Asian Journal of Research in Business and Management

e-ISSN: 2682-8510 | Vol. 5, No. 3, 49-56, 2023

http://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ajrbm

Realizing a Sustainable Trigona Beekeeping Business Through

the Corporate Social Responsibility Policy Optimization Program
Pujangga Reogavi1*, Bambang Rudito1
1
School of Business and Management, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia

*Corresponding Author: pujangga_reogavi@sbm-itb.ac.id

Received: 15 June 2023 | Accepted: 10 August 2023 | Published: 1 September 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.55057/ajrbm.2023.5.3.5
__________________________________________________________________________________________

Abstract: The Covid-19 pandemic has made the beekeeping sector a special attraction for
business people. The demand for honey and propolis during Covid-19 is quite high. In the last
six months, data shows that around 2.5 quintals of honey have been sold out. The increase is
almost 200% when compared to the previous condition (Koswara, 2020). Trigona beekeeping
has a fairly good level of efficiency when compared to other types of bees. Therefore, trigona
beekeeping can be an option to generate profits and increase income. In order to realize a
sustainable trigona beekeeping system, innovations are needed that can drive the transition
towards a modern agricultural model. The real problem currently faced by trigona beekeepers
in Indonesia is the Production Operational System which still uses Conventional tools, Land
Conversion, and Capital to Make Business. This problem can be solved with the help of
Corporate Social Responsibility programs from several companies. Options that can be offered
from the CSR program include providing assistance such as providing incentive funds to
business actors in the agricultural sector to improve their operational systems by creating
innovative tools to assist them in raising livestock. Based on very promising prospects, I-
NewBee Company is here to create innovative products and offer troubleshooting services for
all beekeepers, especially stingless bees. It is hoped that with technology-based products and
services that I-NewBee provides, all problems experienced by Trigona beekeepers can be
overcome effectively and efficiently so that everyone can experience the benefits for both
beekeepers and consumers of products produced from beekeeping.

Keywords: Agribusiness, CSR, Beekeeping

___________________________________________________________________________

1. Introduction

The agricultural sector in Indonesia in 2021 will grow 1.84% (yoy) and contribute 13.28% to
the national economy (Menko Perekonomian, 2022). Therefore, Indonesia continues to be
committed to maintaining national food security and also creating a resilient food-agriculture
system as a form of the Government's commitment to working with all levels of society. To
create a robust agricultural system, an innovation is needed that can drive the transition towards
a sustainable agricultural model. The use of technology in agriculture plays a major role in
realizing food security (Amin, 2022). In addition, the real problem being faced by the
agricultural business sector, especially Trigona beekeeping in Indonesia, is the difficulty for
business people to seek capital, and Land Conversion. Trigona's bee keeping business which
cannot provide certainty and depends on nature causes capital lenders to be reluctant to spend
money on entrepreneurs in the beekeeping sector.

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The most reasonable way to solve the problems currently being experienced by trigona
beekeepers is to optimize the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program. Optimizing this
program is considered a basic strategy that can reconstruct new forms of solidarity and create
favorable conditions for sustainable social and economic growth. The CSR program carried
out by the company has contributed to the development of the MSME sector by providing
solutions to problems faced by the industry (Phalipi, 2022).

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the most prominent agricultural sector is beekeeping. The
demand for honey and propolis after Covid-19 is quite high. In the last six months, around 2.5
quintals of honey were sold. The increase is almost 200% (Koswara, 2020). Therefore, trigona
beekeeping has the potential to generate profits and increase income. Based on very promising
prospects, I-NewBee Company is here to produce innovative products and offer
troubleshooting services for all beekeepers, especially stingless bees. It is hoped that with the
technology products and services that I-NewBee provides, all the problems being faced by
business people in the field of trigona bees or stingless bees can be resolved so that everyone
can experience the good benefits of the products produced from beekeeping.

2. Literature Review

The ecological aspect of land conversion contained in the Donut Economy Theory has in fact
exceeded the maximum limit where the limit for conversion of land into non-agricultural and
non-forestry land in the world should be at a proportion of 75%, but in fact the figure is already
at 62% and is increasing. decreased (Steffen, et al 2015). The impact of the conversion of
agricultural land to non-agricultural land has direct implications for the sustainability of the
trigona beekeeping business. This is because the demand for honey and propolis during Covid-
19 is quite high. In the last six months, data shows that around 2.5 quintals of honey have been
sold out. The increase is almost 200% (Koswara, 2020). Meanwhile, the media for the
production of honey and propolis are increasingly eroded and expensive.

The conversion of agricultural land in Indonesia has increased from 110,000 hectares in 2011
to 150,000 hectares in 2019 (Kompas, 2021). This also affected the production of honey and
propolis where honey and propolis commodities in Indonesia experienced a decline both in
terms of harvested area and production yields. The rational step that should be considered is to
pay attention to the issue of shrinking the area of land for agriculture, the productivity of the
production of the agricultural sector and the increasing demand for herbal medicines such as
honey and propolis due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The best solution to solve the problems currently being experienced by trigona beekeepers is
the optimal distribution of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) assistance. This strategy is
considered a basic step that can reconstruct new forms of solidarity and create favorable
conditions for sustainable social and economic growth. The Corporate Social Responsibility
(CSR) program carried out by the company has contributed to the development of the MSME
sector by providing solutions to the problems faced by the industry (Phalipi, 2022). In large-
scale companies, the implementation of CSR is quite diverse, including channelling incentive
funds to help small-scale businesses. The CSR program can be interpreted as a form of
corporate responsibility for the impact of the company's business activities.

Thus, in building a sustainable Trigona beekeeping, collaboration is needed between I-NewBee

Company as a provider of innovative harvesting equipment and a provider of consulting
services for Trigona beekeeping businesses, and the private sector as an investment holder. To

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test the truth of the realization of a sustainable trigona beekeeping business in Indonesia by
innovating harvesting tools from I-NewBee, this essay will work on the scenario analysis
method by Aaker and the use of internal and external analysis to ensure the continuity of the I-
NewBee business. With a scenario of optimizing the distribution of CSR funds and providing
innovative harvesting tools to create a sustainable Trigona beekeeping, this essay will bring
several alternative solutions and innovations from CSR policy strategies that are more suitable
to be applied to current conditions.

3. Scenario Analysis

3.1 Determinants
Based on the data obtained, the demand for honey and propolis during Covid-19 is quite high.
In the last six months, data shows that around 2.5 quintals of honey have been sold out. The
increase is almost 200% when compared to the previous condition (Koswara, 2020). This figure
shows an increase in demand from the public regarding the need for herbal medicines.
Therefore, the scenario created will be based on the following basic factors:
i. The amount of land conversion has a high effect on changes in land use for Trigona
Beekeeping.
ii. Trigona beekeepers find it difficult to meet their beekeeping needs because they have
limited capital.
iii. The harvesting system for trigona bean breeders still uses conventional tools.

3.2 Scenario Creation

3.2.1 Basic Scenario
Referring to the previous period, when the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in demand for
purchasing herbal medicines to increase by 200%, it is assumed that in the basic scenario, the
total area of Trigona beekeeping in Indonesia is 7.1 million hectares. This scenario can occur
if, and only if:
• Large-scale companies are able to provide CSR assistance to business people in the
Trigona beekeeping business.
• The proportion of trigona beekeepers in Indonesia is at 19.18%, which means that the
number of workers as trigona beekeepers is at a fundamental level to meet the need for
purchasing herbal medicines due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

3.2.2 Best Scenario

By continuing to use the same reference, the best scenario assumption is that the purchasing
index for honey and propolis increases again to the level of 65% of the total basic demand and
the total area of Trigona beekeeping in Indonesia is at 7.5 million hectares. This scenario can
occur if, and only if:
• Large-scale companies are able to provide CSR assistance to business people in the
Trigona beekeeping business and distribute it properly to complement the livestock needs
from all aspects, especially operational aspects which are considered to be conventional.
• The proportion of trigona breeders in Indonesia is 21.5%, meaning that the number of
workers as trigona breeders has increased to meet the needs for purchasing herbal
medicines due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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3.2.3 Worst Scenario

Based on the reference for the herbal medicine demand index in the previous year, the index
decreased to level 57 and the total area of Trigona beekeeping in Indonesia was at 6.9 million
hectares. This scenario can occur if, and only if:
• The policy regarding the distribution of CSR is abolished.
• The proportion of trigona beekeepers in Indonesia decreased by 18%, which means that
the number of workers as trigona beekeepers is at the minimum level to meet the needs of
herbal medicines.

3.3 Linking Scenario with Strategy

Based on the scenario above, an effective strategy is to enforce regulations related to the
optimal distribution of CSR programs and tools that can increase trigona bee production
effectively and efficiently so that Indonesia can still achieve stability in meeting the needs of
honey and propolis in the post-covid-19 pandemic.

3.4 Scenario Probability

Seeing the condition of Indonesia, which has experienced an increase in the demand for buying
honey and propolis, which has reached 200% (Koswara, 2020). This shows that Indonesia must
prepare for the worst scenario. The following considerations need to be considered :

Table 1: Scenario Probability

The amount of land use change Trigona beekeepers have The trigona bean farmer's
greatly influences changes in difficulty meeting their livestock harvesting system still uses
land use for Trigona Beekeeping. needs due to limited capital. conventional tools.
The reduction in the area of Reduction in the distribution of There is no company that is able to
agricultural land or food CSR to MSME business actors due create tools for harvesting trigona
production land, which was to company regulations. bees, so that effective and efficient
originally 7.75 million hectares, trigona bee farming is not created.
has now decreased to 7.1 million
hectares. The conversion of
agricultural land in Indonesia has
increased from 110,000 hectares in
2011 to 150,000 hectares in 2019.

4. Discussion

4.1 Description of Solution Innovation

I-NewBee is a company that develops innovations in the field of biotechnology, especially for
stingless bees with the aim of facilitating trigona beekeeping for bee farmers. With technology
in the form of IoT located in beehives and also Artificial Bee Hive which is designed for a
much more efficient honey harvesting process and cutting the production time of Trigona bee
honey, it will certainly solve the current problems of bee farmers. Based on our observations
at one of the associations related to beekeeping in Indonesia “Inspirator Lebah Madu
Indonesia” we can conclude that with SlimHive it can simplify the process of harvesting
trigona bees because we created the features in the SlimHive tool based on the needs of bee
cultivators, especially trigona bees.

To introduce trigona bees and SlimHive technology to trigona bee farmers and communities in
Indonesia, I-NewBee will organize a workshop which will start in the Bandung area. This
workshop aims to provide an explanation of trigona bees, how to care for them, and their use
for the surrounding environment. The bee farmers will teach how to install IoT technology in

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beehives and how to use the Artificial Bee Hive to speed up the honey harvesting process. In
addition, I-NewBee will also provide training on trigona bee care techniques in order to
improve the quality of the honey produced. In this workshop, bee farmers will also be given
the opportunity to ask questions and discuss with experts regarding trigona beekeeping and the
use of SlimHive technology. With this workshop, it is hoped that trigona bee farmers can better
understand how to use SlimHive technology to increase the productivity and quality of honey
produced and improve the welfare of bee farmers in Indonesia.

Apart from that, I-NewBee's role here also functions as a channeling of CSR aid funds which
aims to empower Trigona beekeepers in meeting their livestock needs such as purchasing
SlimHive, Providing land assistance, and Media selling or marketing livestock products.

Figure 1: I-NewBee Products

4.2 Innovation and Analysis Tools

SWOT Analysis

Figure 2: I-NewBee SWOT Analysis

TOWS Analysis
SO (Strengths - Opportunities):
• Expanding overseas market reach to increase sales revenue.
• Improving product marketing and promotion to the public.
• Increase the number of product production.

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ST (Strengths - Threats):
• Improve product quality and continue to innovate.
• Improving production cost efficiency in order to get a leading market.

WO (Weaknesses - Opportunities):
• Provide training and education to beginner trigona beekeepers.
• Aligning business with supporting government regulations.

WT (Weaknesses - Threats)
• Partnerships with local beekeeping organizations to provide training and education
programs for beekeepers.
• Take advantage of the trend of sustainable and organic products.

VRIO Analysis

Figure 3: I-NewBee VRIO Analysis

4.3 Solution Mechanism

4.3.1 Probation
During the Probation period, the CSR Program will be carried out according to plan with I-
NewBee as an intermediary. During the trial period, it is hoped that there will be high-quality
prototypes related to the solution mechanism needed by trigona beekeepers. For the policy of
distributing CSR assistance, it is hoped that the private sector can provide sufficient CSR
assistance to meet the needs of Trigona beekeepers, so that needs related to capital, land, and
the need for harvesting aids, can be fulfilled. I-NewBee as a provider of tools and services is
expected to play a major role in creating a sustainable Trigona beekeeping business.
Meanwhile, for business continuity, coordination between the private sector is needed so that
the distribution of funds goes well, so that Trigona beekeepers can be coordinated according to
the flow of the I-NewBee Program.

4.3.2 Collaboration
The program from I-NewBee is a new program with the concept of creating more effective and
efficient Trigona bee harvesting tools and providing services aimed at empowering Trigona
beekeepers with the help of CSR from large-scale companies. In order for this program to be

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implemented properly, cooperation is required between the I-NewBee Party who acts as
Program maker, the private sector as a provider of capital, and Trigona beekeepers as
practitioners and beneficiaries.

4.3.3. Evaluation
The evaluation process is fully carried out with related parties. I-NewBee, Private, Practitioner
(Trigona beekeepers), and Concept Initiator. The evaluation reference is the percentage of sales
of trigona beekeeping products such as honey and propolis, if the I-NewBee Program can be
projected according to plan and shows positive results with a sales index of crop yields that
tends to be stable and increases. The program from I-NewBee can be presented at all existing
bee community routine agendas and government agendas with the concept of nature
sustainability. If the beekeeping community in Indonesia is able to obtain positive results, then
it is impossible for every country to project a similar program in their respective countries.

4.4 Success Matrix

Table 2: Success Matrix

The scheme above is based on a feasibility estimate highlighting three main points: 1) Clear
targets, results and impacts; 2) Project timeline with the desired outcomes defined for each
time-stamp; and 3) the readiness of the private sector in funding this program.

5. Conclusion

This essay provides a choice of solutions for Trigona Beekeepers to realize a sustainable
Trigona beekeeping business in Indonesia. Indonesia must have a strategy to deal with each
scenario. The decrease in the area of livestock farming, the unstable sales index for trigona
beekeeping, and the number of beekeepers in Indonesia continues to decrease are the basic
reasons for the need for the attention of program initiators in paying attention to strategies for
the worst scenario. The worst scenario can be handled with a CSR incentive program policy
from a large-scale company to meet the operational needs of the Trigona beekeeping business,
especially in terms of operations. I-newBee is here to make Indonesia a pioneer country capable
of solving problems related to the agriculture business in the field of trigona beekeeping.

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