WAMENA, PAPUA – The Integrated Village Economic Transformation Program is a solution in building the economic independence of villages in Papua. The achievements of the Integrated Village Economic Transformation Program, one of which focuses on Jayawijaya Regency, were displayed at the National Coordination Meeting for the Acceleration of Disadvantaged Area Development in Wamena, Jayawijaya, Papua Mountains.
All village food security products resulting from the implementation of the Demonstration Plot of the Integrated Village Economic Transformation Program were exhibited in a display case visited by the Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Abdul Halim Iskandar accompanied by the Acting Governor of Papua Mountains Velix Wanggai, Project Manager of the Integrated Village Economic Transformation Program M. Fachri and the Regents of Papua Mountains.
The Minister of Village Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration, who is familiarly called Gus Halim, appreciated the product of the Integrated Village Economic Transformation program through Demonstration Plot activities. Gus Halim stated that the Demonstration Plot was a tangible manifestation of the success of village food security in the Papua Mountains based on local wisdom and potential. This success is expected to be a model for the utilization of village funds because the Integrated Village Economic Transformation Demonstration Plot is carried out by villagers, accompanied by technical instructors including facilitators according to the diversity of potential in each village, “the presence of Integrated Village Economic Transformation as a form of collaboration and stimulation in efforts to increase community income and alleviate disadvantaged areas, whatever policies we do must be based on customs,” said the Honorary Professor of Surabaya State University.
It is known that the Integrated Village Economic Transformation Program has been implemented by the Ministry of Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration since 2020 and is located in 9 provinces, 25 districts, consisting of 1,110 villages, six of which are in Papua, namely:
- Papua,
- West Papua,
- Southwest Papua,
- Central Papua,
- South Papua,
- Papua Mountains which consists of 16 regencies.
The location of the Integrated Village Economic Transformation Program in Papua Mountains covers two districts, namely Yahukimo and Jayawijaya. Yahukimo District covers seven districts or sub-districts and 35 villages, supported by 14 district facilitators and 35 village cadres, Jayawijaya District covers 11 districts or sub-districts and 52 villages, supported by 22 district facilitators and 52 village cadres.
One of the Integrated Village Economic Transformation Programs that has been implemented in Jayawijaya and Yahukimo in fiscal year 2023 is the Coaching Clinic Activity involving village assistants, and village heads as well as representatives of economic institutions in 52 villages in Jayawijaya and 35 villages in Yahukimo.
In 2023 Jayawijaya received Demonstration Plot Assistance to 10 beneficiary groups in 10 villages, with a total assistance value of Rp1 billion. The details of each KPB received assistance of IDR 100 million.
Demonstration Plot activities include:
- Coffee plantation sector,
- Root crop sector,
- Vegetable and fruit sector,
- Freshwater fish farming sector,
- Pig and honey farming sector.
Based on the evaluation results of the 10 villages that received Demonstration Plot assistance, 8 of them have successfully run the program as expected, while the other 2 villages covering the pig farming sector are still not running optimally.
In 2024, the Demonstration Plot assistance of the Integrated Village Economic Transformation program has been budgeted at IDR 4.2 billion for 42 KPB as well as for training on system information management and one of the objectives of implementing the Integrated Village Economic Transformation Program is to support the achievement of Village SDGs goals, where village communities not only get stimulants in the form of assistance, but are equipped with community capacity building to build economic independence through their resources in a sustainable manner.
In addition, assistance and capacity building of village officials are also provided. Village government budget allocation through village funds is expected to be for food security, this is as mandated in the priority use of village funds of at least 20 percent can be a solution in scaling up and replicating business activities that have been successfully carried out in the Integrated Village Economic Transformation program.
In this program, it is necessary to integrate all programs from the central government such as village assistants, village funds, and Village-Owned Enterprises, with commitments from Provincial and District Governments in the form of Regional Budget funds and assistance from technical instructors in the agriculture, plantation, fisheries and livestock sectors.