Empowerment Of Local Potential Of Karanganyar Farmers In Adipala District, Cilacap Regency Through The Processing Of Red Chili

Abstract

Community empowerment based on local potential is one of the community's efforts to participate in developing its local potential in order to improve the economy of the community itself. This service was carried out at the Farmers Group (KT) Smooth Fortune in Karang Anyar Adipala Village, Cilacap Regency. This group of farmers has a farming business, one of which is chili plants, and is experiencing problems in marketing fresh products, both in terms of low selling prices during the main harvest and a decrease in the quality of the harvest due to damage during storage. The harvest is usually sold fresh without any prior processing. Limited knowledge and skills in post-harvest processing of chilies so they sell them in the form of fresh chilies. This community service activity aims to increase the marketing of chili harvests by diversifying chili products and marketable packaging. The methods used in this community service are counseling and providing material on good post-harvest chili processing technology, the advantages and disadvantages of chili production that does not carry out the post- harvest product diversification process and providing training and mentoring to make several diversified chili products including whole dried chilies, chilies powder, chili oil and candied chilies in the Lancar Rejeki farmer group to increase the added value of the harvest and also extend its shelf life. This service will be carried out in November 2023. The results of this community service activity produce high value products by diversifying processed chili products into including whole dried chilies, powdered chilies, chili oil and candied chilies with marketable packaging.