The Importance of Local Wisdom Approach in the Socio-Economic Empowerment Program of Village Communities

Abstract

Various community empowerment programs in rural areas have been carried out by the government. However, some of these programs are less successful in improving the socio-economic conditions of the community because they set aside the approach of local wisdom based on locality culture that applies to the community, where the empowerment program is implemented. This study article aims to illustrate how local wisdom can be effectively applied in community empowerment programs in rural areas to support poverty alleviation efforts in rural Indonesia. is one of the important approaches that is increasingly being applied in poverty alleviation efforts in Indonesia. This research aims to systematically examine various scientific literature related to the implementation, obstacles, and success of community empowerment programs that make local cultural values the main basis. The method used in this study is Systematic Literature Review (SLR) in several national and international journals published during the last 5 years. The results of the study show that community empowerment programs in rural areas that use a local wisdom approach based on local cultural values are more effective in increasing economic independence, strengthening social solidarity, and developing the capacity of rural communities compared to programs that are top-down and pay less attention to the socio-cultural aspects of the local community. Some of the key factors that support the program's success include active community participation, strong local leadership, cross-sector cooperation, and program sustainability. Thus, the approach based on local wisdom can be understood not only as a supporting element but as the basis of the approach to realize sustainable and equitable community empowerment.