Boosting development of less developed villages<\/p>\n
The government is allocating a special budget, beginning this
\nfiscal year, to improve the livelihood of villagers in less
\ndeveloped regions. The budget is expected to cover a period of
\nthree years in the current planning.<\/p>\n
By Sjamsoe'oed Sadjad<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Statistics have revealed that the number of less
\ndeveloped villages is large. No fewer than 20 million people
\nstill need our commitment to help them, at least materially.
\nNeedless to say, infrastructure in these hypo-developed villages
\nis less than adequate, usually very far behind the infrastructure
\nof developed centers. The level of education in these villages is
\nfar below the national average, and we can expect that their
\ndaily food intake is very low in nutritional value.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, in these hypo-developed villages there are some
\nsociological potential factors that we can take advantage of in
\norder to accelerate the development process. First, the people in
\nthese villages have a very high level of solidarity. Second, the
\nbond between husband and wife is generally very strong. Third,
\nthe religious base is more stable and fourth, the villages are
\nuniform in that most homes have a yard.<\/p>\n
Traditionally, women play key roles. They skillfully handle
\nall household chores, home economic activities, horticulture,
\nanimal husbandry, and marketing of all their products.<\/p>\n
Women have such a crucial role in determining the nutritional
\nquality of food for their families, especially for their
\nchildren, that a nutrition improvement campaign can only succeed
\nif it was positively responded to by them. In addition, teaching
\nproper eating habits hinges on women as well.<\/p>\n
Village women consume tremendous amounts of time and energy
\nperforming daily tasks because of, among others, the low level of
\ntechnology available. Working in the kitchen, cultivating the
\nyard and going to the market take up at least ten hours a day. If
\nsuch patterns are maintained, how can their lives be made more
\nefficient? Under these circumstances it would be impossible to
\naccelerate development in these villages. It is not possible to
\nturn them into industry oriented villages.<\/p>\n
My solution is primarily a sociological approach involving
\nwomen. In my opinion, there is no village woman whose main
\nconcern is not the health of her family. What we can do to help,
\nis teach them about food qualities and proper eating habits so
\nthat they know how to better feed their family.<\/p>\n
Women should also be encouraged to play a more active role in
\nhome based industries, such as food, handicrafts and traditional
\nherbs, the raw materials of which can be obtained easily from
\nlocal sources. Their yards can be made more valuable if
\nagronomically cultivated, particularly if they are taught to
\ncultivate valuable plants such as vegetables, herbs and fibers.
\nEfforts based on home industries will be more likely accepted and
\nsuccessful than efforts to turn them into subsistent villages.<\/p>\n
The main problem is then the creation of a market for village
\nbased industry. However, with a little goodwill from more
\nestablished industries and a national commitment, this problem
\ncan be solved easily.<\/p>\n
Another effort, that should be made, involves modification of
\neating habits through education. The classification of food into
\nmain dish and side dishes should be abandoned. Eating should be
\nviewed more as a balanced intake of carbohydrates, proteins, fat,
\nminerals and vitamins, all of which can be consumed together and
\nrationally--not in the form of main dish and side dishes that we
\nare so accustomed to.<\/p>\n
Based on this type of menu, we can eat cassava, corn and other
\nsources of carbohydrates instead of rice. They can be consumed
\napart from the side dishes, which is our source of protein. For
\nprotein we can eat tofu, tempe (fermented soybean cake) and other
\nthings. The fat component can be derived from soybean or coconut
\nproducts. Vitamins and minerals can be obtained from vegetables
\nthat we no longer eat along with rice. All of these are consumed
\napart from the carbohydrate components.<\/p>\n
The new eating pattern should be taught to young children. The
\nprogram will have more chance of success if it is made a part of
\nelementary education.<\/p>\n
Bringing the hypo-developed villages to a higher level of
\nprosperity will require a multidisciplinary approach. I hope such
\nan approach will be followed with this fiscal year's allocated
\nbudget for the alleviation of poverty.<\/p>\n
The writer is a professor at the Bogor Institute of
\nAgriculture.<\/p>",
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