Remote Indonesian Village Enjoys Benefits of Going Online

But one village on the slopes of Mount Slamet, in Java, has been surfing the net for years.

In Indonesia, not everyone has access to the internet.

Especially when you live up in the mountains.... most likely you won’t get online.

But one village on the slopes of Mount Slamet, in Java, has been surfing the net for years.

Kasiem is busy taking care of her paddy field.

“There are so many rats here, I don’t know where they come from. They eat everything in the rice field. There are so many rats at night.”

Kasiem is now taking a rest under a tree. She joins her husband who is busy online, using the village’s fast internet connection.

“We found out how to make organic fertilizer through the internet. We learn a lot from it. Our plants were attacked by worms, rats, and I found how to deal with them via the internet. We’ve practiced what we’ve learnt, and it works.”

Unlike in most remote villages in Indonesia, the residents here can log on to a fast internet connection.

The head of Melung village, Khoirudin, says they started the internet project four years ago.

“We now have one server and 7 internet access points in the village that villagers can use to access knowledge on the internet.”

And it’s not just farmers who reap the benefits.

8th grade student Linda says she learns a lot from the internet.

“I learn from Google, using the wi-fi connection on my cellphone. It helps me learn a lot about Physics and Math. We can access any information we need.”

The idea to create an internet village came from the former village head, Agung Budi Satrio.

“We’re located on the slopes of Mount Slamet. So whenever we want to get information, we have to go all the way to Purwokerto. Information is very important for us, to get the most up-to-date news, so we will not be left behind. We’ve tried subscribing to newspapers but it isn’t very satisfactory. We usually get the paper a day late.”

Under his leadership, the village invested in building the necessary infrastructure.

He even used up his own savings.

“We collected around 600 US dollars, using money from village and school funds, also from my own pocket. In mid-2010, we built 3 internet access points. The following year, the local government said they needed the internet too. So they built their own access points. So now we have 7 internet access points.”

Local farmers are now using the internet to tell the world about their village.

And to advertise their products online on the village website, melung.desa.id

“For us, the internet is not just about finding out information, but about us giving them information. So there’s a balance. Villages must have a voice, so we have a balance of information coming in and going out. We also share information with the outside world.”

Advertising on the website has increased sales of farmers’ products.

As a result, the village’s annual income has increased by 30 percent.

Thanks to the internet, farmer Taufik can deal directly with his buyers.

“We had a buyer who came from Jakarta. He found out about us and our products from the internet. They came to us directly to buy.”