A Monument to Cooperation: AstraZeneca Puts Down Roots in Java

(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.

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)
(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.
(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. 

AstraZeneca Program : member of the Trees4trees planting team
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. 

Empowering Women Farmers: Trees4Trees and Tree HK Join Forces

 

Trees4Trees and Tree HK Strengthen the Empowerment of Women Farmers
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 to establish a good family economy. Considering the importance of this, Tree HK and Trees4Trees conveyed household economics management as one of the training topics.  

Trees4Trees and Tree HK Household Economic Management Training 
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 group of 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 they manage their daily household expenses and income in a forum. They shared with each other and discussed finding solutions for the household challenges they encountered.  

Bio-briquette Making from Corn Wastes Training 

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 it into bio-briquettes. This training topic was determined as it is easy to be applied as well as easy 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.  

Household Economic Management Training 
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
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.

Replanting Mangroves, Rebuilding Futures in Central Java

Trees4Trees has been working with local communities to replant mangroves in Central Java
Trees4Trees has been working with local communities to replant mangroves in Central Java
Trees4Trees has been working with local communities to replant mangroves in Central Java. Photo: Doc. Trees4Trees

On New Year’s Eve, Pati Regency in Central Java was inundated by heavy rains. This caused flooding that destroyed more than 600 hectares of agricultural land and damaged thousands of homes. But there was one silver lining to the black clouds that surrounded Pati in December – residents noticed that the areas least affected by the floods were also places with the highest coverage of mangrove forests.  

From the wreckage came the green shoots of a solution. Now, with support from local government and outside help from investors like EcoMatcher, Trees4Trees is working with communities in Pati to restore mangrove forests and rebuild for the future.  

Read also: Mangrove Planting Program with EcoMatcher Inspires Villagers to Plant More Mangrove Trees

A Rising Tide: Building Awareness of Mangroves 

“In recent years, local people’s awareness of mangroves has increased,” says Fauzan Timurlang, who is the Trees4Trees Unit Manager in Pati. He believes the benefits provided by mangroves have become clearer since the recent floods, with many people ready to take action. “They have seen that mangroves can act as barriers that break the waves and reduce the damaging impact,” he explains.  

Andi Lestari is a mangrove activist in Pati, working alongside Trees4Trees. He too has noticed an increase in community awareness. “Many people have seen for themselves the great benefits of mangroves,” he explains. “They have seen that areas with mangrove cover suffer less damage compared to areas that did not have any,” he added. 

Read also: The Incredible Benefits of Mangroves Ecosystem  

Root and Branch: Combining Community Action with Government Support 

Pati Regency stretches 37 miles (60 km) along the coastline of Central Java. Officials here have decided to double mangrove coverage from 300 to 600 hectares, effectively creating a natural barrier that can prevent coastal erosion and protect local homes and livelihoods from flooding. 

“We want to create a green belt from Pencangaan to Puncel,” explains Edy Martanto, Head of the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Service (DKP) for Pati, in a recent interview with Muria News. “The green belt will function like a beach embankment – if there are waves, the mangroves will form a barrier – when the mangroves are strong, the ponds are also safe.”  

(Above) In areas like Kalikalong village in Pati Regency, Trees4Trees has been working to double mangrove cover
(Above) In areas like Kalikalong village in Pati Regency, Trees4Trees has been working to double mangrove cover

Planning into Planting: Trees4Trees Takes Action in Pati 

To help bring this green belt to fruition, Trees4Trees began planting mangroves along the Pati coastline from November 2022 to January 2023, as part of the recent planting season. By employing members of the community from eight local villages, Trees4Trees has already planted a total of 108,000 mangrove trees in an area covering 24 hectares.  

These seedlings (consisting of Red Mangrove or Rhizophora mucronata and White Mangrove or Avicennia marina), are endemic to the area, so will help replenish wild populations. They are currently being monitored to ensure they stay healthy and continue to grow. Back in 2021, and with support from EcoMatcher, Trees4Trees also planted around 30,000 mangrove seedlings across 3.8 hectares surrounding Dukuhseti village.

Read also: Mangrove Types in Indonesia and Their Benefits

 

Trees4Trees has planted more than 138,000 mangrove trees in Pati since 2021.

“The thicker the mangrove cover, the safer our fishponds will be – that’s why we’re so keen to be a part of the Trees4Trees mangrove planting program.”  – Musthofa, Tani Makmur farmers’ group 

 

Local Communities on the Frontline of Mangrove Restoration 

To ensure mangrove restoration takes root in Pati, Trees4Trees has also involved local village officers and members of the forestry service. Six groups of local fishpond farmers have also been employed as mangrove planters.  

“Farmers in our group have become aware of the benefits provided by healthy mangrove ecosystems,” explains Musthofa, leader of the Tani Makmur farmer group. “The thicker the mangrove cover, the safer our fishponds will be; that’s why we’re so keen to be a part of the Trees4Trees mangrove planting program,” he added. 

(Above) Parmi is one of many fishpond farmers joining in the Trees4Trees planting program in Dukuhseti village
(Above) Parmi is one of many fishpond farmers joining in the Trees4Trees planting program in Dukuhseti village

Another of the fishpond farmers who joined the mangrove planting program is Parmi. Like many people here, he makes a living by farming fish and shrimp. With support from Trees4Trees, he is looking forward to a safer and more prosperous future. 

“Thick mangrove cover helps to protect our fishponds from strong waves, resulting in a higher abundance of fish,” explains Parmi. “I hope the mangroves we plant now will grow into a full forest like before, so they can continue to provide benefits for us and future generations.”  

Trees4Trees™ is a non-profit foundation focused on renewing the environment and empowering local communities through reforestation and education. For more information about the work we do, and to make a donation in planting mangroves, please go to devtrees4trees.portopaper.com. 

Writer: V.Arnila Wulandani. Editor: Christopher Alexander.

Planted 1000 Trees to Restore the Soil Fertility in Tanjungwangi Village

planted 1000 trees
Trees4Trees collaborated with Barekurve
Trees4Trees collaborated with Barekurve

In the series of 2022 planting season, Trees4Trees collaborated with Barekurve planted 1,000 trees in a tree-planting event. The event aimed to restore soil fertility in Tanjungwangi Village, which is in Cicalengka District, Bandung Regency.  

The tree-planting event is also part of the environmental improvement effort around the Citarik river watershed, which was one of Trees4Trees’ new planting areas. Five types of tree seedlings were planted during the tree-planting event, which was conducted in a land of 10,000-meter squares in Tanjungwangi Village.  

“We planted eucalyptus, manglid, mahogany, avocado, and coffee. This event also involved seven farmers and three local workers,” said Ahdan Ramdani, the Trees4Trees Citarik site coordinator.   

Planting trees for conservation purpose 

The land where trees were planted has been unproductive for the past five years. Long ago, the lands were planted with various kinds of crops but later abandoned and have not been planted with any plants. As the result, the lands become barren and poor in nutrients. 

Like any other village in Cicalengka District, most residents in Tanjungwangi work as factory workers. Most of them were farmers before. However, since the factories began to be established around the village, there has been a change in the people’ livelihood. Most farmers switched their job to become factory workers.  

“The condition of the lands is very poor. Therefore, the main purpose of this planting event is for conservation, that is to restore the soil fertility,” Ahdan revealed. 

CSR program with the help of Trees4Trees
planted 1000 trees

Ahdan also said that besides restoring soil fertility, the trees planted in the tree-planting event were also expected to maintain the water sources and prevent erosion as well as floods which often happen in this area. 

The tree planting event was supported by CSR program of Barekurve  

On the tree-planting event, which was held last December 2022, more than 600 seedlings were planted with the help of Barekurve staff as tree planter volunteers. While the rest of the seedlings were planted by local farmers. 

Barekurve representative, Sheila, revealed all of the staff are excited to be involved in the tree-planting event. Barekurve as an apparel company was also proud to be part of the environmental improvement around Citarik watershed through a tree-planting event.  

planted 1000 trees
CSR program with the help of Trees4Trees

“We are aware that in this modern day, the number of tree covers in Indonesia is declining day by day. Especially in Java Island as the center of the economics of this country. We think that planting trees can be a solution, so we initiated this tree-planting event as part of our CSR program with the help of Trees4Trees. Through the event, we want to contribute to environmental improvement, starting from this village. We’re hoping with this tree-planting event, we can help a little to make a green impact on the environment,” Sheila said. 

 

6250 Trees Planted in a Collaboration with NEC Indonesia

6,250 Trees Planted in a Collaboration with NEC Indonesia
Photo: Trees4Trees/Kemas Duga Muis

As a concern for environmental improvement and helping the local economy, Trees4Trees collaborates with NEC Indonesia to plant 6,250 trees planted on the lands of Sukaresmi Village and Sukaharja Village, West Java. The trees are planted in a total area of 10.5 hectares and involve 25 local farmers where trees are planted in their lands. A wide variety of trees ranging from fruit trees like avocado, mango, and durian, to woods like mahogany, teak, and albizia were planted in the tree-planting program.  

Pandu Budi Wahono, the Trees4Trees Program Manager said that conservation function is the main purpose of the program, but it is also expected that the tree planting will be beneficial for the local community. 

“Conservation function is the main purpose of the program so that trees planted will produce oxygen and maintain the water sources. But we are hoping that it will also be useful for the socio-economic community because we involve around 25 local farmers in total in the program,” said Pandu. He also said that mahogany trees will be planted along the village roads to make an improvement on the environment of the village public facility.  

According to Pandu, there is quite a lot of unproductive land in both Sukaresmi and Sukaharja villages, so it is expected that this program can be continued in the following year. 

Trees Planted Part of the NEC Corporate Social Responsibility Program  

The tree-planting program is a part of NEC Indonesia Corporate Social Responsibility Program that focuses on environmental sustainability to preserve nature. Joji Yamamoto, the NEC Indonesia President Director said that it is in line with NEC 2030 vision in the environmental aspect: Living harmoniously with the earth to secure the future. 

“The environment is one of the focuses of NEC 2030Vision to ensure a sustainable earth, so that we can live in harmony with nature to protect the future of this planet,” he said.  

Yamamoto on behalf of NEC, also thank the village head and all the residents of Sukaresmi and Sukaharja village to accept trees donation. “NEC Indonesia is proud to be able to take part in environmental preservation today. We thank all residents who have agreed to accept donations of thousands of trees from us to be planted on your land,” he added.  

CSR with NEC Indonesia
Photo: Trees4Trees/Yulianisa Dessenita

Started the Program with Tree-planting Event  

Marking the start of the tree-planting program, a tree-planting event was conducted last December 10, 2023. 250 trees were successfully planted in the public facilities of Sukaresmi village during the event. While the rest of the 6,000 trees were planted on 20 farmers’ lands in Sukaresmi and Sukaharja village last December 2022.  

26 staff of NEC participated in the event as tree planter volunteers, including the President Director, Joji Yamamoto. One of NEC staff who volunteers as a tree planter, Fathan, said that as part of NEC family, he is proud to be involved in the event. “We are grateful, especially because we can contribute to environmental improvement, not only for the benefit that we get today but also for the future,” he said. 

6250 trees planted
Photo: Trees4Trees/Kemas Duga Muis.

With the implementation of the tree-planting program in his village, the head of Sukaresmi village, Yana Sunarya thanked NEC and Trees4Trees for the program in the context of the conservation in his village. “We thank the tree-planting program. Hopefully, the trees planted can supplement the oxygen as well as the water source for prolonged life. By planting trees in our village, we also hope the trees will bring a great benefit for the villagers,” said Yana.  

Growing Together: Training Helps Farmers Go Green

Trees4Trees shows farmers in West Bandung how to make organic fertilizers
(Above) Trees4Trees shows farmers in West Bandung how to make organic fertilizers. Photo: Trees4Trees

Trees4Tress is working to green the world and grow a better future. In these reforestation efforts, farmers have a crucial role to play. Through a series of training activities, we have been working to build farmers’ capacity, empowering them to plant seeds of positive development in their communities. 

From November 4 to the end of January 2022, season, Trees4trees has held farmer training in 193 planting locations throughout West and Central Java. These sessions were attended by a total of more than 4,000 participants. We also employed local people as field facilitators, so they could take the lead in tree planting activities in their home village.

Trees4Trees Training in Numbers: 

  • 193 villages 
  • 40 sub-districts 
  • More than 4,000 participants 
  • 664 field facilitators 
  • 91 field coordinators 
  • 85 government instructors 

Raising Awareness, Developing Skills 

Our aim is to encourage the use of more organic, environmentally friendly methods. Training sessions focused on how to make organic fertilizers, and pesticides, while also showing farmers some handy propagation techniques for seedlings.

“It’s a win-win situation.” – Tedi, Trees4Trees Training Officer

Tedi Purnama is one of Trees4Trees’ training officers. He has noticed most farmers still use chemicals in agriculture. “We want to encourage them to switch to organic techniques,” he explains. “This is not only better for the trees’ growth, but also better for the environment – it’s a win-win situation.” 

Growing Together: Training Helps Farmers Go Green
(Above) mixing organic materials during a training session in Wargamekar village, West Java. Photo: Trees4Trees/Kemas Duga Muis

For many farmers who attended the training, organic farming was something interesting but unfamiliar. Nuryanto, from Pinggirsari village in West Java, was one of many who was happy to find out more information. 

“This training is interesting because the ingredients to make organic fertilizers or pesticides are easy to find and cheap,” said Nuryanto. “We know that chemical fertilizers and pesticides harm the soil – now we finally have a way to reduce our dependency on these materials,” he added.  

Read also: Encouraging Organic Farming Trough a Training 

Showing the Way: Field Coordinators and Facilitators 

Leading these sessions were Trees4Trees’ team of field coordinators and field facilitators; local recruits, trained in organic farming techniques by one of our more experienced training officers.  

“Field facilitators are closest to the farmers and local communities,” explains Tedi, who has been helping this team deliver the training in their communities. “They are also the first people farmers can go to and ask about how to implement organic farming properly. So it’s important for them to know everything,” he added.  

mixing organic materials during a training session in Wargamekar village, West Java
(Above) mixing organic materials during a training session in Wargamekar village, West Java. Photo: Trees4Trees/V. Arnila Wulandani

Rizki Imanuddin is a field coordinator from Pinggirsari village in the Cirasea district of West Bandung. He found the training to be a really positive experience. “Seeing the farmers so enthusiastic about organic farming makes me excited too,” he revealed. In his village, fruit production optimization was the most popular topic, as many local people were looking for ways to sustainably increase their fruit yields.  

Read also: Putting Down the Roots: Trees4Trees Planting Season 2022

Growing Together: Training Helps Farmers Go Green
(Above) Rahmat, a field coordinator from Banjaran Wetan village, shows farmers how to apply a grafting technique. Photo: Trees4Trees/Kemas Duga Muis

In Cisangkuy District, farmers were eager to join the training session about propagation of seedlings and grafting techniques. As the field coordinator, Rahmat noted that “during the training, farmers practiced the techniques seriously – they are eager to begin applying this knowledge in their own fields.”  

“Seeing the farmers so enthusiastic about organic farming makes me excited too.”– Rizki Imanuddin, a field coordinator from Pinggirsari Village

Collaboration is Key to Success Growing Together 

In addition to the generous support received from AstraZeneca and One Tree Planted in the planting area around the Citarum watershed, Trees4Trees is also working together with government instructors from Indonesia’s Agricultural Extension Agency (Badan Penyuluh Pertanian/BPP). 

So far, as part of our current planting season, more than 85 instructors from the government agency have gotten involved in farmer training in 32 sub-districts where our planting areas are located. 

Roni Nur Rohman is one of the instructors who attended the recent training. He believes BPP and Trees4Trees share the same mission: to support reforestation efforts and empower farmers to develop more sustainable livelihoods.

“We hope this training can improve farmers’ knowledge about tree planting and organic farming,” says Roni. “With collaboration, and from cultivation to harvesting, the planting process will bring great benefits to farmers and the environment.”  

Writer: V. Arnila Wulandani. Interview: Kemas Duga Muis. Editor: Christopher Alexander