Regeneration of Agricultural Human Resources in Pekanbaru Based on Digital Humanities

Abstract The role of the agricultural sector in national development can be examined from its ability to absorb labor. The youth generation, the largest segment of the workforce, represents a transition from the era of older, non-productive farmers to that of young, productive ones. Challenges in agricultural youth regeneration today lie in interest lacking in agricultural professions among young people, their perception that job fields other than agriculture are more promising economically, the dominance of older farmers in farming, and their claim that farming is a tradition instead of a profession worth considering. A significant challenge observed in Pekanbaru is the substantial age gap among farmers, with a considerably lower proportion of young farmers (7.41%) compared to older farmers (92.59%). This study aims to investigate the impact of perceptions and social media utilization on the career interests of young individuals within the agricultural sector, specifically within the context of digital humanities. Data was collected through a survey administered to a sample selected using simple random sampling. 120 respondents were then generated, consisting of 40 youths not working in agriculture, 40 youths studying agriculture, and 40 youths working in agriculture. Data were analyzed in descriptive qualitative using the Likert summated rating scale and SEM-PLS. Results demonstrated that social media use and perceptions among the youth influenced their attitudes by 83.6% and that social media use, perceptions, and attitudes collectively affected their interest in working in agriculture by 81%