Yoboi Village is in Sentani District/District, Jayapura Regency, West Papua, Indonesia. The location of this village is on the outskirts of Lake Sentani, the second largest lake in Indonesia after Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Indonesia, which is surrounded by vast sago forests.

Yoboi Village is famous for its uniqueness because it is located above Lake Sentani and does not have land like other villages that have land. Almost all residents’ houses are floating and connected by wooden bridges.

In recent years, Yoboi has also been called a colorful village, because almost all the bridges, houses and public and private facilities in the village are painted colorful.

With this uniqueness, the Indonesian Ministry of Creative Economy appointed Yoboi as a tourist village in Jayapura Regency, Papua, in 2021, after the visit of the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, to this area.

Yoboi Village received various national awards, one of which is the 2022 Indonesian Tourism Village Award (ADWI).

Visiting Yoboi Village will be treated to the authenticity of the buildings which still maintain local wisdom values. Houses are still made of wood and built above the air.

While in Yoboi Village, tourists will carry out all activities on the water using planks that are made to become bridges and roads.

In Yoboi Village, tourists can also see the sago forest which spreads widely around it like a green and beautiful grass field.

For local people, sago is a staple food that has been passed down from generation to generation since the time of the ancestors of the Sentani tribe or coastal Papuans in general.

Sago is the main food both in the family and at traditional events held from ancient times until now by the people of Yoboi Village and the Sentani community in general.

Sago management, especially in Yoboi Village, is still done traditionally or what is usually called “tokok” to extract sago tree powder using traditional tools.

Seeing this, with the abundance of sago trees, the Representative, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for Indonesia or the Representative of the World Food and Agriculture Organization for Indonesia (FAO-UN), will provide tools for processing sago on a large scale to the community in the village. Yoboi.

It is hoped that this assistance from FAO-UN can improve the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MICRO BUSINESS) of the community in Yoboi Village as well as become an example of modern sago processing in Indonesia.

To support this plan, FAO-UN conducted a direct survey to Yoboi Village accompanied by officials from the Jayapura Regency Plantation and Livestock Service to see how sago trees have been processed into sago flour.

After a series of surveys were carried out, FAO-UN held a workshop and public discussion with environmental observers, traditional leaders, community leaders, micro business actors to hear directly opinions about the plan to provide assistance for sago processing equipment.

All the figures who attended the discussion felt grateful because there is a world institution under the UN which deals with food and agriculture and wants to help Yoboi Village on Papua Island, Indonesia, which is next to the neighboring country of Papua New Guinea.

Moreover, FAO-UN wants to make Yoboi Village an example of implementing sustainable sago processing in large quantities. The sago flour will not only be used for daily needs, but can also be marketed.

FAO-UN Representative for Indonesia-East Leste, Rajendra Arya, stated that he would support micro business actors in Yoboi Village in managing large quantities of sago.

The sago processing equipment provided will produce large quantities of sago flour and can be used to increase micro business activities or exported outside Papua and abroad.

Sago flour can be packaged in attractive packaging, then sent to Papua Mountains, Central Papua, South Papua, Southwest Papua, so that people who want to consume sago flour can buy it at supermarkets.

This step is a breakthrough to bring sago to a large industry that can be enjoyed not only by Papuan people, but people outside Papua can also enjoy it by buying it at the market.

Apart from that, the people of Yoboi Village can process sago flour into various foods and drinks that have high economic value with a fairly low sugar content.

FAO-UN will develop this to stimulate the economic growth of the Papuan people through professionally managed sago flour.

The Jayapura District Government is very enthusiastic about the support of the UN food and agricultural organization which wants to help the people of Yoboi Village in sustainable sago management.

“This is very good, so that it can change people’s mindset to process sago, not just to make papeda or pornographic sago, but can be developed into a processed product with high economic value,” said Acting Head of the Jayapura Regency Plantation and Livestock Service, Jenny S Deda.