ECOLOGICAL RECONSTRUCTION OF COMMUNICATION IN URBAN AGRICULTURE: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE ROLE OF THE PALEMBANG COMMUNITY INFORMATION GROUP (KIM) AS A DIGITAL INTERMEDIARY.

Abstract

This study investigates the role of Community Information Groups (KIM) in Palembang in mediating the urban farming program “Gerakan Sumsel Mandiri Pangan” (GSMP). Amidst the digital divide and challenges of urban food security, KIM is positioned as a hybrid intermediary between the state and the community. Using a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach and digital ethnography, this study analyzes how KIM members negotiate the meaning of agricultural technology and translate it into digital content. Findings show that KIM does not merely disseminate information linearly, but rather performs “vernacular translation” that adapts technical instructions into relevant local narratives. However, their effectiveness is constrained by infrastructure friction and role tensions between being government agents or citizen advocates. This study recommends a shift from a top-down extension model to a distributed digital literacy approach that recognizes the agency of local intermediaries.

Keywords: Participatory Communication, Digital Intermediaries, Urban Farming, Community Information Groups (KIM), Food Security.