Agricultural Extension, Farmer Motivation, and Maize Food Security in Indonesia-Timor Leste Borderlands

Household food security in semi-arid borderland areas remains vulnerable to drought, limited market access, and weak livelihood assets. Although agricultural extension and farmer motivation have been studied in smallholder contexts, their joint role in explaining maize-based household food security in semi-arid borderland agriculture remains under examined. Drawing on an ERG-based motivation framework, this study tested whether agricultural extension and farmer motivation are positively associated with household food security. A cross-sectional survey of 244 maize-farming households was conducted in the Indonesia Timor Leste borderlands of East Nusa Tenggara from February to August 2025. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire administered through face-to-face interviews and analyzed using covariance-based structural equation modeling. The final model showed acceptable fit (GFI = 0.997; AGFI = 0.927; CFI = 0.999; TLI = 0.992; RMSEA = 0.050) and explained 55.0 of the variance in household food security. The findings show that agricultural extension and farmer motivation were both positively and significantly associated with household food security, indicating their complementary roles in strengthening maize-based household food security. © 2026, Indian Society of Extension Education. All rights reserved.