Sustainable agribusiness is a key strategy for rural economic development and community welfare. Bone Regency is recognized as one of the agricultural centers in South Sulawesi, with rice, corn, and horticulture as its main commodities. This potential makes Bone a strategic area for developing agribusiness based on local commodities. Nevertheless, despite relatively high production, the added value of agricultural products remains low. This is due to limited market access, insufficient post-harvest technology, and weak farmer institutions. Such conditions reduce the competitiveness of local products in regional and national markets.

From the policy perspective, the local government has introduced several programs, including strengthening farmer institutions, promoting food diversification, and integrating agribusiness with public health initiatives. These policies aim not only to increase farmers’ income but also to support food security and family health. On the market side, product diversification in horticulture and expanded access to regional and national markets are crucial factors in increasing added value. Wider market access enables farmers to obtain more competitive prices and strengthens the sustainability of farming activities. This study arises from the need to understand how public policy and market dynamics can synergize to support sustainable agribusiness in Bone Regency. By involving 30 respondents consisting of farmers, market actors, village officials, and community leaders, the research provides a comprehensive overview of the relationship between policy, market, and farmers’ welfare.

The development of sustainable agribusiness in Bone Regency has been widely studied from public policy, market dynamics, and technological perspectives. Literature emphasizes that public policy plays a crucial role in strengthening farmer institutions, providing post-harvest technology support, and integrating agribusiness with public health programs. Institutional support enables farmers to adapt to market changes, while post-harvest technology enhances the added value of local products. From the perspective of market dynamics, previous studies indicate that product diversification in horticulture and expanded access to regional and national markets significantly increase farmers’ income and broaden the distribution of nutritious food. Wider market access also improves the competitiveness of local commodities, positioning agribusiness not only as an economic driver but also as an instrument of community welfare.

Furthermore, literature highlights the strong linkage between agribusiness and public health. Food diversification has been proven to reduce malnutrition rates and improve family nutrition consumption, showing that sustainable agribusiness is not only profit-oriented but also socially oriented. In addition, studies on digital transformation in agribusiness underline the role of information technology in expanding market access, providing real-time price information, and strengthening distribution networks. Digitalization is considered a key factor that can connect Bone farmers with broader markets. Thus, the literature review confirms that sustainable agribusiness in Bone requires synergy between public policy, market dynamics, post-harvest technology, and digitalization, which collectively impact farmers’ welfare and community health. To provide a clearer overview, the following table summarizes previous studies relevant to sustainable agribusiness:

This study employs a descriptive-qualitative approach to explore policy and market perspectives in supporting sustainable agribusiness in Bone Regency. Population and Informants The population includes farmers, market actors, village officials, and community leaders in Bone Regency. Informants were selected using purposive sampling, involving 30 informants: 15 farmers (rice, corn, horticulture), 5 local/regional market actors, 5 village officials/policymakers, and 5 community leaders.

The findings reveal that sustainable agribusiness in Bone Regency is strongly influenced by the synergy between public policy, market dynamics, post-harvest technology, and digital transformation. From the policy perspective, village officials and policymakers emphasized that programs to strengthen farmer institutions and provide post-harvest technology have improved production capacity. However, policy implementation still faces challenges in funding and accessibility of technology for smallholder farmers. From the market perspective, farmers and market actors reported that product diversification in horticulture creates new income opportunities and expands access to regional and national markets. Wider market access provides more competitive prices, yet transportation and distribution chain limitations remain significant obstacles. Community leaders further highlighted that food diversification contributes to reducing malnutrition, showing that sustainable agribusiness impacts not only the economy but also family nutrition.

In addition, some informants acknowledged that digital tools such as price applications, social media, and e-commerce are beginning to expand market access. Nevertheless, limited digital literacy among farmers remains a challenge that must be addressed to ensure that digital transformation truly supports agribusiness sustainability. Overall, the findings confirm that sustainable agribusiness in Bone requires integration of public policy, market dynamics, technological support, and digital innovation to improve farmers’ welfare while supporting food security and public health. Data analysis followed the Miles & Huberman framework, consisting of three main stages. First, data reduction was carried out by selecting information from observations, interviews, and documentation to focus on public policy, market dynamics, public health, and digitalization. Irrelevant information was eliminated, leaving only essential data.

Second, data display was conducted through narratives, tables, and diagrams. This presentation allowed the researcher to identify patterns and relationships among policy, market, health, and digitalization. For example, the research table highlighted the direct link between public policy and production capacity, as well as market diversification and income opportunities. Third, conclusion drawing/verification involved interpreting the data to answer the research questions. Conclusions were verified through triangulation, comparing interview results across informants with policy documents and statistical data. This process ensured that the findings were valid and reliable.

The findings indicate that sustainable agribusiness in Bone Regency is inseparable from the synergy between public policy, market dynamics, public health, and digital transformation. This aligns with previous literature emphasizing the importance of farmer institutions and local government policies in strengthening production capacity. However, challenges in funding and accessibility of post-harvest technology highlight the need for collaboration among government, financial institutions, and universities. From the market perspective, horticultural diversification has proven to increase farmers’ income and expand access to regional and national markets. This is consistent with earlier studies that stressed wider market access as a driver of competitiveness for local products. Nevertheless, limitations in transportation and distribution chains suggest the necessity of integrated logistics policies to enhance Bone’s agribusiness competitiveness. The linkage between agribusiness and public health further strengthens the argument that sustainable agribusiness development is not solely profit- oriented but also socially oriented. Food diversification has been shown to reduce malnutrition rates, positioning agribusiness as an instrument for improving family health and welfare.

Digital transformation emerges as a new factor influencing agribusiness in Bone. The use of price applications, social media, and e-commerce opens broader market opportunities. However, limited digital literacy among farmers underscores the need for training and mentoring programs to ensure that technology is optimally utilized. Thus, the discussion confirms that sustainable agribusiness in Bone requires a holistic approach: inclusive public policy, competitive markets, post- harvest technological support, and digitalization. The synergy of these four aspects will strengthen food security while improving community welfare.

Conclusions

This study confirms that sustainable agribusiness in Bone Regency depends on the synergy between public policy, market dynamics, public health, and digital transformation. Public policy plays a role in strengthening farmer institutions and providing post-harvest support, although funding remains a challenge. Market dynamics through horticultural diversification have proven to increase farmers’ income, yet distribution and transportation remain obstacles. Agribusiness also contributes to public health by reducing malnutrition through food diversification. Meanwhile, digital transformation is beginning to expand market access, although farmers’ digital literacy is still limited. Overall, sustainable agribusiness in Bone requires a holistic approach that integrates inclusive public policy, competitive markets, technological support, and digitalization to improve farmers’ welfare while supporting food security and public health.

Recommendations

1. Policy Strengthening → Local government should enhance financial support and access to post-harvest technology to make policies more effective. 2. Distribution Chain Improvement → Transportation and logistics infrastructure must be improved to expand market access. 3. Food Diversification Programs → Policies should encourage agricultural product diversification to support family nutrition. 4. Farmer Digital Training → Digital literacy and technology mentoring programs should be expanded to enable farmers to utilize e-commerce and price applications. 5. Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration → Stronger synergy among government, universities, financial institutions, and communities is needed to support sustainable agribusiness.

This study opens opportunities for further in-depth research on sustainable agribusiness in Bone Regency. Several directions for future research include: 1. Policy and Technology Integration Exploring how public policies can be integrated with post-harvest innovations and digitalization to strengthen production capacity. 2. Value Chain Analysis Future studies may examine the agribusiness value chain from upstream to downstream, including distribution, logistics, and access to regional and international markets. 3. Agribusiness and Health Linkages Further research can assess the impact of agribusiness on public health, particularly in terms of food diversification and reducing malnutrition. 4. Digital Transformation of Farmers Future studies may focus on farmers’ digital literacy, the use of e-commerce, and price applications to expand market access.