provision of quality food continously to the community, especially during the current covid-19 pandemic, but on the other hand various obstacles are still faced by small-scale farmers related to purchase price of feed and its availability. The empowerment of inscets in animal feed could be an alternative solution. Based on this condition, a survey has been conducted in Tomohon City area which aimed to find out to what extent the using of insects as alternative feed applied in their livestock. This survey was conducted on thirty respondents in this area. Descriptive statistics were used in processing and presentation of data obtained in this survey. The responses of the respondent farmers were recorded in several points of view: time of experience in rearing chickens; experience in finding feed ingredients; farmer recognition on role of insect as animal feed; willingness to acquire skill improvement training. Concerning the time of experience in rearing chickens the most of respondents (70%) have an experience more than one year, 23% were between 6 months to one year, while the experience in finding feed ingredients: 47% of respondents (A1) informed easy to geti it and 40% of respondent (A2) told that the ingredients were quite easy to get but the price increased. The farmer’s recognition on role of insect as animal feed: 24% mentioned the insects in order of orthoptera, 21.2% described isoptera, 16,3% coleoptera, and then 14.4% informed the insects in diptera order as chicken feed. The respondents showed a different willingness to acquire training to improve their skill to use insect as alternative feed: 70% desired and 30% didn’t thought the same thing. We concluded that the native chicken cultivation became interesting activities by the respondents in Tomohon to contribute the food, which is needed to improve their skill to use insect as alternative ingredient for their livestock chicken production improvement especially in the covid-19 situation.