Jakarta. The "Desa Sejahtera Astra Bajawa" program can help supercharge the rural economy, according to Astra President Director Djony Bunarto Tjondro.

The Indonesian conglomerate Astra has a nationwide village development program known as Desa Sejahtera Astra. The program focuses on intensive mentoring and economic empowerment based on the village's potential. In East Nusa Tenggara's Flores Island, the company has the Desa Sejahtera Astra Bajawa program, which has fostered the local artisan coffee ecosystem and encouraged the growth of community-based businesses. 

According to Djony, the company has been working on the Desa Sejahtera Astra Bajawa initiative since 2024.

"We have seen how the collaboration between the society, government, universities, and the private sector can bring real change. Bajawa shows how villages can become economically independent when their people are given space to innovate and be empowered," Djony was quoted as saying in a press statement.

The program spans across six villages in the Bajawa region: Naru, Wawowae, Mukuvoka, Ngoranale, Bolonga, and Bowali. The program sees Astra providing a structured mentorship. It has also collaborated with over 200 village communities throughout the coffee value chain. Local farmers have witnessed a 67 percent increase in their income. The initiative has also created 54 new jobs, while ensuring 100 percent absorption of coffee harvests, including for Thailand-bound exports. Desa Sejahtera Astra BAjawa also resulted in two new business units and a waste processing group that will turn the waste into products of added value.

The Spirit of Desa Sejahtera Astra Bajawa
The farmers did not only learn about cultivation and processing techniques. The program also taught them fresh perspectives that working in the village can be a sustainable way of living in the future.

However, this progress is inseparable from the role of two people: Bernard Suryanto Langoday and Donatus Philipus Kabe. Bernard is the coach who has accompanied the farmers to hone their skills related to business character building, grading, and quality control. Donatus is the leader of the Bajawa Coffee House, which has inspired more young people to get into farming by teaching them about the local coffee culture and innovations.

Their combined efforts have provided a learning space that hones quality, creativity, and environmental awareness in the Bajawa coffee production ecosystem, not to mention the assistance of Astra.

Astra is one of Indonesia's largest public companies, consisting of 302 subsidiaries, joint ventures, and associated entities. Its workforce also has over 190,000 employees.

Under Djony Bunarto Tjondro's leadership, Astra has made a number of contributions to health, education, the environment, as well as entrepreneurship. The company also has nine foundations that have helped boost Indonesia's economic growth, while also supporting an inclusive and prosperous society.

Astra's cross-sector collaboration and village empowerment align with the company's goal to prosper together with the nation. They are also in line with Indonesia's sustainable development goals (SDGs).