Implementation of Rural Area Development Program (Case Study: Ijen Agro-tourism Rural Areas, Banyuwangi Regency)

Abstract

Rural development is an effort made to optimally utilize all potential resources to achieve village growth and improve the welfare of rural communities. The direction of the village development policy was reborn marked by the birth of a law specifically regulating villages (UU 6/2014). One of the development approaches in the village law is "membangun desa" which is integrated into a broader and functional village development plan in the form of a rural area development program. The rural area development program is considered capable of accelerating and improving service quality, economic development, and empowerment of village communities through a participatory approach by integrating various policies, plans, programs, and activities of the parties in the designated area. The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that affect the implementation of the rural area development program. This research was conducted with a deductive approach and qualitative research methods. Data collection was carried out through in-depth interviews, field observations, and institutional surveys. Data analysis was performed by content analysis and strengthened by data triangulation. The results showed that the factors that influence the implementation of the rural area development program consist of supporting factors and inhibiting factors. Supporting factors for program implementation are the existence of a management agency at the rural level, the existence of qualified rural assistants, and the involvement of multi-stakeholders and multi-sectors in program implementation. The inhibiting factors for program implementation are low human resource capacity at the rural level, lack of financial capital, and no third party cooperation in marketing featured products in rural areas.