UMPO.AC.ID   -  A team of lecturers from Universitas Muhammadiyah Ponorogo (UMPO), consisting of Ayub Dwi Anggoro, Niken Lestarini, and Ayok Ariyanto, is currently developing a concept for village development that integrates local potential, disaster risk mitigation, and digital transformation in Talun Village, Ngebel District, Ponorogo Regency, East Java. The research is titled "Multidimensional Exploration for the Development of the Reog Techno Concept: Integration of Local Potential, Disaster Risk, and Digital Transformation in Ponorogo."

Ayub Dwi Anggoro, the lead researcher, explained that the background of the study stems from challenges in optimizing village economic potential due to high disaster risk and the lack of integrated policies and information technology utilization in supporting rural development.

“This issue also arises because the management and utilization of information technology systems to support the optimization of economic potential and disaster management in villages still heavily depend on the Regional Government,” he stated during a focused group discussion (FGD) with the village head, Ponorogo Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), local entrepreneurs, and community leaders of Talun Village on Wednesday (June 25).

The FGD was preceded by a workshop on potential and disaster management, featuring speakers from Ponorogo BPBD, Roma Haqni, and communication science lecturer from Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Fajar Junaedi.

According to Ayub, this dependency on the regional government has caused the planning and implementation of development—particularly in economic empowerment and disaster mitigation—not to be participatory. This has created a gap in realizing village independence that aligns with national development policies.

Talun Village was chosen as the research location due to its significant natural and cultural economic potential. It has also been designated as a Disaster-Resilient Village (DESTANA) by Ponorogo BPBD. Located on the slopes of Mount Wilis, above Ngebel Lake, one of Ponorogo’s tourist destinations, Talun offers agro-tourism potential including waterfalls, coffee plantations, cattle farming, and scenic nature with a cool climate. However, this potential is accompanied by disaster risks such as landslides and ground fractures.

The Head of Talun Village, Waroto, expressed his appreciation for UMPO’s contribution to both potential development and disaster mitigation through impactful research for the community.

Ayub added that the expected outcome of the research is the development of Reog Techno (Resilient Ecosystem and Geographic Technology), a robust and adaptive technology-based ecosystem. This model is intended to serve as an integrative development framework for self-reliant villages that combines economic potential, disaster mitigation, and digital information systems.

The program is supported by the Regular Fundamental Research Grant from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek), and involves collaboration between UMPO, Ponorogo BPBD, and the Government of Talun Village.