Smart Villages In Suburban Communities: Lessons Learned From Industrial Area Of Java Toll Road Frontier

Abstract

The implementation of smart village is becoming a fundamental instrument within the policy framework of the Ministry of Villages, Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration (Kemendes PDTT) Republic of Indonesia, but the ways this concept is implemented to promote micro-level sustainable rural development has lack of attention. This study aims to examine the ways smart village principles are applied in suburban communities, as well as the degree of success this strategy achieves on the industrial peripheries of Java toll areas. The intervention is specifically implemented in Clarak, located on the peripherial frontier of the Probolinggo District, East Java Province, Indonesia. A case study, involving in-depth interviews with 30 participants, focuses on the implementation of the smart village policy from 2020 to 2023 through smart initiatives and social empowerment. The study identifies four primary sources of the smart village policy: beneficiaries, village government, village-owned enterprises (BUMDES), and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (UMKM). Four primary sources of the smart village policy are identified: human, financial, material, and informational resources. Human resources are recognised as a critical factor that impacts the remaining three sources. Understanding the implementation of the smart village concept through smart initiatives at micro-level is crucial for addressing similar challenges in industrial areas. The smart village policy is projected to serve as pivotal instruments for enhancing in Indonesia's financial landscape in the upcoming years (2024-2045), as reflected in the increasing numbers of successful implementations on a national scale, including suburban communities in the frontier of Java toll road outskirts.