NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS DEVELOPMENT: A SMALL BUSINESS STRATEGY OF WALNUT

The management of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) holds significant benefits for forest-adjacent communities, including the potential for commercial ventures such as the walnut enterprise. This study aims to examine the walnut business in Onto Village, Bontomatene District, Selayar Islands Regency, Indonesia, analyse internal and external factors, and formulate a development strategy for the walnut business. This study employs SWOT analysis and the analytic hierarchy process. The findings suggest that the walnut industry has the potential to be a profitable venture and a standout product in the region. Internal factor analysis indicates that the the availability of labour is the most significant strength (0.021) in the walnut business, while insufficient accessibility of commodity sources represents the most notable weakeness (0.085). On the external front, a promising farming business emerges as the highest priority opportunity (0.146), whereas the absence of a walnut business development program poses the most significant threat (0.235). The prioritized strategy for implementation is the W-T2 strategy, with a value of 0.75, focusing on enhancing community and government cooperation to improve infrastructure, particularly roads leading to walnut fields.