LandMentor – Neighborhood Design Technology & Education to Increase Living Standards, Reduce Costs, & Environmental Impact – Now Free

LandMentor is a market-proven solution in innovative design, surveying, architecture & engineering methods with technology to solve growth problems.

LandMentor: The end of boring neighborhoods

MINNEAPOLIS, June 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — With today’s escalating construction costs and increased interest rates, the LandMentor System is being offered for free to those involved on the private and government side of growth and redevelopment.   

Neighborhood Innovations, LLC is gifting this free system on July 1, 2022, to developers, builders, consultants and municipalities. It will increase living standards, greenspace, values, and connectivity – while decreasing costs and environmental impacts.

LandMentor is a ‘System‘ that blends technology with an education in advanced market-proven design methods. It should decrease the infrastructure needed to develop land between 5 and 40 percent compared to conventional development patterns. This has obvious economic and environmental benefits.

It was time to share the system:

Neighborhood Innovations, LLC wanted to make a gift to the world to solve problems facing growth, from the regulatory (government) side and the design (consulting) side. With over 1,500 developments in 48 states and 18 nations designed with LandMentor, the firm felt it was time we spread the knowledge and share its technical advantage to the world.

How can LandMentor improve the world’s growth? 

CAD & GIS software companies serving the growth industry automate geometric relationships that have been in place for centuries.

Other software offerings boast that hundred lots can be designed and calculated in a few minutes, producing cookie-cutter subdivisions, but not likely a great place to live and raise a family. How could it be, with a minute of thought behind it?

To address this, LandMentor introduces an industry-first – a software packaged with a holistic industry education. For example, does Microsoft Word instantly make a great author? Obviously, no. But what if it was packaged with a complete education in storytelling or technical writing?

Reducing (or eliminating) the dependence on CAD:

LandMentor has no commands, and its patented graphic & video prompts make all tasks easier, quick to learn, and enjoyable.

A ‘Surface Based’ solution:

The world consists of surfaces – not lines and curves, and those surfaces have environmental and economic consequences. LandMentor reports surface impacts with easy-to-understand charts. Designers can take action to reduce waste, and cities can communicate the waste to the developer.

Changing the Way the Industry Communicates:

LandMentor ‘video gaming’ interactive 3D is easily created from normal planning, surveying, and engineering tasks. Most users today will be familiar with video gaming. Thus, no learning curve. Its ‘plug & play’ VR headset support transports users into a meta virtual environment.

What’s Included? 

All is needed is to download the ‘system’ from www.landmentor.com and dedicate the time (about a week or two) to go through the included initial training (video and PowerPoint with examples) as well as the internal textbooks under the Help menu. LandMentor reverts to a subscription model in 2024. Pricing is to be based on the volume of users (projected to be 10% to 20% the cost of CAD).

About LandMentor.com:

LandMentor was developed by Neighborhood Innovations, LLC, a software spin-off of Rick Harrison Site Design Studio which is a Land Planning research firm to discover new methods of design, engineering, surveying, and architecture. Its profits funded the software development.

Richard Harrison, President

763-545-0216

rharrison@landmentor.com

Related Images

Image 1: LandMentor: The end of boring neighborhoods

This neighborhood demonstrated a 38% reduction of street infrastructure

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

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Peplink redesigns one of its most cost effective and scalable mobile routers, MAX BR1 Mini

VILNIUS, Lithuania, June 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Peplink today unveils the new and improved mobile router, MAX BR1 Mini. The all-rounder offers durability, compactness, versatility, and numerous features to support use cases involving large network deployments and out-of-band (OOB) management.

Starting from $349, the new BR1 Mini offers reliable LTE connectivity at 300mbps throughput, 2x Gigabit Ethernet ports with power-over-ethernet capability, Wi-Fi 5 and eSIM support. It also comes with a Micro-Fit industrial connector to maximize deployment possibilities.

While industry grade quality of the device is crucial when it comes to specific deployment scenarios, Peplink’s MAX BR1 Mini can be further upgraded with cloud and OOB management features by adding a PrimeCare subscription. Peplink InTouch – the said OOBM feature – enables remote management of third party devices (such as IP cameras, phones and access control devices). Better yet, InTouch is a game changer to existing solutions on the market as it does not require any dedicated OOBM equipment or remote PC licenses.

The BR1 Mini can also be augmented with the Feature Pack, which enhances the reliability and flexibility with session-persistent failover, latency smoothing, WiFi as WAN, and smart vehicle ignition-sensing capabilities.

Keith Chau, General Manager of Peplink said, “Since its first launch in 2017, the BR1 Mini’s high performance-to-price, reliability and wide compatibility with existing network infrastructure have been key winning features among financial institutions, retail shops, convenient stores, vaccination sites, and more.”

“The new BR1 Mini is even better because it combines improved throughput speed with loads of useful software features to offer a cost-effective remote management solution to manage network branches and their growing number of connected devices,” added Keith Chau.

MAX BR1 Mini is available in LTE CAT-4, CAT-6 or CAT-7 (US only) models. PrimeCare subscription and Feature Pack bundles are available through Peplink authorized resellers and https://estore.peplink.com/

Additional info:
BR1 Mini datasheet
Explore Peplink’s vast connectivity ecosystem and see how it can help your business stay connected.

Contact:
Cassy Mak
Marketing Manager
marketing@peplink.com

Cloudbeds Acquires Whistle, Moves to Solve Friction in Guest Journey

No. 1 PMS and No. 1 guest messaging platform join forces to integrate guest engagement solutions seamlessly into day-to-day lodging business operations

Cloudbeds Acquires Whistle

No. 1 PMS and No. 1 guest messaging platform join forces to integrate guest engagement solutions seamlessly into day-to-day lodging business operations

SAN DIEGO, June 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cloudbeds, the hospitality management platform powering more reservations and happier guests for lodging businesses around the globe, announced today at HITEC 2022 the acquisition of the industry’s leading guest engagement solution, Whistle. Together, the companies will integrate their best-in-class technologies to remove friction points in the guest journey through a single platform.

“The term contactless is becoming far too synonymous with hospitality,” said Richard Castle, COO and Co-Founder of Cloudbeds. “We want more contact between lodging businesses and their guests to create purposeful touchpoints, answer questions and provide guidance through the entire guest journey. Research shows that engaged guests spend more, leave better reviews and the majority prefer to communicate via digital channels — Whistle makes it all possible. Whether it’s a booking engine chat or front desk text request, Whistle positions Cloudbeds customers to be a part of the guest journey from discovery to post-stay, removing barriers that might hinder a booking or positive review.”

Whistle leads the industry in guest engagement with unified communication tools, digitized arrival experiences and more. Current customers include major hospitality brands and hoteliers around the world, including Choice Hotels, Accor, IHG and Four Sisters Inns, among others. Founded in 2015, the company has been rated the no. 1 guest messaging software by Hotel Tech Report for five consecutive years.

Whistle will play an important role in the company’s vision for creating a fully frictionless solution that enables guests to engage with lodging businesses on their own terms. Simultaneously, it will give lodging businesses a unified platform to more efficiently manage points of contact throughout the entire guest journey.

“Our goal has always been to give lodging businesses a unique, easy-to-use solution that simplifies and streamlines the way they communicate,” said Christopher Hovanessian, CEO and Co-Founder of Whistle. “Cloudbeds has a clear vision for building a better, more frictionless hospitality experience via a unified platform. Together, we can make a greater impact on the industry that benefits not only the guest, but also the property staff and the lodging business itself.”

Following its Series D funding announcement in November, Cloudbeds has doubled down on its commitment to “more reservations, happier guests” with three acquisitions and the introduction of several new product offerings to address major pain points for both operators and guests. Driven by an aggressive product roadmap, the company has nearly tripled in size over the past year, with more solutions set to roll out in Q3 designed to help hoteliers grow their businesses.

For more information, visit cloudbeds.com/whistle.

Cloudbeds will share further details about the acquisition at HITEC 2022 in Orlando, during a press event at 1:30 p.m. ET in Booth # 1701 on Tuesday, June 28.

About Cloudbeds
Cloudbeds provides the platform that powers hospitality, driving streamlined operations, increasing reservations and revenue, and enabling memorable guest experiences for lodging businesses of all sizes and types across the globe. The award-winning Cloudbeds Hospitality Platform seamlessly combines solutions for front desk, revenue, distribution, guest acquisition, and guest engagement in a single unified system, enhanced by a marketplace of third-party integrations. Cloudbeds was named No. 1 PMS and No. 1 Hotel Management System by Hotel Tech Report in 2022 and recognized by Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 in 2021. For more information, visit www.cloudbeds.com.

Contact:
Angela Petersen
angela.petersen@cloudbeds.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ea0d94df-2649-42d8-8e49-c59efe9665e5

 

Cloudbeds เข้าซื้อกิจการ Whistle และได้เดินหน้าต่อเพื่อแก้ไขปัญหาที่เป็นอุปสรรคในการเดินทางของลูกค้า

แพลตฟอร์มการส่งข้อความสำหรับลูกค้าอันดับ 1 และระบบเทคโนโลยีสารสนเทศหลักสำหรับการบริหารจัดการโรงแรม (PMS) อันดับ 1 ได้ร่วมมือกันเพื่อผสานรวมโซลูชันการมีส่วนร่วมของลูกค้าให้เป็นการดำเนินธุรกิจที่พักแบบวันต่อวันได้อย่างไร้รอยต่อ

Cloudbeds เข้าซื้อกิจการ Whistle

แพลตฟอร์มการส่งข้อความสำหรับลูกค้าอันดับ 1 และระบบเทคโนโลยีสารสนเทศหลักสำหรับการบริหารจัดการโรงแรม (PMS) อันดับ 1 ได้ร่วมมือกันเพื่อผสานรวมโซลูชันการมีส่วนร่วมของลูกค้าให้เป็นการดำเนินธุรกิจที่พักแบบวันต่อวันได้อย่างไร้รอยต่อ

ซานดิเอโก, June 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cloudbedsในวันนี้ที่ HITEC 2022 แพลตฟอร์มการจัดการการบริหารธุรกิจบริการที่ช่วยส่งเสริมในด้านการสำรองที่พักและทำให้ลูกค้ามีความสุขมากขึ้นให้กับธุรกิจที่พักต่าง ๆ ทั่วโลก ได้ประกาศว่าทางบริษัทได้เข้าซื้อ Whistle ซึ่งเป็นกิจการโซลูชันการมีส่วนร่วมของลูกค้าชั้นนำในอุตสาหกรรมด้านนี้ เมื่อร่วมมือกันแล้ว บริษัทจะผสานรวมเทคโนโลยีที่ดีที่สุดเข้าด้วยกัน เพื่อแก้ไขปัญหาที่เป็นอุปสรรคต่าง ๆ ในเรื่องของการเดินทางของลูกค้าผ่านแพลตฟอร์มเดียว

Richard Castle ประธานฝ่ายปฏิบัติการและผู้ร่วมก่อตั้ง Cloudbeds กล่าวว่า “คำว่าไร้การสัมผัส (contactless) มีความใกล้เคียงกันกับคำว่าการบริการ (hospitality) มาก ๆ” “เราต้องการให้มีการติดต่อระหว่างธุรกิจที่พักและลูกค้ามากขึ้น เพื่อสร้างช่องทางที่เราสามารถสัมผัสกับลูกค้าได้อย่างมีจุดมุ่งหมาย ตอบคำถาม และให้คำแนะนำตลอดการเดินทางของลูกค้าได้ จากการวิจัยพบว่าลูกค้าที่มีส่วนร่วมมีแนวโน้มจะใช้จ่ายมากกว่า ให้คำวิจารณ์ที่ดีขึ้น อีกทั้งลูกค้าส่วนใหญ่ก็ชอบที่จะสื่อสารผ่านช่องทางดิจิทัลมากกว่า ซึ่ง Whistle จะทำให้ทุกอย่างที่กล่าวมาเป็นไปได้ ไม่ว่าจะเป็นการจองห้องสนทนาหรือการร้องขอข้อความจากแผนกต้อนรับก็ตาม Whistle จะทำให้ลูกค้าของ Cloudbeds เป็นส่วนหนึ่งของการเดินทางของลูกค้าตั้งแต่การค้นพบที่พักไปจนถึงหลังการเข้าพัก อีกทั้งยังขจัดอุปสรรคที่อาจขัดขวางการจองหรือการให้คำวิจารณ์ในเชิงบวกด้วย”

Whistle เป็นผู้นำอุตสาหกรรมในการมีส่วนร่วมของลูกค้าด้วยเครื่องมือสื่อสารแบบครบวงจร ประสบการณ์การมาถึงที่พักแบบดิจิทัล และอื่น ๆ อีกมากมาย ลูกค้าในปัจจุบันได้แก่แบรนด์ธุรกิจการบริการและผู้ประกอบการโรงแรมรายใหญ่ทั่วโลก ซึ่งรวมถึง Choice Hotels, Accor, IHG และ Four Sisters Inns และธุรกิจอื่น ๆ อีกมากมาย Whistle ก่อตั้งขึ้นในปี 2015 ซึ่งทางบริษัทได้รับการจัดอันดับเป็นอันดับที่ 1 ในด้านของซอฟต์แวร์การส่งข้อความสำหรับลูกค้าโดย Hotel Tech Report ติดต่อกันห้าปีซ้อน

Whistle จะมีบทบาทสำคัญในวิสัยทัศน์ของบริษัทในการสร้างโซลูชันแบบไร้ปัญหาที่เป็นอุปสรรคต่าง ๆ ซึ่งทำให้ลูกค้าสามารถมีส่วนร่วมกับธุรกิจที่พักในด้านต่าง ๆ ได้ตามความต้องการของทางลูกค้าเอง และในขณะเดียวกัน ทางบริษัทจะให้แพลตฟอร์มแบบครบวงจรแก่ธุรกิจที่พักเพื่อให้สามารถจัดการเรื่องของการติดต่อต่าง ๆ ได้อย่างมีประสิทธิภาพมากขึ้นตลอดการเดินทางของลูกค้า

Christopher Hovanissian ผู้บริหารระดับสูงและผู้ก่อตั้งร่วมของ Whistle กล่าวว่า “เป้าหมายของเราที่ยึดถือมาโดยตลอด คือการมอบโซลูชันแบบเฉพาะและใช้งานง่ายซึ่งช่วยให้การสื่อสารง่ายขึ้นและมีประสิทธิภาพมากขึ้นให้กับธุรกิจที่พัก” “Cloudbeds มีวิสัยทัศน์ที่ชัดเจนในการสร้างประสบการณ์การบริการที่ดีขึ้น ไร้ปัญหาที่เป็นอุปสรรคมากขึ้นผ่านแพลตฟอร์มแบบครบวงจร เมื่อร่วมมือกันแล้ว เราจะสามารถสร้างผลกระทบที่ใหญ่ขึ้นต่ออุตสาหกรรมได้ ซึ่งไม่เพียงแต่จะเป็นประโยชน์แก่ลูกค้าเท่านั้น แต่ยังรวมถึงพนักงานในที่พักและตัวธุรกิจที่พักเองอีกด้วย”

จากการประกาศการระดมทุนของ Series D ในเดือนพฤศจิกายน Cloudbeds ได้เพิ่มความมุ่งมั่นเป็นสองเท่าในการเน้นไปในเรื่องของการที่ “ยิ่งจองมากเท่าไหร่ ลูกค้าก็ยิ่งมีความสุขมากเท่านั้น” ด้วยการเข้าซื้อกิจการสามครั้งและการแนะนำผลิตภัณฑ์ใหม่หลายรายการเพื่อจัดการกับจุดอ่อนหลักทั้งในด้านของเจ้าหน้าที่ปฏิบัติงานและลูกค้า ด้วยแรงผลักดันจากแผนงานผลิตภัณฑ์เชิงรุก ทำให้บริษัทมีขนาดใหญ่ขึ้นถึงเกือบสามเท่าในปีที่ผ่านมา โดยจะมีโซลูชันเพิ่มเติมที่จะเปิดตัวในไตรมาสที่ 3 ซึ่งออกแบบมาเพื่อช่วยให้ผู้ประกอบการโรงแรมเติบโตทางธุรกิจ

สำหรับข้อมูลเพิ่มเติม กรุณาเยี่ยมชมcloudbeds.com/whistle

Cloudbeds จะแจ้งรายละเอียดเพิ่มเติมเกี่ยวกับการเข้าซื้อกิจการที่งาน HITEC 2022 1701 ณ ออร์แลนโด ในระหว่างงานแถลงข่าวเวลา 13:30 น. (เขตเวลา ET หรือเขตเวลาตะวันออก) ที่บูธ # 1701 ในวันอังคารที่ 28 มิถุนายน

เกี่ยวกับ Cloudbeds
Cloudbeds นำเสนอแพลตฟอร์มที่ขับเคลื่อนการบริการ ขับเคลื่อนการดำเนินงานที่คล่องตัว เพิ่มการจองและเพิ่มรายได้ และทำให้การสร้างประสบการณ์ลูกค้าที่น่าจดจำเป็นไปได้ โดยได้นำเสนอแพลตฟอร์มดังกล่าวให้กับธุรกิจที่พักทุกขนาดและทุกประเภททั่วโลก แพลตฟอร์มการบริการ Cloudbeds ซึ่งได้รับรางวัลนั้นได้รวมโซลูชันสำหรับแผนกต้อนรับ รายได้ การจัดจำหน่าย ต้นทุนการได้มาของลูกค้า และการมีส่วนร่วมของลูกค้าอย่างราบรื่นไว้ในระบบเดียวแบบครบวงจร ซึ่งได้รับการเสริมประสิทธิภาพโดยตลาดของการผสานรวมของบุคคลที่สาม Cloudbeds ได้รับการเสนอชื่อว่าเป็นระบบเทคโนโลยีสารสนเทศหลักสำหรับการบริหารจัดการโรงแรม (PMS) อันดับ 1 และเป็นระบบการจัดการโรงแรมอันดับ 1 โดย Hotel Tech Report ในปี 2021 และได้รับการยกย่องโดย Technology Fast 500 ของ Deloitte ในปี 2021 สำหรับข้อมูลเพิ่มเติม โปรดไปที่ www.cloudbeds.com.

ติดต่อ :
Angela Petersen
angela.petersen@cloudbeds.com

รูปภาพที่แนบมาพร้อมกับประกาศนี้มีอยู่ที่: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ea0d94df-2649-42d8-8e49-c59efe9665e5/th

 

Israeli national team can visit Indonesia for U-20 World Cup

The Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) affirmed that the Israeli U-20 national football team can participate in the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup hosted by Indonesia.

“We have discussed this issue since 2019. All countries qualified for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup are welcomed to compete (in Indonesia),” Minister of Youth and Sports Zainudin Amali stated, as quoted from PSSI’s official statement here on Monday.

According to the minister, as politics must be separated from football sports, so according to FIFA’s consensus, all countries can participate in all FIFA tournaments despite the host country having no bilateral relations with a participating country — which is the case between Indonesia and Israel.

“FIFA told us that any country qualified in the U-20 World Cup must compete in Indonesia, so there will be no problem. Our security officers will provide security (for the Israeli team). We need to pay attention to this issue,” Amali remarked.

Meanwhile, PSSI Secretary General Yunus Nusi also affirmed the football association’s commitment to accommodating the interests of the Israeli U-20 national football team while competing in Indonesia.

“Concerning Israel, I believe that the government had signed an agreement last year. Everyone can come (and compete in Indonesia), and we will accommodate the Israeli team. This is our final decision on our meeting to discuss the Israeli issue with the government last year,” Nusi stated.

The Israeli U-20 national football team is qualified to participate in the 2023 U-20 World Cup after sealing their place in the UEFA European U-19 Championship.

Apart from the Israeli team, the French, Italian, and English U-20 national football teams have also sealed their place in the U-20 World Cup. As the World Cup host, Indonesia automatically qualified to participate in the tournament.

Source: Antara News

Indonesia ready to host FIBA Asia Cup

Indonesia is ready to host the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup at the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Sports Complex (Istora) in Jakarta from July 12–24, 2022.

During a coordination meeting here on Monday, Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali said that all agencies, ministries, and institutions have said they are ready to hold the prestigious basketball championship.

The coordination meeting was attended by representatives from several ministries and institutions, including the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, the Health Ministry, the Ministry of Human Development and Culture, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), and the National Police.

“What was discussed earlier was to hear the report of PERBASI (Indonesian Basketball Association) and the organizing committee about the preparations that have been made and important things that need to be accelerated,” Amali informed.

One of the things that must be accelerated is the visa-on-arrival mechanism or the granting of visitor visas to athletes, the minister said.

Speaking about the security measures for the championship, Jakarta Police’s head of operational planning and administration, Nazarudin, said that the police is ready to secure the implementation of the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup.

“We are ready to carry out security, starting from the participants arriving at the airport to returning home, including during the event in Istora,” Nazarudin affirmed.

Meanwhile, the chief executive of the FIBA Asia Cup 2022, Junas Miradiarsyah, said that he saw no problem with the infrastructure because the match will be held at GBK, with the GBK Arena and Basketball Hall serving as the supporting facilities.

Before the FIBA Asia Cup, Indonesia will host the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification as a test event.

In addition, the Indonesian basketball national team will play against Saudi Arabia on July 1 before taking on the Jordan team on July 4 at GBK Sports Complex, Jakarta.

Source: Antara News

Indonesia’s farmers adapt to climate change

As the effects of climate change become more apparent, long-held traditions will need to be resurrected. Others will need to be abandoned.

April and May are the traditional harvest season for rice in Indonesia. As the rainy season starts to abate, farmers take to their field daily, scaring away scavenging birds and protecting the final few weeks of grain ripening.

But in recent years, things have not gone according to plan. Late-starting wet seasons have delayed sowing. Farmers have sometimes tried five times to get their crop in the ground, costing them labour, seeds and fertiliser. Rainy days and non-rainy days are alternating without a clear pattern. This year, the rain kept going. Very frequent and sometimes very intense, it rained until the end of June. Some paddy fields were flooded, and in several cases crops failed.

In Indonesia, climate change is only just emerging as a serious concern. In some cases, it’s seen simply as an environmental issue – the responsibility only of environmental agencies, but greater attention should be given by other related agencies and departments. They could incorporate climate change issues on their programs at any governmental level. Agricultural and rural development programmes could develop appropriate strategies for adapting to and mitigating the worst impacts of climate change.

At a November 2021 workshop organised by National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan, development planners and agricultural field officers appeared to have limited understanding of climate change issues, mitigation and adaptation strategies for the agricultural sector in Indonesia.

This at a time when farmers are increasingly facing daily challenges to their long-held farming practices. Prolonged drought and very high intensity rain are increasingly common and both of them damage food production. Farmers often have only passing familiarity with climate change science and predicted changes to weather patterns.

But the agricultural community has a collective knowledge, local wisdom and skills in choosing types of planting suitable for particular rainfall, or lack thereof, and potential damage due to typhoons. Selecting the appropriate timing and cultivation methods have long been practised by agricultural communities to reduce the risk of crop failure.

Indonesia is highly dependent on rice. In 2021 Indonesians consumed 35.6 million tonnes of the staple, an average of 124 kg of rice per person per year.

If Indonesia were to tap into farmers’ knowledge, it could develop appropriate and adaptive patterns to be able to guarantee food needs for all its people without neglecting the sustainability of existing natural resources.

Assisting farmers will not be an easy matter. There are 38.8 million farmers spread over 75,436 villages that are located in 7,232 sub-districts and 514 regencies/cities. Information and communication technology for agriculture and rural areas would allow farmers easier access to information and innovations about food production, prices, marketing and government programmes.

Alongside efforts and strategies to increase food production, cultural strategies may come into play.

Indonesia disposes of 23 to 48 million tonnes of food waste per year, according to the National Planning Agency – equivalent to 115 to 184 kilograms per person per year. In the last three years, Indonesia has imported almost 500,000 tonnes of rice per year, an amount that could be reduced if the country succeeded in reducing food loss.

It may also be helpful to take structured and comprehensive steps to change patterns of food consumption. This is certainly not a simple matter: it would take the whole nation to change its eating habits, including the cultural aspect of food.

In Indonesia, there is a tradition of cooking food in big batches, but this often leaves food to waste. And many households cook traditional foods relating to particular ceremonial events. In these cases, it is almost certain some will not be eaten and will become food waste.

But Indonesia may look to other countries for inspiration. For example, in Japan almost all elementary schools have school gardens that grow vegetables. It is a long-term educational model to teach children about food production. In Swedish culture it is normal to provide food for family but not for guests. While these ideas may not translate to Indonesia, it shows that food culture is not fixed.

Home gardens for the production of various food is a local tradition combining production, economic, ecological and socio-cultural functions. In rural Java, the tradition of home gardens is used to grow various vegetables, fruits and wood that can be used to meet daily needs. It also has ecological value due to the diversity of vegetation and conservation functions, has socio-cultural value because it allows the exchange and sharing of various products with neighbours and relatives and supports cultural ceremonies.

Indonesia has rich cultural traditions around food production and consumption. As climate change increasingly affects food supply, it will need to tap into both the ability to change as well as the practices of the past in order to meet with the future.

Source: 360Info

BI lists three challenges to nationwide rupiah distribution

Bank of Indonesia (BI) has listed three challenges to the distribution of rupiah throughout the Indonesian territory: geographical conditions, people’s treatment of money, and the possible use of foreign currencies.

“Referring to Law No. 7 of 2011 about Currencies, BI is mandated to provide rupiah currency throughout Indonesian territory, therefore, we continue to try to distribute it,” head of the West Sumatra BI representative office, Wahyu Purnama, said in Padang on Monday.

He delivered the statement while launching the 2022 Sovereign Rupiah Expedition with West Sumatra Governor Mahyeldi; West Sumatra Police chief, Inspector General Teddy Minahasa; and Commander of Navy Base II, Padang, First Admiral Endra Sulistiyono, from Pier IV Teluk Bayur Harbor.

Rupiah is not only a medium for payment transactions, but also an identity and a tool to unite the nation as well as a symbol of national sovereignty, Purnama said.

However, distributing rupiah across the country is not an easy feat because Indonesia has the fourth-largest population in the world, which is spread over 17,499 islands, bordering 11 neighboring countries, he added.

Indonesia is also the largest archipelagic country in the world, with water covering 70 percent of its territory.

“The geographical condition of the Republic of Indonesia, which has thousands of islands and limited infrastructure, has affected Bank of Indonesia’s scope in providing money to the public, including on islands in the foremost, remote, and outermost areas,” he said.

There are still many areas that have not been covered by BI and banks in terms of rupiah circulation, he added.

Then, the diversity in people’s education levels has also affected their behavior toward money.

This is reflected in the condition of notes deemed unfit for circulation, the majority of which are worn out because they have been often folded, wetted, or stapled, thereby affecting their quality.

As a means to address that issue, his administration will continue to educate people so that people treat money well.

It will also constantly make efforts to expand the range of services available in all parts of Indonesia through a network of 45 representative offices in Indonesia, in collaboration with banks, the police force, and the National Defense Force, particularly the Navy.

With the fleet-owned and routine operations reaching every corner of the country—from Sabang to Merauke—Bank of Indonesia would be assisted in its task to distribute the rupiah, he said.

Another challenge to rupiah distribution is the possibility of foreign currency use in Indonesian territory, which must be addressed because it concerns state symbols and sovereignty.

Bank of Indonesia has prepared Rp5.9 billion for the Sovereign Rupiah Expedition to Mentawai Islands district from June 27 to July 2, 2022, involving 30 Indonesian Navy personnel and 15 BI employees.

The expedition is scheduled to cover North Pagai Island, South Pagai Island, Sipora Island, Siberut Island (Mailepet), and Siberut Island in Muara Sikabaluan.

Source: Antara News