Gunungkidul strengthens young farmer development through YESS-SI programme
The programme represents a strategic opportunity to address local unemployment challenges whilst accelerating farmer regeneration.
Yogyakarta (ANTARA) — The Gunungkidul Regency Government, together with the Yogyakarta-Magelang Agricultural Development Polytechnic (Polbangtan YOMA), is following up on cooperation to develop young farmer entrepreneurship through the Youth Entrepreneurship and Employment Support Services (YESS-SI) programme for the 2027–2029 period.
Gunungkidul Regent Endah Subekti Kuntariningsih, speaking in Gunungkidul on Tuesday, said Gunungkidul had been designated as one of 15 selected regencies in Indonesia to implement the national YESS-SI programme, resulting from a collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Italy-based International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
“One of the aims of this programme is to expand employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people in rural areas,” she said.
She viewed the programme as a strategic opportunity to address the regency’s unemployment challenges whilst at the same time accelerating farmer regeneration.
“We encourage young people to apply the principle of ‘plant what you eat, eat what you plant, sell what you plant, and plant what you sell’,” she said.
According to her, farmer regeneration and the reduction of unemployment are important to revolutionise the mindset of communities so they no longer depend on Direct Cash Assistance (BLT) or other government aid programmes.
“So that they are able to become self-reliant in managing the agricultural land potential they possess,” she said.
Endah instructed all departments within the Gunungkidul Regency Government to move quickly to align their programmes in preparation for the implementation of YESS-SI, which is planned to begin next year.
“This cross-sectoral synergy involves the Agriculture and Food Service, the Trade and Manpower Service, the Industry and SME Cooperatives Service, Bappeda, the Youth and Sports Service, and the Education Service,” she said.
The Gunungkidul Regency Government will also immediately process the formation of the regional institutional structure, namely the District Coordination Committee (DCC), chaired by the Head of Bappeda, and the District Implementation Partnership (DIP), coordinated by the Agriculture and Food Service.
“This is a joint commitment to safeguard the success of the YESS-SI programme in realising Gunungkidul’s young people who are self-reliant, competitive, and prosperous,” said Endah.
Meanwhile, the Director of Polbangtan YOMA, R. Hermawan, said the implementation of the YESS-SI programme will be supported by four main pillars: enhancing the capacity and competence of young people through technical guidance, skills training, and apprenticeships; and capital assistance in the form of competitive grants for young rural entrepreneurs.
“Then there is the development of commodity cluster ecosystems to guarantee sustainability and assured market access; as well as facilitating access to finance and funding, including business proposal mentoring and the disbursement of People’s Business Credit (KUR),” he said.
Hermawan mentioned several collaborative programmes already under way in Gunungkidul, including Impactful Internships at the Semin and Playen Agricultural Extension Centres (BPP) with the business and industrial world, as well as the integration of learning and community service at BPP Patuk.
“There is also mentoring for the Makmur Farmers Group in Nglipar towards a Shallot Seed Self-Reliant Village in cooperation with Bank Indonesia; as well as integrated research across various kapanewon areas,” he said.
Polbangtan YOMA conducts training to enhance the capacity of agriculture extension workers based on smart farming and digital literacy, and offers 100 per cent free university scholarships from the Ministry of Agriculture for farmers’ children and rural youth wishing to pursue vocational education at Polbangtan.