NGO as Triple-Helix Axis: Some Lessons from Nias Community Empowerment on Cocoa Production

Community empowerment is one of the main purpose of development in developing countries. While development only result in a ratio between the “before” and “after” condition, empowerment can keep the continuity of the development through the good relationship between related parties, in terms of knowledge production and field application. Since the parties in community empowerment are tightly related with Triple-Helix model, Non-governmental organization (NGO), as a non-profit organization in community empowerment projects, should catch its opportunities as the axis of those three helixes. The case of Nias community empowerment on cocoa production presents some lessons which seek to illustrate the links between parties in a community empowerment project. While each helix make their movements by themself, the NGO fill-in the gap in the interactions between the helixs as well as interaction among each helix. The convergence between helixs build the opportunities for each connection, so it is analyzed carefully through internal informations to find the most appropriate relationship in the field. By focusing on the gathering of new thought of the Triple-Helix approach, this paper proposes a simple model as the initial step to develop new applications of the concept, then emerges a new thought that Triple-Helix can be implemented in wider phenomenon among societies, and give opportunities for further research around it.