In the era of globalization and digitalization, the agricultural sector faces unprecedented challenges and opportunities. In this context, effective business communication is a critical factor that cannot be ignored. This article explains why business communication is so important in agriculture and how it can impact the success and sustainability of the sector.
Communication is the process of delivering news and ideas from a news source to a destination (Mulawarman & Rosilawati, 2014). Communication is the process of exchanging information between individuals, which is considered one of the ways humans need to express themselves by expressing ideas, thoughts, and feelings to others, which can be done in various ways, namely by using words, sounds, symbols, signs, or behavior. Communication can be used as a medium to make human work more effective and efficient. The intensity of communication can be an indicator of the effectiveness of communication so that human interactions can be established that influence each other, either intentionally or unintentionally.
Communication can also have a role in changing and even preventing changes in social structures. Communication is used by humans in interacting with others, both in daily activities and in business activities. Business is an activity that can help meet the needs of the community. Activities in business include all aspects of activities to distribute goods through productive channels, namely those that start from buying raw materials to selling finished goods, or so-called products. Traders who specifically make purchases and sales are a link between producers and consumers and help producers overcome problems when looking for consumers or when buyers are looking for producers (Swastha & Sukotjo, 1993).
Communication has a very important role for companies in running their business. This is because communication can affect four very important areas for business organizations, namely staff or members of the business organization, clients or partners, stakeholders, and positive public perception. Communication in business organizations plays an important role because it can be used to achieve coordinated actions, express feelings and emotions, achieve effective control, encourage staff or members of the organization to make decisions, create a good public image and reputation for the business organization or company, and share information. regarding the goals of the organization or company, business results, direction of tasks, and decision making.
Business communication in agriculture also has an important role, as does business in other fields. This is because basic business communication within a company is useful for building the image of a strong institution so that the organization or company can be effective. If a business organization or company already has a good way of working and a good cooperative and can communicate well, it will be able to make the business organization effective. In addition, with the general public or the public already knowing the advantages, virtues, and advantages of the business organization or company itself, the general public will be interested in the products produced by the company, later they will also want to buy it, want to become partners or clients.
Good business communication is effective communication, which is established both internally and externally. Effective business communication can increase the capacity of the business organization or company to be good, institutional services to be good, and can lead to more harmonious relations with internal and external parties. Business communication has an important role in agriculture because business communication can affect the effectiveness of information in all forms of business or business, namely from business actors, employees, and consumers as end users. Business communication has an important role in every business activity in agriculture (farming), which includes input subsystems, production subsystems, supporting service subsystems, and downstream subsystems.
The input subsystem is a subsystem with the activity of supplying production factors for farming activities, which can be in the form of fertilizers, seeds, pesticides, and others. In this case, farmers can position themselves as consumers to decide on the use of fertilizers, seeds, and pesticides according to the desired characteristics. The selection of the use of agricultural input materials must be adjusted to the desired cost, the type of plant to be cultivated, as well as the conditions of the production environment and the surrounding environment. Therefore, in carrying out these input subsystem activities, farmers need effective business communication, both internally with fellow farmers and with superiors, and externally, namely with suppliers of agricultural input materials, with the surrounding community, and with stakeholders.
The production subsystem in farming activities also requires effective business communication, especially internally. In addition, if farming has the potential to be used as an agro-industry in order to increase income from harvesting, then farmers must also have effective business communication, both with fellow farmers, with consumers who come to the land to pick up agricultural products directly, and with stakeholders in the surrounding environment. Meanwhile, the visitor service subsystem is usually run by the government and capital owners. The government, through its policies, continuously helps farmers to develop their farming businesses through mentoring, counseling, and socialization. Therefore, while the owner of capital helps in terms of costs or capital.
The downstream subsystem is a subsystem related to agricultural product marketing activities. This subsystem is the most basic subsystem after production because it will directly affect the level of income, which will have an impact on the income of farmers. The role of business communication in this case is how these commodity products can be sold by exceeding the production costs that have been incurred. In fact, it would be better if the market share of farmers was larger than that of the commodity traders because farmers bear the greatest risk of crop failure. Therefore, effective business communication is needed so that the process or marketing activities of agricultural products can run smoothly, so it can be concluded that business communication has an important role in the agricultural sector,
Problems and challenges faced in agricultural business communication are one of them. Farmers who always feel cornered by backwardness and technological ability so that they are unable to move freely by taking advantage of situations where everything is easy. In fact, with the existing information and communication technologies, it will be able to simplify, expedite, and assist in the business communication process. In addition to the challenges in using communication devices, especially communication and information technology devices that use advanced technology, there are also challenges in the limitations of the main and supporting tools for communicating. For example, using a smartphone for effective communication, especially for sending the required documents and pictures, will require sufficient cellphone power and a stable internet network. In addition, there are also problems and challenges in understanding, perceiving, and using language between the sender and the recipient of the message in the business communication process. This is because if there is a difference in understanding, perception, and ability in the use of language, it will be able to hinder the occurrence of an effective business communication process.
