Beef Cattle Farmers' Perceptions Towards Mineral Block Supplementation in Playen District, Gunung Kidul

Smallholder farmers often struggle to meet the mineral requirements of their cattle, leading to nutritional deficiencies that negatively impact livestock productivity. Mineral block supplementation has been introduced as a practical and cost-effective solution to address this issue. However, its adoption largely depends on farmers' perceptions and acceptance of the technology. This study assesses farmers' perceptions of mineral block supplementation and examines the factors influencing these perceptions. The research was conducted in Playen District, Gunung Kidul, using structured and validated questionnaires administered through direct interviews with 59 farmers from two farmer groups. The findings indicate that farmers generally hold positive perceptions of mineral block supplementation, particularly regarding its relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability. Multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis revealed that age (P<0.05), formal education (P<0.01), extension services (P<0.05), and institutional support (P<0.01) significantly influenced farmers' perceptions. These findings highlight the importance of targeted extension efforts and institutional support in promoting mineral block adoption among smallholder cattle farmers. © (2025), Licensee ResearchersLinks Ltd, England, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons. org/licenses/by/4.0/)