When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Smarter Cities

When A Remote Indonesian Village Plugs Into The Internet

Villagers in the mountain outpost of Melung are among the few in rural Indonesia who can solve daily problems - and sell their products - thanks to an onsite Internet connection.

Kasiem and her husband online
Kasiem and her husband online
Guruh Riyanto, KBR
Guruh Riyanto

MELUNGIn Indonesia, not everyone has access to the Internet, and it is quite rare to be able to connect in rural and mountain locations.

But one village on the slopes of Mount Slamet, in Java, is an exception, and residents here have been surfing the net for years now.

Here we met Kasiem, who's had a particular problem in tending to her paddy field. "There are so many rats here," she says. "I don't know where they come from. They come during the night and eat everything in the rice field."

So she and her husband searched online for solutions. "We found out how to make organic fertilizer through the Internet," Kasiem says. "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 learned, and it works."

The head of Melung village, Khoirudin, says they started the Internet project four years ago. "We now have one server and seven Internet access points in the village that villagers can use to access knowledge."

And it's not just farmers who see the benefits. Eighth-grade student Linda says she uses the Internet to help her with school work.

"I learn from Google, using the wi-fi connection on my cellphone," she says. "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, who says that before the project, residents had to travel down the mountain to
Purwokerto. "Information is very important for us, to get the most up-to-date news, so we will not be left behind," Satrio says. "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, and he even used up his own savings to get it done.

"We collected around $600, using money from village and school funds, also from my own pocket," he says. "In mid-2010, we built three 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 seven."

Local farmers are now using the Internet to tell the world about their village, and to advertise their products online on the village website.

"For us, the Internet is not just about finding out information, but about us giving them information," Satrio says. "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 and as a result, the village's annual income has increased by 30%.

Thanks to the Internet, farmer Taufik can deal directly with his buyers. "We had a buyer who came from Jakarta," he says. "He found out about us and our products from the Internet. They came to us directly."


You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

What's Driving Chechen Fighters To The Frontlines Of Ukraine

Thousands of foreign soldiers are fighting alongside Ukraine. German daily Die Welt met a Chechen battalion to find out why they are fighting.

Photo of the Chechen Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion in Ukraine

Chechen Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion in Ukraine.

Alfred Hackensberger

KRAMATORSK — The house is full of soldiers. On the floor, there are wooden boxes filled with mountains of cartridges and ammunition belts for heavy machine guns. Dozens of hand grenades are lying around. Hanging on the wall are two anti-tank weapons.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

Sign up to our free daily newsletter.

"These are from Spain," says the commanding officer, introducing himself as Maga. "Short for Make America Great Again," he adds with a laugh.

Only 29 years old, Maga is in charge of the Dudayev Chechen battalion, which has taken up quarters somewhere on the outskirts of the city of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine.

The commander appears calm and confident in the midst of the hustle and bustle of final preparations for the new mission in Bakhmut, only about 30 kilometers away. The Ukrainian army command has ordered the Chechen special forces unit to reinforce the town in the Donbas, which has been embattled for months.

Bakhmut, which used to have 70,000 inhabitants, is to be kept at all costs. It is already surrounded on three sides by Russian troops and can only be reached via a paved road and several tracks through the terrain. Day after day, artillery shells rain down on Ukrainian positions and the Russian infantry keeps launching new attacks.

Keep reading...Show less

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

The latest