Abstract:
Palm oil is an Important commodity in Riau Province, where its private company plantation production is bigger than state company and independent smallholder farmers (Riau Plantation Statistics, 2012). Production of oil palm by independent smallholder farmers is 16 tons per hectare, which is supposed to reach 30 tons/ha/year (Kiswanto dan Wijayanto, 2008} It could be argued that the role of extension in oilpalm plantations, especially the smallhoders becomes very important especially ifit is associated with the issue of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). It requires farmers improve oil palm plantations. The role of extension: education; dissemination; facilitation; consultation; supervision; and monitoring and evaluation are expected to empower the farmers. Research on 180 independent smallholder farmers scattered in three districts in Riau (Kampar; Rokan Hulu and Indragiri Hulu), conducted by a diproposionate random sampling method aims to examine the role of extension. The results, that was using Likert Scale's Summated Rating (SLR}, illustrates that the extension has been running in providing education and consultation for farmers, but it just enough in dissemination, facilitation, and monitoring and evaluation. It is recommended that the extension should increase its role in the dissemination ofprices ofinputs and its production, facilitating complaints offarmers, realizing the partnership and market access (marketing mix), the ability of farming techniques, monitoring and evaluation ofthe technology innovation, and also both technical and financialperformance offarmers
