Poverty rate of rural areas in 2015 reached 14.21% while urban poverty rate was 8.29%. This disparity neccesitates the rural development, starting from individual or household scale development.
“The Dashboard for Democracy Economics unit has the aspiration to determine to which direction we would build the rural areas. Economy means the ability to build our own household whilst society can meet its own needs and be happy. Society has to be independent, thankful, happy, and fun,” said Advisor to the Dashboard of Faculty of Economics and Businesss UGM, Prof. Dr. Gunawan Sumodiningrat, M. Ec., in a training themed One Village, One Cooperative Movement, on Saturday (21/5) in University Club UGM.
The movement launched on 30 January is an integrated community based rural development programme. Rural community is encouraged to be independent, becoming the initiator to make their villages prosper. The community is trained to do productive businesses by exploring the available potential in a sustainable manner.
Society income can be generated with One Person One Product (OPOP). When someone already had a product along with other community members, later they join the One Village One Product (OVOP), furthermore this evolves into Village Business (BUMDes) or One Village One Cooperation (OVOC).
“Cooperation can be in the form of legal entity and a business entity that is based on mutual cooperation. One Village One Cooperation in essence is the spirit of the people to establish a business venture,” he said.
The movement starts from Gedangsari village in Gunung Kidul regency. Regent Hj. Badingah, S.Sos., welcomed the movement as an endeavour to advance the prosperity of the Indonesian people, especially through democratic economic approach based on cooperatives.
“Although cooperatives have good direction and goals to make people prosper, but many of these have not been managed professionally, transparently, prioritising on the principles of common businesses,” she said in a speech read out by Head of Industry, Trade, Cooperative and Human Resource Agency of Gunung Kidul local government, Hidayat, S.H., M.Si.
She appreciated the staff of the local administration who were doing the training to be more competent in rural empowerment. They are expected to be able to sustain the OPOP/OVOP/OVOC and further to encourage the people to actively participate in rural development through production increases that starts from individuals, family, community, and the nation.
“I believe every rural area has the economic potential that can be empowered, supported by cooperatives. Hence, I hope One Village One Cooperation can really be established which is good, dynamic, and professional to be one that mobilises the rural economy,” she concluded.