AGRICULTURE-BASED LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN HIGHLAND PAPUA: POTENTIAL, CHALLENGES, AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT STRATEGIES
Keywords:
Local Economic Development; Agriculture; Garden Produce; Community Empowerment; Highland Papua.
Abstract
This study aims to describe the potential, constraints, and community empowerment strategies associated with agriculture- and garden-produce-based local economic development in Highland Papua, focusing on Jayawijaya, Lanny Jaya, and Yahukimo Regencies. It applies a descriptive qualitative approach and a multisite design. Primary data are intended to be collected through in-depth interviews, observation, focus-group discussions, and document review, followed by interactive analysis involving data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification. Secondary statistics indicate that agriculture remains central to local livelihoods, while regional economic capacity continues to be constrained by poverty and unequal human development. In 2025, the poverty rates were 29.08 percent in Jayawijaya, 31.59 percent in Lanny Jaya, and 30.61 percent in Yahukimo, while their Human Development Index values were 66.02, 52.47, and 52.48, respectively. These conditions suggest that local production potential does not automatically translate into equitable welfare. Result of findings indicate that sweet potato, highland vegetables, coffee, fruits, and other local crops have economic prospects but face transport barriers, high logistics costs, limited post-harvest facilities, unequal price information, weak producer institutions, and insufficient inclusion of women and youth. The proposed strategy combines district-based value-chain strengthening, producer-group capacity building, appropriate post-harvest technology, context-sensitive finance, fair market partnerships, and affirmative measures for Indigenous Papuans. The study concludes that local economic development should be place-based, participatory, sustainable, and capable of linking productivity improvements with stronger community bargaining power.References
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Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
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Putnam, R. D. (1993). Making democracy work: Civic traditions in modern Italy. Princeton University Press.
Rodríguez-Pose, A. (2013). Do institutions matter for regional development? Regional Studies, 47(7), 1034–1047.
Saldaña, J. (2021). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Sen, A. (1999). Development as freedom. Alfred A. Knopf.
Scoones, I. (1998). Sustainable rural livelihoods: A framework for analysis. Institute of Development Studies.
Stake, R. E. (2006). Multiple case study analysis. Guilford Press.
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Badan Pusat Statistik Kabupaten Jayawijaya. (2025, November 3). Tingkat kemiskinan Kabupaten Jayawijaya turun menjadi 29,08 persen pada Maret 2025. https://jayawijayakab.bps.go.id/id/pressrelease/2025/11/03/288/tingkat-kemiskinan-kabupaten-jayawijaya-turun-menjadi-29-08-persen-pada-maret-2025.html
Badan Pusat Statistik Kabupaten Yahukimo. (2025, November 3). Persentase penduduk miskin Maret 2025 di Kabupaten Yahukimo turun menjadi 30,61 persen. https://yahukimokab.bps.go.id/id/pressrelease/2025/11/03/77/persentase-penduduk-miskin-maret-2025-di-kabupaten-yahukimo-turun-menjadi-30-61-persen.html
Badan Pusat Statistik Kabupaten Jayawijaya. (2026). Kabupaten Jayawijaya dalam angka 2026. BPS Kabupaten Jayawijaya.
Badan Pusat Statistik Kabupaten Lanny Jaya. (2025). Kabupaten Lanny Jaya dalam angka 2025. BPS Kabupaten Lanny Jaya.
Badan Pusat Statistik Kabupaten Lanny Jaya. (2026). Kabupaten Lanny Jaya dalam angka 2026. BPS Kabupaten Lanny Jaya.
Badan Pusat Statistik Kabupaten Yahukimo. (2025). Kabupaten Yahukimo dalam angka 2025. BPS Kabupaten Yahukimo.
Badan Pusat Statistik Kabupaten Yahukimo. (2026). Kabupaten Yahukimo dalam angka 2026. BPS Kabupaten Yahukimo.
Badan Pusat Statistik Provinsi Papua Pegunungan. (2024). Statistik transportasi Provinsi Papua Pegunungan 2023. BPS Provinsi Papua Pegunungan.
Badan Pusat Statistik Provinsi Papua Pegunungan. (2025). Indikator penting Provinsi Papua Pegunungan, Desember 2025. BPS Provinsi Papua Pegunungan.
Badan Pusat Statistik Provinsi Papua Pegunungan. (2026). Provinsi Papua Pegunungan dalam angka 2026. BPS Provinsi Papua Pegunungan.
Barca, F., McCann, P., & Rodríguez-Pose, A. (2012). The case for regional development intervention: Place-based versus place-neutral approaches. Journal of Regional Science, 52(1), 134–152. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9787.2011.00756.x
Blakely, E. J., & Leigh, N. G. (2017). Planning local economic development: Theory and practice (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. SAGE Publications.
Chambers, R., & Conway, G. R. (1992). Sustainable rural livelihoods: Practical concepts for the 21st century. Institute of Development Studies.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Department for International Development. (1999). Sustainable livelihoods guidance sheets. DFID.
Novie Wijaya, Rafi Ohorella, Meilya Suzan Triyastuti, & Retno Dwi Jayanti. (2025). Pengaruh Analisis Internal Dan Eksternal Terhadap Kinerja Usaha Kecil Menengah . Curve Elasticity: Jurnal Pendidikan Ekonomi, 6(2), 94-105. https://doi.org/10.57094/jpe.v6i2.2657
Eka Sulistya Anggraeni, & Niniek Imaningsih. (2025). Klasifikasi Daerah Dan Pengaruh Sektor Ekonomi Terhadap Pertumbuhan Ekonomi Di Kabupaten Grobogan. Curve Elasticity: Jurnal Pendidikan Ekonomi, 6(2), 34-46. https://doi.org/10.57094/jpe.v8i2.2934
Gombo, M., Ketut Suma, I Made Candiasa, & I Nyoman Jampel. (2025). Implementasi Manajemen Keuangan Sederhana Pada Usaha Pinang Tradisional Di Wamena: Tantangan Dan Peluang Dalam Konteks Pendidikan Kewirausahaan. Curve Elasticity: Jurnal Pendidikan Ekonomi, 6(1), 94-108. https://doi.org/10.57094/jpe.v6i1.2858
Gombo, M. (2025). Integrasi Kearifan Lokal Te Aro Naweak Lako Dalam Pendidikan Karakter Di Sekolah Dasar. Haga : Jurnal Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat, 4(1), 15-27. https://doi.org/10.57094/haga.v4i1.2978
Ellis, F. (2000). Rural livelihoods and diversity in developing countries. Oxford University Press.
Food and Agriculture Organization. (2014). Developing sustainable food value chains: Guiding principles. https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/i3953e
Food and Agriculture Organization. (2017). The future of food and agriculture: Trends and challenges. FAO.
Freire, P. (2005). Pedagogy of the oppressed (30th anniversary ed.). Continuum. (Original work published 1970)
Gereffi, G., Humphrey, J., & Sturgeon, T. (2005). The governance of global value chains. Review of International Political Economy, 12(1), 78–104.
International Labour Organization. (2006). A local economic development manual for China. ILO.
Kabeer, N. (1999). Resources, agency, achievements: Reflections on the measurement of women's empowerment. Development and Change, 30(3), 435–464. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-7660.00125
Kaplinsky, R., & Morris, M. (2001). A handbook for value chain research. Institute of Development Studies.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. SAGE Publications.
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
North, D. C. (1990). Institutions, institutional change and economic performance. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511808678
Ostrom, E. (1990). Governing the commons: The evolution of institutions for collective action. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511807763
Porter, M. E. (1998). Clusters and the new economics of competition. Harvard Business Review, 76(6), 77–90.
Putnam, R. D. (1993). Making democracy work: Civic traditions in modern Italy. Princeton University Press.
Rodríguez-Pose, A. (2013). Do institutions matter for regional development? Regional Studies, 47(7), 1034–1047.
Saldaña, J. (2021). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Sen, A. (1999). Development as freedom. Alfred A. Knopf.
Scoones, I. (1998). Sustainable rural livelihoods: A framework for analysis. Institute of Development Studies.
Stake, R. E. (2006). Multiple case study analysis. Guilford Press.
United Nations Development Programme. (2016). Local economic development: A primer. UNDP.
World Bank. (2006). Local economic development: A primer—Developing and implementing local economic development strategies and action plans. World Bank.
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Badan Pusat Statistik Kabupaten Jayawijaya. (2025, November 3). Tingkat kemiskinan Kabupaten Jayawijaya turun menjadi 29,08 persen pada Maret 2025. https://jayawijayakab.bps.go.id/id/pressrelease/2025/11/03/288/tingkat-kemiskinan-kabupaten-jayawijaya-turun-menjadi-29-08-persen-pada-maret-2025.html
Badan Pusat Statistik Kabupaten Yahukimo. (2025, November 3). Persentase penduduk miskin Maret 2025 di Kabupaten Yahukimo turun menjadi 30,61 persen. https://yahukimokab.bps.go.id/id/pressrelease/2025/11/03/77/persentase-penduduk-miskin-maret-2025-di-kabupaten-yahukimo-turun-menjadi-30-61-persen.html
Published
2026-08-28
How to Cite
Gombo, M. (2026). AGRICULTURE-BASED LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN HIGHLAND PAPUA: POTENTIAL, CHALLENGES, AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT STRATEGIES. Curve Elasticity: Jurnal Pendidikan Ekonomi, 7(2), 15-31. https://doi.org/10.57094/jpe.v7i2.5530
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Articles
