Apart from Puncak, Bogor has another natural tourist attraction that offers views of rice fields with a mountain background and farming experiences, namely the Mulyaharja Tematik Village. This tourist village, which is still relatively new, was developed and managed directly by the local community, especially the Karang Taruna Mulyaharja tourism awareness group and has been running for three years since 2020.
To increase existing potential, Dr. Eko Sakapurnama, MBA., a lecturer at the Faculty of Administrative Sciences (FIA) at Universitas Indonesia (UI) provided innovation training to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Mulyaharja Thematic Village, on Wednesday (22/11). In this training, Dr. Eko said that innovation is very necessary and important for MSME players since with this innovation, the products and services provided can have added value. “Innovation is the key for MSMEs to survive and develop in an increasingly competitive era,” said Dr. Eco.
Furthermore, he said that innovation can be done in various ways, one of which is by using the Iceberg Model method. The Iceberg Model method is a method used to identify innovation opportunities by looking at various aspects, starting from consumer needs, market trends, to available technology. By using this method, MSME players can develop innovations that are right on target and in line with market needs.
In this activity, there were three groups of MSMEs who took part in the training. They consist of the Farmers Group which produces organic rice, Saung Eling which offers hospitality services and nature tourism experiences, and the Mulyaharja Thematic Village Management group. As one of the participants in this training, Siti Aminah admitted that she gained a lot of new knowledge about innovation and how to develop her business. “This training is very useful for me. I know how to organize innovation that is right on target. I also understand more about the importance of innovation for MSME players,” said Siti Aminah.
From this activity, which was a form of community service (community service), Dr. Eko hoped that this training could increase the capacity of MSME actors in Mulyaharja Thematic Village and improve the welfare of the surrounding community. The event was also attended by the Bogor City Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), represented by the Head of Research and Development, Irma Arlini Dewi, S.T.P., M.Sc. and Mulyaharja Village Head, Indra Permana, SH., MH.
On this occasion, Irma said, “We really appreciate this activity. Innovation is one of the keys to increasing the competitiveness of MSME players.” Meanwhile, Indra, as the local village head, also said that with this training, he hoped that MSMEs in Mulyaharja Village can increase their creativity and innovation so that they can compete in the global market and can help increase the tourist attraction of Mulyaharja Thematic Village.
Apart from that, the community service activities, which also involved FIA UI Business Administration students, were continued with discussions and plans for implementing community service in the following year. This discussion aimed to explore the potential and needs of local MSME players. Some of the requirements required include basic accounting bookkeeping training, product packaging training, and so on.
