Boosting Local Economy through Desa Sejahtera Astra Initiative

Boosting Local Economy through Desa Sejahtera Astra Initiative

CENTRAL JAVA: Guests from various regions gathered in Muncar Village, Temanggung District, Central Java. They all shared the same hope of a better environmental future. “We are gathering here in Desa Sejahtera Astra (DSA) Temanggung to plant 20,000 forest trees and productive trees that will benefit the surrounding communities in the future,” said Astra Head of Environment & Social Responsibility Diah Suran Febrianti.

The tree-planting activity (3/11) was attended by Raden Wijaya Kusumawardhana (Deputy Secretary for Coordination of Education Quality Improvement and Religious Moderation of the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia), Cicilia Sulastri (Head of the Center for Environment and Forest Generation Development of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia), Rosalia (Chairperson of the Central Executive Board of the Indonesian Adiwiyata Activist Association), Denty Eka Widi Pratiwi (Member of the Regional Representative Council of the Republic of Indonesia), Sis Bambang (Head of Muncar Village, Temanggung District) and Diah Suran Febrianti (Astra Head of Environment & Social Responsibility).

The trees were planted using the agroforestry system, an optimal and sustainable land use that combines forest plants with productive plants.

Astra has assisted DSA Temanggung since 2018. Besides coffee, this village also boasts natural tourism potential that resulted from the collaboration between the coffee-based plantation tourism village and the cultural agritourism concept.

As of 2023, a total of 1,200 people have been exposed to the DSA Temanggung program from previously only about 200 people, and employment increased from 20 people to 93 people.

Tourism Village Potential
In mid-2022, Astra also assisted in developing tourism villages in Bantul District, Special Region of Yogyakarta, through DSA Mangunan and DSA Gilangharjo, with a focus on empowering their local potential.

DSA Mangunan has the potential to preserve the pine forest and Mangunan Orchard, known as ‘the land above the clouds’. Every week, as many as 1,500 local and foreign tourists come to watch the sunrise here. With a Rp10,000 fee per visit, the local community can earn Rp60 million every month.

In addition to the land above the clouds, DSA Mangunan also has the Kaki Langit Tourism Village, where visitors can learn to make wood lathe art for sale, as well as see the making of and learn about traditional drinks.

While DSA Gilangharjo, located at the foot of Mount Cilik, Kaliurup, has a children’s batik community with a friendly and comfortable atmosphere. This community is managed by Anjani Sekar Arum, the recipient of the 2017 SATU Indonesia Awards in the Entrepreneurship category, to preserve the village’s signature batik product, which has gradually been sold to the public.

To date, both villages have involved 180 residents in village development, created 60 new jobs and increased residents’ daily income by 20%.

Overall, the Desa Sejahtera Astra program in Central Java is currently running well. There are 128 foster villages with a total of 19,865 beneficiaries.

As of 2023, Astra has fostered 1,060 DSAs with 134,998 people exposed to the program, created 20,370 new jobs and increased the average local income by 89% throughout Indonesia. Presently, there are four clusters of DSA products: coffee cluster; agriculture, processed and commodity cluster; marine and capture fisheries cluster; and tourism, creative and cultural cluster.

Astra’s contribution to developing DSA’s natural potential for Indonesia today and in the future is in line with Astra’s mission to prosper with the nation and support Indonesia’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

For further information, please contact:
Boy Kelana Soebroto
Head of Corporate Communications
PT Astra International Tbk
Ph.021-508-43-888

About Astra:

PT Astra International Tbk was established in 1957 in Jakarta as a general trading company under the name Astra International Inc. In 1990, for the purpose of the company’s initial public offering (IPO), the name of the company changed to PT Astra International Tbk, followed by listing its shares on the Indonesia Stock Exchange under the ticker code ASII.

Astra has developed its business by implementing a business model based on synergies and diversification within seven business divisions: 1) Automotive, 2) Financial Services, 3) Heavy Equipment, Mining, Construction & Energy, 4) Agribusiness, 5) Infrastructure and Logistics, 6) Information Technology and 7) Property.

Astra Group conducts business operations in all parts of Indonesia under the management of more than 240 companies, including subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates, and was supported by more than 188,000 employees, as of December 2021.

As one of the largest national business groups in Indonesia today, Astra has built a strong reputation through offering a range of quality products and services, taking into account the implementation of good corporate and environmental governance. Astra always aspires to be the pride of the nation that participates in efforts to improve the welfare of the Indonesian people.

Astra's business activities strive to apply a balanced mix in the commercial aspects of business and non-business contributions through 9 foundations and a variety of sustainable social responsibility programmes, namely Astra Untuk Indonesia Sehat, Astra Untuk Indonesia Cerdas, Astra Untuk Indonesia Hijau and Astra Untuk Indonesia Kreatif.

Astra initiated the Semangat Astra Terpadu Untuk (SATU) Indonesia Awards programme, which has entered its eleventh year, and has given recognition awards to 493 young Indonesians, consisting of 81 national level recipients and 412 provincial level recipients in the fields of Health, Education, the Environment, Entrepreneurship and Technology, which are integrated with Astra’s wide range of community activities through 133 Kampung Berseri Astra and 930 Desa Sejahtera Astra initiatives in 34 provinces throughout Indonesia.

For further information, please visit www.astra.co.id & www.satu-indonesia.com, and follow Astra through Instagram (@satu_Indonesia), Youtube (SATU Indonesia), Facebook (Semangat Astra Terpadu) and Twitter (@satu_Indonesia).