Lebak Muncang Village in Ciwidey District is predominantly characterized by agricultural areas, tea and coffee plantations, forests, and rice fields. Given that agriculture plays a vital role in supporting the livelihoods of the local community, the village has been selected by the Bandung Regency government as one of the ten pilot villages for nature-based tourism, particularly agro-tourism activities.
The majority of Lebak Muncang villagers are engaged in vegetable and fruit farming. Among them is Elis (55), who has been involved in farming for the past 30 years. Her land is cultivated with a variety of crops, including coffee, cassava, seasonal vegetables, and chilies. Previously, Elis used to farm alongside her husband. Unfortunately, two years ago, her husband passed away, leaving her to face the challenges of life as a single parent. Despite the hardships, Elis persevered and continued farming to provide for her two children.
“I am grateful for this tree planting program as it greatly benefits me as a farmer. The program team regularly visits to monitor the trees I planted, ensuring they are in good condition and growing healthily. I am also grateful because we are given ownership of the trees and their yields. This allows us to manage our crops to meet our daily needs and support our future,” expressed Elis.
Planting Trees to Restore Water Availability
However, Elis’s motivation for tree planting extends beyond the economic benefits for her family. She is deeply concerned about the environment surrounding her village. She mentioned that there used to be a substantial forest in the area, which has unfortunately been converted into residential areas. Consequently, accessing clean water has become a challenge.
“To access clean water, we have to install a hose from a spring located approximately 10 kilometers away from our village. In the past, when the forests were intact, clean water was readily available here, and we didn’t have to rely on distant springs,” she revealed.
Elis hopes that by planting more trees, the forest’s original function of providing clean water can be restored. She also looks forward to participating in the tree planting program next year, enabling her to plant more trees on her remaining 1,600-meter square of her land.
(Above) Volunteers join the tree planting activities, part of AstraZeneca Indonesia’s CSR program
To the east of Yogyakarta city, Banyunibo stands alone; an island of stone, marooned in a sea of green farmland. Unlike most buildings from the ancient Mataram kingdom – like nearby Prambanan and Ratu Boko – this ninth-century temple leads a solitary life.
Out on these sunbaked plains, there are hardly any trees to provide shade. Particularly in the dry season, the area can become very hot and arid during the day, chasing people back to their cars and villages. But all that is about to change.
A Shade Better: AstraZeneca Program Targets Tree Cover Density
In February 2023, a joint tree-planting program kicked off in Cepit sub-village, where Banyunibo is located. Implemented by AstraZeneca and with support from Trees4Trees, the program will expand tree cover and provide more shade at the site.
AstraZeneca Indonesia is working to deliver social and economic benefits to the local community, as part of an overarching goal to improve the environment.
(Above) AstraZeneca Indonesia’s top management volunteering at the tree-planting event, including Se Whan Chon, Country President (fifth from the left); and Rizwan Abudaeri, Director of Market Access, Government Affairs and Regulatory Affairs (fifth from the right)
Providing Benefits for People and Nature
The program provided a number of benefits to the local environment: restoring bare land, increasing water availability, supporting biodiversity, and mitigating environmental problems in various locations.
“The tree-planting event also included the riverbanks,” says Novita, Assistant Planning Manager at Trees4Trees. She explains that the trees planted will protect the rivers from erosion. “They will also increase rainwater absorption in the ground, preventing rainwater from flowing directly into the river,” she added.
The program chose trees that will benefit communities. Species like mahogany, teak, damar, and trembesi, provide shade, support water availability, and produce a vast amount of oxygen; while fruit trees such as avocado, durian, and sapodilla can offer a source of income to local enterprises.
(Above) Ms. Belinda Aw, Cluster Procurement Manager at AstraZeneca Singapore & Indonesia, plants a tree with the help of a Trees4Trees forester.
The Program in Numbers
The program involved many different people, working together to provide a range of environmental and social benefits, while also raising awareness in local communities about the importance of trees.
260 trees planted
2,500 square meters of land
500 volunteers from AstraZeneca Indonesia
25 groups, led by 18 experts from Trees4Trees
3 local communities
“We hope everyone will benefit from the trees we have planted in this area,” says Novita. “Especially the local communities in the village, who can enjoy the shade provided by the trees and the oxygen they provide.,” Trees planted during the project will grow to provide shade for the temple, ecosystem benefits for the surrounding area, and livelihood opportunities for the people who live and work here.
Members of the Trees4Trees planting team
In the fertile heartland of Java, history and traditions run deep. Banyunibo is a symbol of this proud heritage. In the local language, the temple’s name means ‘dripping water’. With every drop of sweat shed during the recent tree-planting program, and every drop of rain that falls from now on, a forest will spring up around the temple; a living monument to the power of cooperation, shading the temple and its visitors for generations to come.
For more information, and to find out how Trees4Trees is working together with AstraZeneca to restore forests around Indonesia, visit our website.
Rohmanudin, 53, has been familiar with farming activities since his childhood, as his parents were farmers who often brought him to the fields. However, Rohmanudin only began farming his own land in 2015. His land, located in Nagrak Village, Cangkuang District in Bandung Regency, was planted with various crops, including several types of trees, fruits, and vegetables.
“From 2015 to 2016, I began working on my own field, planting various kinds of crops. In 2015, the Indonesia government initiated an agricultural program that led me to grow vegetables for the first time. Thank God, I have been growing different types of plants ever since,” he revealed.
As part of the government agricultural program, a farmer group was established in Nagrak village, which still exists today. Rohmanudin is one of the most active members of this group.
Joining to the Tree Planting Program to Improve the Result
In 2021, Rohmanudin was offered the opportunity to join a tree planting program funded by Astra Zeneca, in collaboration with Trees4Trees and One Tree Planted. He proposed planting tree species that were suitable for his land’s conditions.
Rohmanudin maintains his land and plants various type of crops and trees. Photo: Trees4Trees/Kemas Duga Muis.
“I proposed then planted jabon (burflowers), sengon (Chinese albizia), and suren (red cedar) because they thrive in this area. I also planted other trees such as stinky beans, as well as fruit trees like sapodilla and rambutan,” Rohmanudin said.
Since joining the tree planting program, he has noticed significant differences compared to his previous farming activities. He stated that the implementation of the program has improved significantly, and he feels that it is much better now than in the past.
“In the past, the planting system was not as structured. Now, we have a more structured approach, and I can say that the way we do is the correct one,” Rohmanudin added.
Effort to Restore the Former Forest in the Village
Rohmanudin is deeply concerned about the vast deforestation that has taken place in his village, where forests have been cleared and replaced with residential areas. As such, he strongly believes that the tree planting program can have a positive impact if implemented effectively, and is therefore highly motivated to care for the trees.
Planting Trees is a Better Legacy; Rohmanudin with the burflower tree he has grown. Photo: Trees4Trees/Kemas Duga Muis.
“In the past, this area was full of rare birds and big trees. The mornings were beautiful and so refreshing. The land was more fertile than today. But now, look, they’re gone! There’s a lot of dry land, and water is scarce. Why did this happen? Because the land was sold out, and housing was built. In the area behind my house, eight hectares were sold out, and now, ten more hectares are gone! Housing has been built there again,” Rohmanudin lamented.
Planting Trees Instead of Selling Land for a Better Future
Seeing the reality that is happening in his village, Rohmanudin feels agitated. He worries that if all the land in his village is sold and turned into housing, there will be nothing left for future generations, and not enough land to cultivate.
“Imagine what will happen to our children and grandchildren in the next 10-20 years? They will have nothing left. Moreover, if everyone builds houses here and there, we will get more pollution and disease,” he said.
Planting Trees is a Better Legacy; Rohmanudin’s trees grow bigger and greener. Photo: Trees4Trees/Kemas Duga Muis.
He also believes that cutting down a lot of trees will interrupt the process of producing clean air that is essential for human beings. That is why he thinks this tree planting program is necessary. He believes there are advantages that villagers can get, and even planting trees on a little land for the next generations is essential.
Rohmanudin expects this program will make farmers in his village more aware of protecting their land and keeping it fertile so that more trees could be planted and more results could be harvested. Therefore, they can make a living from the results instead of selling their land to the land developer.
With support from Microsoft, and in collaboration with local farmers, schools, and communities, Trees4Trees will continue replanting urban areas around Jakarta.
In terms of urban area, Jakarta is the second biggest city in the world. And it’s still growing; areas on the outskirts are quickly swallowed by the urban sprawl, and the increasing number of industrial centers is already having an environmental impact. But in the satellite towns of Bekasi and Karawang, locals are finding ways to push back against the concrete tide: by planting more trees.
Replanting urban forests offers all kinds of benefits. Trees combat pollution and lower temperatures. They provide habitats for animals and livelihoods for people. They filter drinking water, protect against flooding and prevent soil erosion. On a larger scale, urban forests are proven to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change by sucking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
Going Green in Greenland: Trees4Trees’ Replanting Program
Recognizing the importance of urban forests, and with support from Microsoft and One Tree Planted, Trees4Trees kicked off a tree-planting initiative in the Greenland International Industrial Center (GIIC) in Bekasi and the Karawang International Industrial Center (KIIC) in Karawang. The program, which began in November 2022, has already covered an area of 25 hectares.
(Above) Since November 2022, Trees4Trees has planted 17,778 new trees around Bekasi and Karawang
“With this project, our goal is to plant 25,000 trees in GIIC and KIIC,” explains Anto Wartono, Planning Manager at Trees4Trees. “We hope these trees will soon grow into urban forests.”
According to Anto, Trees4Trees has already planted 17,778 trees around GIIC and KIIC. Around 8,000 more trees are expected to be planted in the area over the next few weeks.
The program actually went beyond planting. To raise public awareness about the importance of green spaces in urban areas, Trees4Trees engaged with local women farmers and ran an environmental campaign in local schools and communities.
Rehabilitating the Riverbanks
One of the main goals of the project is to restore areas around rivers. In recent years, the riverbanks have been eroding away due to land conversion. Trees4Trees focused on areas either side of the Cipamingkis and Cikalapa rivers, which flow through the GIIC area in Bekasi and the KIIC in Karawang, respectively.
(Above) The Cipamingkis River in Bekasi, where Trees4Trees has been active recently
In Jakarta, temporary shelters are a common sight on the city’s riverbanks. During the rainy season, rising water levels can lead to floods and landslides. Adding trees to the banks of rivers is an effective defense against these dangers.
“Many riverbanks have been converted into residential areas and semi-permanent buildings,” says Anto, who has experienced plenty of obstacles to urban planting. “Unlike in rural areas, planting trees in urban areas is more challenging – there are only a few spaces we can use as green areas.”
Greening Industrial Areas, Supporting Farmers
The process of urbanization and land conversion is also squeezing farmers off their land. As part of the urban forest project, Trees4Trees has been working with displaced farmers, helping them establish plantations in the newly reforested areas. By planting trees with high economic value – like durian, avocado, and caqui – we are helping devise new and sustainable ways to support local livelihoods.
“We have planted 3,085 trees in two villages around KIIC, Puseurjaya and Margamulya village,” says Anto. “While in the GIIC buffer zone, we have planted 2,300 trees in Pasirtanjung village by involving local farmers,” he added.
Preserving Biodiversity
Trees4Trees’ work in KIIC also covered the Telaga Desa conservation area; an educational park that provides a precious green oasis in Karawang. As part of the project, more than 3,000 trees were planted here. Trees species chosen for this purpose included kemang (white mango), buni (currant), pulai (blackboard tree), mundu (yellow mangosteen), genitri (rudraksha), puspa (needlewood), and gandaria (mango plum).
(Above) Microsoft’s Gavin Hodge (left) helps plant trees in the GIIC in Bekasi
“These trees will grow 20 meters high in 5 years,” explains Gavin Hodge, the DCD Project Manager at Microsoft. He joined the activity in GIIC and KIIC area as a volunteer tree planter, and believes this project will offer a range of benefits. “(It’s) going to protect our environment and improve the estate, while also improving the situation for the community. So it’s good that Microsoft can be a part of it.”
With support from Microsoft, and in collaboration with local farmers, schools, and communities, Trees4Trees will continue replanting urban areas around Jakarta. Every sapling holds enormous potential. In time, they could change the landscape in one of the world’s biggest urban areas.
To find out more about our ongoing replanting programs, and to see how you can help, visit devtrees4trees.portopaper.com.
Writer: V. Arnila Wulandani. Editor: Christopher Alexander
Trees4Trees and Tree HK Strengthen the Empowerment of Women Farmers
In Central Java province, particularly in Kebumen regency, not only men work as farmers, but also women. Some women in the regency work in the field to support their husbands who are farmers. Some of them also work as farmers because of their role as the backbone of the family. They fulfill their main responsibility to meet the family’s needs through farming activity, then sell the results.
As part of Tree HK’s support to women farmers involved in the tree planting program, recently, Tree HK and Trees4Trees held training in Kebumen regency, Central Java. The training was conducted in two villages, Gunungsari and Kalirejo, where both locations are the tree-planting areas with the support of Tree HK.
Related to the workshop, Trees4Trees and Tree HK delivered two different topics in two days. Despite the training being more focused on women’s empowerment in the household economy enhancement, men were also welcome to join.
Household Economic Management Training
A woman is a pillar of a family’s financial management. However, it is important for women to know how toestablish agood family economy. Considering the importance of this, Tree HK and Trees4Trees conveyedhousehold economics management as one of the training topics.
Trees4Trees and Tree HK delivered two different topics in two days
Muhamad Haris Maknun, a Lecturer of the Faculty of Industrial Technology, Nahdlatul Ulama University, Cilacap lead the training. A groupof women farmers and representatives of the Family Welfare Movement with a total of 35 people participated in the event.In this workshop, the speaker shared knowledge on how to manage the household economy with good family financial management for achieving the family goals. The workshop session also allowed the participants to share their experiences on how theymanage their daily household expenses and income ina forum. They shared with each other and discussed findingsolutions for thehousehold challenges they encountered.
Bio-briquette Making from Corn WastesTraining
The second training topic was to utilize corn waste and corn post-harvest processing. The corncob is the part where the kernels attach. This part is often considered to be of no use and most farmers throw it away. This is commonly found in many corn–producing areas, including Kalirejo Village. For this reason, Trees4Trees and Tree HK conducted training on how to utilize corn waste and change itinto bio-briquettes. This training topic was determined as it is easy to be appliedas well aseasy to find the raw material.
Arif Prashadi Santosa, a Lecturer of the Faculty of Agrotechnology, Muhammadiyah Purwokerto University lead the training which participated with about 25 participants. The training encouraged farmer participants to use the technology of bio-briquette making as an alternative source of their income.
articipated with about 25 participants. The training encouraged farmer participants to use the technology of bio-briquette making as an alternative source of their income.
The training discussed the raw materials, procedures, and advantages of charcoal briquetting, and the marketability of bio-briquettes. The process of charcoaling was also demonstrated using corncobs.
The bio-briquette-making technology is an alternative source of energy for cooking and heating
“Corncob is a potent raw material for briquette production as it has high heating value. The bio-briquette-making technology is an alternative source of energy for cooking and heating,” Arif Prashadi Santosa, the Training Coordinator said.
The participants said the skill of bio-briquette making they have obtained from the training would be useful in their community as it could be a new source of income and meet the existing needs for fuel.
Iju, one of Trees4Trees best farmers from Neglasari village, Bandung Regency. Photo: Trees4Trees/Kemas Duga Muis
Since returning to his home village in Neglasari Village a few years ago, Iju (60) has decided to manage his family’s land. His home village is located in Ibun District, Bandung Regency. Before, he had worked in a rubber and oil palm plantation in Sumatera Island for years. However, his longing for his home village made him decide to return home.
After returning from Sumatra, Iju began to plant bamboo trees. Unfortunately, the results were not good and the price was not favorable. Meanwhile, he had to support his family. His four children were married, while one of the youngest was still in senior high school and he needed income to meet his family’s daily needs.
Switching From Growing Bamboo to Polyculture Planting System
In the midst of his struggle in planting bamboo trees, he was offered to join planting trees program which initiated by Astra Zeneca and collaborates with Trees4Trees and One Tree Planted. He was excited to join the program and received support and training in agriculture from the Trees4Trees team.He did not only receive trees for free, but also obtained trainings and more knowledge of agriculture he needed from the team.
Iju also got a suggestion and assistance from the team to manage his land by applying a polyculture or intercropping system. Indonesian called the system as tumpang sari. This system works by planting several types of trees and crops in a field. It allows farmers to reap short-term and long-term yields from several different trees and crops. Through this system, he potentially can get greater results than planting just one type of tree.
Based on the suggestion, Iju then decided to plant several food crops on his land whose results could be harvested in short term, such as onions, cassava, sweet potatoes, and chilies. Meanwhile, from the tree planting program with Trees4Trees, Iju received burflower-tree, gmelina, durian, and avocado trees. He can reap the long-term benefit from those types of trees.
Iju is taking care of onion in his field. Photo: Trees4Trees/Kemas Duga Muis
Planting Trees to Restore the Former Forest in the Village
According to Iju, he intended to dedicate the long term-harvested trees he planted for his next generation. He said those trees will be his legacy for them. “I will not harvest or cut down these trees. I will pass them to my children and my grandchildren, so they will be able to enjoy the result and the benefit of trees I planted,” Iju said.
For Iju, planting trees is beyond harvesting and using the result to meet his family daily needs. He believes that trees have much bigger role than that. Trees provide clean air to breathe, water, shelter, and preserve the life to all of living creature on earth. He realizes clean air and water are the most essential needs of human beings, including for the next generations.
Iju is applying polyculture system in his field. Photo: Trees4Trees/Kemas Duga Muis
“I plant trees because it provides great benefits not only for myself and my family. But also for the environment. They also produce oxygen and store water that keeps us alive. I want my children and grandchildren will have a good life in the future, so I plant trees,” he added.
Iju’s strong will to plant trees was also fueled by the disappearance of the former forest around her village years ago.
Iju and his wife are working in their field. They thank Trees4Trees along with the support of Astra Zeneca and One Tree Planted for tree seedlings and agricultural support they have received. Photo: Trees4Trees/Kemas Duga Muis.
“In the past, this village had a dense and natural forest. But the forest is lost and now it becomes a critical land due to excessive use. I have a dream to return the forest back. Who knows, if I keep planting trees, I may see the forest return to the way it was before,” said Iju optimistic.
