Developing a sustainable beef cattle business model for smallholder farms in South Kalimantan's Drylands

South Kalimantan has great resource potential for the beef cattle business as an effort to reduce dependence on imported beef in Indonesia. This study aims to analyze environmental, economic, social and technological resources to build and recommend a sustainable beef cattle business model on dry land in South Kalimantan. The research used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) and Cross-Impact Matrix Multiplication Applied to Classification (MICMAC) analysis on a survey of 110 respondents, which includes interviews and focus group discussions. PLS-SEM assesses the impact of environmental, economic, social, and technological factors, finding they contribute 40.1% to business sustainability and 48.4% to income. MICMAC identifies critical variables for sustainability, highlighting housing technology, disease and feed, and communication with extension agents as pivotal. The study suggests policies addressing these factors, emphasizing their importance in enhancing farmers' abilities and business sustainability. Capital, waste utilization, reproductive technology, and communication with research institutions are identified as regulatory variables crucial for sustaining the beef cattle business. This is important because housing technology, disease and influence on livestock productivity, and communication with extension workers are important to improve farmers' ability to carry out their business so that it is sustainable. These findings provide a foundation for informed policy formulation to develop a robust and sustainable beef cattle industry in South Kalimantan, reducing dependence on imported beef.