Women and Community Empowerment Agency (BPPM) and UGM have organized the Offer as Leading Product Partners of Tetrapreneur Global Communal Work (G2R) Unit at Nyai Ageng Sareng 3 Meeting Room, BPPM DIY Office. The event held on Tuesday (8/14) is the second step of the G2R Tetrapreneur program initiated by BPPM with the help of UGM Faculty of Economics and Business lecturer, Rika Fatimah, P.L., S.T., M.Sc., Ph.D.
Rika conceptualized the program by adopting the South Korean Government’s Saemaul Undong program. She was once asked by the Faculty of Philosophy to study the program’s failure in advancing rural economy in Indonesia.
At that time, Rika found the similarity between the program’s concept with Indonesia’s concept of communal work. From then on, she assumed there is no need for Indonesia to replicate its own concept from other countries.
Another motive is the emergence of global village phenomenon, where the world can be accessed as a village with the latest technological development. She considers the phenomenon as an opportunity rather than a threat.
Additionally, Rika has her own ideals of alleviating poverty in Indonesia. “Therefore, I took the initiative to create the Tetrapreneur G2R concept,” she said.
The concept is a movement of four (tetra) pillar-based village innovation. Tetra 1 is business supply chain from production to commercialization. Meanwhile, Tetra 2 is the availability of non-competition-based and competition-based markets as a means of exchanging product values.
Rita mentioned that Tetra 2 is the vital stage for the program sustainability. “In Tetra 1, communities are able to provide their products, but it will be useless without markets.” She also added that failures in Tetra 2 will return the program to its starting point.
Tetra 3 begins once Tetra 2 is passed. It is the stage of improving product quality through high-quality human resources, coordinated systems, and self-development. The pinnacle is Tetra 4, the formation of brand values and aspirations.
“To reach the last stage, all indicators from previous stages must be fulfilled,” Rika stressed.
The key to success in this program is the integration of communal work from the fostered villages. “Although rural communities in Indonesia have applied the value of communal work, they have not applied it in economics.”
So far, the Tetrapreneur G2R Program has been applied in two villages, Girirejo and Wukirsari, Imogiri, Bantul. Both villages have completed Tetra 1 with two products from each village.
Girirejo Village has successfully produced Wedang Uwuh Arum Sari drinks. This product differs from the traditional drink in general with the addition of local plants, cardamom. Another product is Ceriping Pisang (banana chips). The interesting part of this snack is the organically cultivated ingredients without any chemicals during processing, making it safe for consumption.
On the other hand, Wukirsari Village presented Ceriping Gadung (Asiatic bitter yam chips) with a similar concept to Ceriping Pisang. This village also presented another product that is different from the previous products, ‘Edu Homestay’. It is a lodging service that offers an educational package including batik class, outbound, local cultures, and carving.
The two villages, according to Rika, have passed Tetra 1 because each village has provided business products by integrating the communal work of local residents. Now is the time for them to proceed to Tetra 2. “This stage is held to establish a partnership network to market their products.”
Several institutions have agreed to become partners of this program. Some of them are Harley Davidson Club Indonesia of Bantul, Yayasan Silaturahmi & Sosial Cendekia, Coordinating Board for Women Organization Yogyakarta, Jogja City Mall, Royal Ambarukmo Hotel, Pamela Group, Indonesian Tour and Travel Agent Association, and Parsley bakery.
Rika added that this program has been internationally acknowledged. It was evidenced by the invitation she received to present the program in the 2018 World Local Government Culture Tourism Festival – Saemaul International Forum in South Korea in September.
“Hopefully, this program can achieve its best result and rural communities in Indonesia can improve their economy themselves,” she hoped.