A Watershed Moment: Planting Begins at the Citarum River

The latest batch of seedlings sets off from Trees4Trees’ new nursery in Ciminyak
Our Ciminyak nursery for Citarum River
(Above) The latest batch of seedlings sets off from Trees4Trees’ new nursery in Ciminyak – part of our program to plant 10 million trees in the Citarum watershed by 2025. Photo: Trees4Trees/Kemas Duga Muis.

In 2018, the Citarum became famous for all the wrong reasons, when an environmental survey and medias reported it as the ‘World’s Dirtiest River’. In response, the Indonesian government decided it was high time to implement a comprehensive renewal program for the region. Now, with the help of Trees4Trees, the Citarum is ready to be reborn.

Working closely with the Government of Indonesia and One Tree Planted, and with funding from AstraZeneca, Trees4Trees has started an ambitious reforestation program in the Citarum watershed. A key part of our 2022 planting season, the project will plant a minimum of 10 million trees by 2025.

But how can trees help clean the world’s dirtiest river? What is being done to tackle the problem? And what is the bigger picture for environmental recovery in the region?  Trees4Trees has the answers.

Five Facts: A Closer Look at the World’s Most Infamous River

  1. The Citarum is the longest river in West Java, stretching 185 miles (297 km)
  2. It runs from Bandung, via Jakarta, to the Java Sea
  3. It provides electricity to most of Java and Bali
  4. Pollution comes from household, livestock, industry, agriculture, and fisheries waste
  5. The river contains dangerously high levels of lead, aluminum, manganese and iron

What are the Impacts of all this Pollution?

Disease flooding and citarum river
On People and On Nature

Studies by Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry have revealed that pollution in the Citarum not only affects the river – the damage also extends to the surrounding landscape. This area, known as the Citarum watershed, supports hundreds of thousands of livelihoods.

Restoring the Citarum Watershed

The Citarum watershed covers degraded areas of 77,024 hectares in West Java with various problems like erosion and sedimentation occurring, dry soil, clean water shortages, and more. Over the years, the Indonesian government has been working to restore critically degraded lands in this region, which have been in steady decline.

“The Citarum watershed is a priority area in Indonesia for recovery,” explains Muhammad Silmi, from the West Java Forestry Service. “The collaboration of government with various elements in society is very helpful in accelerating the recovery effort,” he added.

Muhammad Rizki Fauzan from AstraZeneca inspects the latest crop of seedlings at our Ciminyak nursery
Muhammad Simi (right), a West Java Forestry Service representative, at Trees4Trees’ Ciminyak nursery in West Java. Photo: Trees4Trees/Kemas Duga Muis.

Taking a Root-and-Branch Approach to Pollution

So how can trees help with this recovery? In the short term, the reintroduction of forests along the banks of the Citarum River can help to increase water retention and reduce surface runoff during the heavy rains that hit West Java during the monsoon. This can dramatically reduce the amount of trash flowing into the river.

Looking to the future, a sturdy network of tree roots can also help bind soils together, preventing erosion and returning valuable nutrients to the earth. Healthy trees also store carbon, provide shelter for wildlife, and offer livelihood opportunities to local people.

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

‘A Green Movement’: The Trees4Trees Planting Program

The cleaning and greening process has already begun. With funding from AstraZeneca, and  support from One Tree Planted, we are engaging more than 38,000 farmers in an area spanning 22,000 hectares of the Citarum watershed. Here, we aim to plant 12 million trees in the next three years, with a minimum of 10 million expected to survive past project completion in 2025.

“Trees4Trees will plant more than 10 million trees in the Citarum Basin by 2025”

Since 2020, we have already planted 1.2 million trees in tributary watersheds such as Ciwidey, Cisangkuy, and Cirasea. By focusing on private land, the program complements similar government schemes already underway in national forests.

“With the (Trees4Trees) program, we can collaborate and involve West Bandung residents to make a green movement for Citarum rehabilitation,” says Sanawinarti, a representative of the West Bandung Regency Environmental Service. “We are really thankful to this program,” she added.

Muhammad Rizki Fauzan from AstraZeneca inspects the latest crop of seedlings at our Ciminyak nursery- Citarum River
On December 6, Trees4Trees held an opening ceremony for the 2022 planting season at Ciminyak Nursery in West Bandung. The event was attended by representatives from Astra Zeneca Indonesia, the West Java Provincial Forestry Service, the Bandung and West Bandung Regency Environmental Service, and regents (Bupati) representative from both regions. Photo: Trees4Trees/Kemas Duga Muis.

Turning Over a New Leaf: The 2022 Planting Season

On November 24, Trees4Trees kicked off the 2022 planting season in the Citarum river watershed. Since then, more than 1.7 million seedlings have been distributed in the project areas.

In December, we also celebrated the official opening of a new Trees4Trees nursery: the Ciminyak Nursery in Cililin Regency, West Bandung, which became our second nursery in the Bandung area (the other being Arjasari).

Muhammad Rizki Fauzan from AstraZeneca inspects the latest crop of seedlings at our Ciminyak nursery and CItarum River
Muhammad Rizki Fauzan from AstraZeneca inspects the latest crop of seedlings at our Ciminyak nursery. Capable of producing around 2.3 million seedlings per year, the site will play a major role in supporting the Citarum watershed reforestation program. Photo: Trees4Trees/Kemas Duga Muis.

“We hope these seedlings will grow well,” said Muhammad Rizki Fauzan, a representative from AstraZeneca Indonesia in a statement during the opening ceremony. “AstraZeneca also hopes that Trees4Trees will continue collaborating with locals and the Forestry Service in the Citarum rehabilitation effort,” he added.

With the support of local farmers, growers, communities, and government officials, Trees4Trees will continue working to rehabilitate the Citarum watershed. Through collaboration and commitment, we will keep striving to reach our target of 10 million trees by 2025. For now, the future’s looking greener already.

 

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

Putting Down Roots: Trees4Trees Planting Season 2022

Trees4Trees Tree Planting Season 2022
Putting Down Roots: Trees4Trees Planting Season 2022
Photo: Trees4Trees/Kemas Duga Muis

Putting Down Roots–Since November, Trees4Trees 2022 has been hard at work as part of the annual planting season. The distribution of seedlings officially kicked off on November 24, 2022, and will continue through February 2023; a range of activities are currently underway, including community engagement, farmer mentoring, and monitoring of results. As of middle December 2022, a total of 1.2 million tree seedlings have been distributed to various locations in Central and West Java by Trees4Trees; by the end of the season, this number is expected to reach 3.5 million.

Responding to the Needs of Local Communities

During the current planting season, Trees4Trees aims to plant 31 different types of tree seedling in a total of more than 16,000 sites. These locations will include a combination of farmers’ fields and public facilities, along with critical wildlife areas such as riverbanks, the outskirts of villages, and around natural springs. The involvement of local people is seen as crucial to the success of this program.

“In the tree-planting process, Trees4Trees always listens and sees the local communities’, especially farmers’ as partners,” explained Tomi Bustomi, Trees4Trees’ West Java Regional Manager. Tomi and his team have tailored the program to the needs of farmers and the unique environmental conditions in each area. “Through the program, we bring real benefits to local communities and help to renew the environment,” he added.

Read also: Encouraging Organic Farming Through a Training of Trainers

Among the many tree species requested so far by farmers, jabon, sengon, and eucalyptus have proven to be the most popular. Meanwhile, arabica coffee is the most requested multi-purpose plant species, due to coffee being one of Indonesia’s top commodity products, especially in West Java. As a result of the Trees4Trees initiative, farmers in the region will be able to plant new seedlings and get a great benefit from their coffee crops.

trees4trees planting season 2022
Farmers in Central Java and West Java have been able to boost their livelihoods, thanks to the seedlings provided by Trees4Trees. More than half a million seedlings have been distributed so far, in over 16,000 different locations. Photo: Trees4Trees

In Kebumen, Central Java, the seedlings most commonly requested are kaliandra and indigofera. Both plants can used as fodder, while also improving the conditions of dry soil. Several types of plants, like aren and gayam, help to replenish natural springs and can be distributed in arid areas that are vulnerable to water shortages.

Branching Out into New Planting Areas

This year, Trees4Trees is expanding its reach to include new tree-planting areas. In West Java, the Citarum watershed rehabilitation planting zone has been expanded to include three areas around the Ciminyak river and Citarik river sub-watershed regions; both of which are tributaries to the Citarum river. The two new planting sites contain a large number of critically degraded areas, as well as land prone to landslides and drought.

Meanwhile, in Central Java, the existing mangrove planting area has been successfully broadened to incorporate several villages along the shores of Pati district; a total of 43,500 mangrove seedlings have also been successfully planted around the coastal villages of Kalikalong, Bakalan, and Alasdowo. This program of mangrove planting activities will be expanded to include around six more villages, where new growth will help prevent coastal erosion on the north coast of Java and protect fishponds owned by locals.

Putting Down Roots: Trees4Trees Planting Season 2022
Mangrove planting activities underway in Central Java, where Trees4Trees has been working with local communities to combat coastal erosion. Photo: Trees4Trees/Haryadi

A series of mangrove planting activities have also been extended to the other side of Central Java, specifically in the village of Ujunggalang in Kampung Laut District, Cilacap. Here, a total of 3,500 mangrove trees were recently planted in a 1-hectare area, with more trees expected to be planted soon. The main aim here is to prevent coastal erosion and restore the original mangrove forests.

Read also: The Incredible Benefit of Mangrove Ecosystem

Utilizing Modern Technology

As part of Trees4Trees’ commitment to transparency and our responsibility to our sponsors and partners, we use web-based GEKO (Green Earth Kontrol Organizer) technology1 and mobile application to log and monitor our tree planting activities. This includes farmer and land data collection, seedling distribution, planting, and monitoring of work flows.

Putting Down Roots: Trees4Trees Planting Season 2022
Modern technology like the GEKO application (above) is helping Trees4Trees coordinate its planting efforts and communicate progress to stakeholders throughout Indonesia. Photo: Trees4Trees/Kemas Duga Muis

“Through this application, Trees4Trees is ensuring that data from tree planting process can be recorded properly and in a structured way,” said Bayu, who is Trees4Trees’ IT Manager. His goal is to facilitate improved team performance in the field, while also communicating reliable and instructive data to sponsors as part of an ongoing process of digitalization and transparency. As he explains, “in the future Trees4Trees will be an organization that is increasingly trusted by all parties in environmental conservation activities through planting trees.”

As part of this process, in 2022 Trees4Trees expanded the functionality of the GEKO app to include farmer training, seedling distribution control, division of workload for each nursery,  and the delivery of organically raised seedlings and organic fertilizers to farmers.

Green Impacts, Rooted in Local Communities

Throughout the 2022 planting season, Trees4Trees is striving to achieve lasting green impacts and support environmental renewal on a broader scale. To achieve sustainable results, we’re committed to engaging and involving local communities in all planting areas, while also communicating the results of these activities to our network of partners.

Whether making environmental improvements in the Citarum basin, tackling coastal erosion on the coasts of Central Java, securing the availability of spring water or providing seedlings to farmers, the planting season is already making a tangible difference. From coast to coast in Java, Trees4Trees is planting the seeds of a greener future in Indonesia.

 

Writer: V. Arnila Wulandani. Editor: Christopher Alexander

1The GEKO app is a tool for forestry planning and operational control, purpose-build and developed in-house by the Trees4Trees technology team. It is available in the Google Play Store, but currently only accessible for internal use.

Planting Trees to Improve Farmers’ Livelihood in Kenteng Village

Planting Trees at Kenteng Village Farmers

Kenteng Village Farmers

Planting trees is important because most of the villagers in Kenteng Village, Central Java, work as farmers. They grow food crops such as corn, cassava, and rhizomes such as ginger and turmeric to meet their daily needs. However, the selling price of food crops is not competitive in the market. One kilogram of cassava, for example, is sold at a price of about 1,500 rupiahs (around US$0.10). 

This condition forces farmers to do side jobs to fulfill their needs. Besides farming, most farmers also raise goats to support their families. Recently, many farmers even also make woven crafts from pandan leaves as their side job because the produce from farming is not enough to make a living. 

The villagers are hoping that they can plant trees that can improve their livelihood and rehabilitate their environment at the same time.  

Kenteng Village Farmers_2

Planting tree to rehabilitate the environment 

The soil structure in the village is prone to landslides. But when the dry season comes, drought and clean water shortages threatened this village. In response to this, Faris, Kebumen Trees4Trees Unit Manager is conducting a tree-planting program in Kenteng Village in the 2022 planting season which starts in November. 

Faris revealed that the large number of critically degraded lands and environmental problems that exist  in this village were the main motivations to do  the tree-planting program in this area. 

“Trees4Trees is supporting the village by planting trees in an area of approximately 10 hectares. We intend to plant teak around the village because of the dry soil characteristic. It is most suitable for teak because it doesn’t need a lot of water to grow. Besides, there are also quite a lot of teak trees successfully grown in this area,” said Faris.  

Read also: Preventing Clean Water Shortages and Landslides in Kenteng Village 

Improving the livelihood through planting trees  

The condition of the soil in the village, which is seasonally arid and prone to landslides and drought, makes the life of the people in the village even more difficult. Once these conditions occur, they will disrupt the activity in the village. Farmers must stop their farming activities because collecting water has become the most urgent thing to do.  

Ginardi, the secretary of Kenteng Village revealed that villagers’ biggest hope is they can plant trees that are more valuable than the food crops they are currently growing and can help their environment. 

“We are hoping to be able to plant trees that can maintain the water availability and prevent landslides as well as increase the income of villagers. So, the result of the trees can improve the livelihood of villagers. The result of fruits or other valuable trees like petai or jengkol certainly will greatly benefit the villagers,” Ginardi said. 

Planting fodder trees which fertilize the dry soil  

Apart from relying on agricultural produce, villagers also depend on goats as livestock for their livelihood. Unfortunately, they often have difficulties finding fodder. When the dry season comes, they have to go farther to find it.  

Kenteng Village_donate tree

“Most of the farmers here raise goats as their investment. Currently, they feed their livestock with cassava leaves. But it is still not enough. They have to go some distance away to find more grasses and leaves for their livestock. It takes so much time. So, if we plant trees that are also can be used as animal feed, it will certainly help the villagers,” said Rokhimin, the farmer community leader of Kenteng Village. 

He said that most of the villagers are now interested to plant trees that also can be used as animal feed. Considering the needs of villagers, Faris said that Trees4Trees will plant kaliandra and indigofera trees in Kenteng village beside teak and fruit tree. He said that both trees are also qualified for environmental improvement.  

“Both are not only beneficial as fodder but also improve soil fertility. The village has much barren and fallow land. By planting kaliandra and indigofera, their fallen leaves can amend the topsoil and will increase soil fertility,” he said.  

To help the villagers to plant trees in the village, Trees4Trees is inviting you to take part in #GivingTuesdayForTree campaign and DONATING TREES for Kenteng village until November 29, 2022. You can donate trees through GIVING TUESDAY   

Encouraging Organic Farming Through Training of the Trainer 

Encouraging Organic Farming Through Training of the Trainer_1
Encouraging Organic Farming Through Training of the Trainer_1
Training participants learnt organic farming materials during the training session. Photo: Trees4Trees/Yulianisa Dessenita

Encouraging the planting season begins, Trees4Trees holds a Training of the Trainer (TOT). It is part of a series of tree planting programs. This year, Trees4Trees held the training from October 10 to 26, 2022 in all sites. The training itself aims to provide field coordinators with practical knowledge related to tree-planting. 

Through the training session, Trees4Trees’ training team train all field coordinators to mastering various materials related to organic farming. They are including planting patterns, fertilization, and planting techniques. After the training is completed, field coordinators then will transfer the knowledge to the farmers who are involved in the planting program with Trees4Trees. The training for farmers is conducted during the planting socialization stage, just after Trees4Trees distributes tree seedlings to farmers. 

Tailored to the needs of farmers 

The field coordinator will deliver the materials  to farmers in each village. They will provide material through training according to the materials requested by the farmers. 

“When it comes to the initial stage of the program, field coordinators have asked the farmers about what kind of training they would like to get. Once we know what kind of training they want to improve, we structure the training materials into tutorials. So, the training we provide basically will be tailored to the needs of farmers,” said Tedi Purnama, Trees4Trees Training Officer who was also a trainer of TOT training. 

Encouraging Organic Farming Through Training of the Trainer_3_IMG_5850

Tomi Bustomi, Trees4Trees West Java Regional Manager also said that one of the advantages of the Trees4Trees’ tree planting program is that it involves local farmers in planting trees and always considers the needs of farmers. 

“We always listen to the needs of the farmers. Not only for trees we distribute, but also training we provide. Our programs always tailor to the needs of farmers. Therefore, what we provide will bring real benefits to them,” Tomi added.

Encouraging using organic waste and other organic materials that are easy to find 

This year Trees4Trees delivers seven training materials through TOT. One of them is mandatory material. It is a timber and multipurpose tree species planting pattern. The other materials include how to make organic liquid fertilizers, organic congested fertilizers, organic pesticides, seedlings propagation techniques, and fruit cultivation techniques. Trees4Trees dedicates the training in fruit cultivation to farmers who are willing to increase their fruit production on a business scale.  

According to Tedi, before he delivers the material to the trainee, all materials have been tested first. “We made the simulation first to know the efficiency. Including the ingredients and cost estimation. We make sure that the ingredients and materials we use as references are the easiest, cheapest, and most efficient materials. We designed it in such a way that farmers can easily produce by themselves,” said Tedi. 

Encouraging Organic Farming Through Training of the Trainer_4_IMG_0156

For example, to make organic fertilizers, field coordinators were trained to use organic waste and other organic materials that are cheap and easy to find, such as eggs, expired milk, rotten fruits, moss, and animal dung.   

Encourage farmers to do organic farming 

Through this training, it is expected that field coordinators are able to understand all training materials. Afterwards they can deliver the training materials to farmers as well as reinforce and encouraging them to do organic farming. 

The purpose of TOT is to provide another perspective on cultivation patterns to farmers in 180 villages in Central Java and West Java as our partners. In West Java especially, most farmers still use chemicals in agriculture. Trees4Trees wants to encouraging all farmers to cultivate plants with organic farming techniques that are environmentally friendly. And the field coordinator will be the first who provides information and answers when farmers ask questions about how to implement an organic farming,” said Tedi. 

Writer: V. Arnila Wulandani

Preventing Clean Water Shortages and Landslides in Kenteng Village

Preventing clean water shortage and landslides in Kenteng Village Kebumen

Preventing clean water shortage and landslides in Kenteng Village Kebumen

Water is important for living. However, not everyone accessible to get clean water. Even though it is located not far from a dam and rivers, ironically, Kenteng Village always experiences drought and lacks clean water every during the dry season.  

In addition, the village which is located in Kebumen Regency, Central Java, Indonesia is also prone to landslides during the rainy season. 

Hard to get clean water during the dry season 

Ginardi, the secretary of Kenteng Village said that drought always occurs in his village during the dry season.  “When the dry season lasts more than two months, the water will be harder to get. People must go to the nearest springs to get clean water for their daily needs. Most of springs are located about two kilometers away,” he said.  

Arif, a villager of Kenteng also told the same story about the clean water problem he has been experiencing for the last ten years. He has lived in the village since 2012. For a decade living in the village, Arif must queue for hours to get clean water like other villagers when the dry season comes. “In the long dry season, usually we don’t sleep at night because we must queue in the water spring to get clean water. I can queue from 10 PM to 3 AM,” Arif said.  

Preventing clean water shortages and landslide in Kenteng Village, Kebumen, Central Java

The location of the springs is not easily accessible making the effort to get clean water to become much harder. “During the dry season, not many springs have much water coming out. From the nearest springs that have water availability, we have to carry the water manually on our shoulders to the village’s main road. Then we transport the water by motorcycle to our house. If the dry season is longer, it is even more difficult, but we do not have another choice,” he said. 

Threatened by landslides during the rainy season  

The clean water might be easier to get when the rainy season comes. However, this does not mean that the village free from other environmental problems. A landslide is also a potential disaster that endangers the village during the rainy season.  

Farmer group leader of the village, Rokhimin revealed that several areas in the village are prone to landslides due to the soil structure. In 2017, a tremendous landslide destroyed houses, a mosque, and cattle in the village.  “We are worried that landslides will occur again. Because not just one location that is prone to landslide in the village, but there are many,” added Rokhimin.

Although the villagers have planted trees and crops in the former landslide area, there has been no ecological prevention of landslide recurrences. Most of the farmers do not know what types of trees they have to plant that can prevent landslides. 
Preventing Clean Water Shortages and Landslides in Kenteng Village, Kebumen, Central Java

“The results from our study and survey show that Kenteng Village has a large critical area. The stakeholder of the village also conveyed that there are environmental problems. A destructive landslide occurred in 2017 and droughts in every dry season. That’s why we need to plant trees here. Trees4Trees targets to plant 20,000 trees in this village, “said Faris, unit manager of Trees4Trees Kebumen. 

Planting 20.000 trees for environmental rehabilitation 

preventing clean water shortages and landslides in kenteng village, kebumen, central java

The two ecological problems are very affecting the villagers’ life, especially to meet their daily needs. So the villagers hope they can plant trees that are able to prevent erosion and maintain the availability of water as well as improve their income by harvesting the results. 

“The villagers are enthusiastic about the tree-planting plan. We are hoping by planting more trees, the problems in this village are slowly solved,” concluded Ginardi.

Arif also expects tree species that have the ability to store a lot of water can be planted around the springs to restore the water sources. “I hope there will be no more problems with accessing clean water in this village, even in the dry season.”

To help the villagers to plant trees in the village, Trees4Trees is inviting you to take part in #GivingTuesdayForTree campaign and GIVING TREES for Kenteng village from 7 to 29 November 2022. You can donate trees through GIVING TUESDAY 

Author: V. Arnila Wulandani

Photos: Yulianisa Dessenita

 

Fairventures Worldwide Visited Trees4Trees for a Comparative Study 

fairventures worldwide visited trees4trees nursery in pati central java for reforestation comparative study in pati central java

fairventures worldwide visited trees4trees for reforestation comparative study in pati central java

A few weeks ago, Trees4Trees was visited by Fairventures Worldwide, a non-profit organization that is also focused on reforestation and environmental restoration activities. The visit was carried out in Pati Central Java and aimed to conduct a comparative study from the Trees4Tres reforestation program.  

Learning Agroforestry Through Comparative Study

The purpose of the comparative study especially was to learn about the cultivation of sengon trees (Paraserianthes falcataria), community empowerment and mentoring techniques of the tree planting program, collaboration with off-takers and factories, also agroforestry systems developed by Trees4Trees and farmers as well as the marketing strategies. 

fairventures worldwide visited trees4trees nursery in pati central java for reforestation comparative study in pati central java

During the three-day visit, the team had the opportunity to visit Pati nursery to see how tree seedlings were grown and treated until they were ready to be distributed to farmers and planted. 

Through the discussion sessions, Trees4Trees shared stories, experiences, and efforts in environmental restoration as well as education, involvement, and empowerment of local farmers in planting trees.  

The team also visited the farmers’ field and observe the agroforestry patterns that have been applied to the farmers’ field. One of the patterns shown was by combining sengon trees, fruit, and coffee plants in one area. Sengon trees and fruits act as shades for the coffee plants. 

fairventures worldwide visited trees4trees for reforestation comparative study in pati central java

“We have a lot of things to learn from this visit and we thank Trees4Trees for the opportunity. From this trip, we can take new things that have not yet been applied in Central Kalimantan. We will bring the new knowledge and experiences that we already got from Trees4Trees to be implemented with our farmers and our staff in Central Kalimantan,” said Raya, Fairventures Worldwide Country Manager of Indonesia.  

Sharing Knowledge for Greener Earth

This comparative study also not only aims to share knowledge and experience to achieve the same goal of making the environment healthier but also marks that the two organizations support each other for environmental restoration through planting trees.  

“We hope this comparative study can be a good reference to the program run by Fairventures Worldwide in Central Kalimantan. Hopefully, the reforestation we have conducted not only provides a great impact on the environment and local communities but also brings more benefits to the farmers. It is important to share good things for a greener earth and for a more prosperous society”, Novita, Trees4Trees Forestry Coordinator revealed.

Author: V. Arnila Wulandani