Rural community empowerment: strengthening the capacity of rice farmers based on cyber extension in Konda District South Konawe Regency

Introduction Sustainable rural development requires strengthening farmers’ capacities and leveraging Cyber Extension to address productivity stagnation, the digital divide, and limited access to information in support of the self-reliance of rice farmers. This study aims to analyze the role of capacity strengthening of rice farmers through the utilization of Cyber Extension in promoting rural community empowerment in Konda Subdistrict. Methods The study population comprised lowland rice farmers in Konda Subdistrict. The sample was selected using proportional random sampling. The research variables consisted of three components: farmers’ capacity, utilization of Cyber Extension, and community empowerment. Data and information were described and interpreted through a logical analytical framework using both descriptive and inferential statistics within a structured analytical approach. Descriptive analysis employed class interval formulas, while inferential analysis referred to Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS), implemented using SmartPLS 3.0. Results Rural community empowerment in the lowland rice production centers of Konda Subdistrict is strongly influenced by farmers’ capacity levels and the utilization of Cyber Extension as a digital extension instrument. Farmers’ capacity was found to range from moderate to good; however, limitations persist in digital literacy and access to information technology. Structural relationship analysis revealed that farmers’ capacity has a significant effect on the level of Cyber Extension utilization. Moreover, farmers’ capacity exerts both a direct effect on rural community empowerment and an indirect effect mediated through Cyber Extension. These findings indicate that Cyber Extension functions as a mediating variable in the relationship between farmers’ capacity and rural community empowerment. Discussion The findings affirm that Cyber Extension serves as a digital learning space that connects farmers to knowledge sources and extension services, while simultaneously strengthening interaction, learning processes, and the quality of decision-making in lowland rice farming management. The mediating role of Cyber Extension suggests that strengthening farmers’ capacity does not automatically translate into empowerment without the support of an adaptive and inclusive digital extension system. Conceptually, these results enrich the rural community empowerment literature by proposing a model that positions Cyber Extension as a mechanism for transforming individual capacity into collective empowerment, particularly in regions characterized by gaps in digital literacy.