Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s Public Works Ministry has begun implementing the Irrigation Water Utilization Improvement Acceleration Program (P3TGAI) for the 2026 fiscal year across around 12 thousand locations nationwide, while recruiting community facilitators to support its rollout.Public Works Minister Dodi Hanggodo said the program is a key instrument to ensure that development benefits are distributed more evenly across society.“By involving local communities in development, labor-intensive programs create jobs, reduce unemployment, and boost purchasing power,” Hanggodo said in a statement issued in Jakarta on Monday.He added that the labor-intensive initiative is a strategic government tool to strengthen national food security, expand employment opportunities across regions, and empower communities to take a more active role in infrastructure development.“By directly involving communities, the program not only delivers useful infrastructure but also encourages active participation in development,” he said.Under the scheme, development funds are channeled directly to the village level, helping to foster a sense of ownership over the irrigation infrastructure being built.As the program expands in 2026, the role of community facilitators is becoming increasingly important to ensure effective implementation on the ground.Facilitators will assist farmer groups, including Water User Farmer Associations (P3A), Joint P3A Associations (GP3A), and Main P3A Associations (IP3A), from the planning stage through simple construction and administrative management.They will also help maintain work quality in the field, support report preparation, and provide technical assistance to promote more efficient and sustainable irrigation management.Through the program, the ministry aims not only to develop reliable irrigation infrastructure but also to create jobs, enhance community capacity, and strengthen the role of farmers in supporting national food security.