Strengthening Village Economy Through Women Farmers Groups
Institut Pertanian Stiper (Instiper) Yogyakarta is expanding its technology transfer reach through the Community Service Programme under the Assisted Village Programme scheme in Ngestiharjo Village, Kasihan, Bantul, Yogyakarta. In addition to strengthening the economic chain and competitiveness of village horticulture, the programme is also intended for empowerment.
In the third year of implementation, Instiper has expanded the scale of technology mentoring. The Tanjung Asri and Ngudi Lestari Women Farmers Groups have joined, following the Kenanga and Sumber Rejeki groups. This step marks an important momentum to encourage local processed farm products to penetrate a wider market.
The mentoring programme, which aims to strengthen the economy of Ngestiharjo Village residents through empowering women farmers group associations, has been running since 2024. The assistance now focuses on strengthening management and market expansion. Each group focuses on optimising its respective products, namely processed aloe vera, pecel sauce, processed lemongrass, and fresh vegetables, so that they have added value and high competitiveness from upstream to downstream.
“The main focus is to boost the added value of processed horticultural products and open up product commercialisation channels,” said Community Service Team Leader Ngatirah in a statement received on 20 August.
A number of training and development programmes have been implemented, including training on vertical shallot cultivation, training on product shelf life and how to determine expiration dates, digital marketing training, and the creation of a women farmers group association website. In addition, the programme is also supported by the provision of processing machinery assistance that helps the groups increase production capacity and efficiency.
The team introduced plastic and cardboard pressing equipment to increase the sale value of inorganic waste, as well as waste sorting machines that help the community separate waste.