Turning Over a New Leaf: Farmers Going Green in Java

ToT
Turning Over a New Leaf: Farmers Going Green in Java
(Above) Farmers learn to make organic fertilizers during a training session hosted by Trees4Trees. Photo: Doc. Trees4Trees.

“We only know how to use the normal farming materials – we can’t develop them by ourselves,” laments Idin Tauhidin, a farmer from Banjaran Wetan village in West Bandung. Like many farmers in the region, he gets his fertilizers and chemicals from a supplier.  

Nuryanto lives in the neighboring village of Pinggirsari. He says most farmers here rely on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which are easy to get hold of and practical to use. However, they have noticed these chemicals harm the soil, leaving dangerous residues in the plants and trees they cultivate.  

Now, with the help of Trees4Trees and sponsors, Idin, Nuryanto and many more like them are learning to make their own materials, using organic ingredients and sustainable methods that can improve their crop without damaging the soil or the surrounding ecosystem.

Trees4Trees Training Raises Awareness of Organic Farming 

Held from November 4, 2022, through January 21, 2023, the training sessions were part of the Trees4Trees tree-planting program, designed to help farmers go green. “I consider this training as my opportunity to increase my knowledge and skills, especially in organic farming,” explains Nuryanto. “I hope I can use the knowledge to improve the agricultural process in my land, from planting to post-harvesting,” he added.  

Most farmers in Nuryanto’s village are unfamiliar with organic farming. “They use instant chemical materials in farming, so they were surprised because the methods presented in the Trees4Trees training are quite different,” explains Agus, the Agricultural Extension Service officer for Pinggirsari village.  

Trees4Trees Training Raises Awareness of Organic Farming 
(Above) Nuryanto, from Pinggirsari village, who learned how to make organic decomposer microbes during the training provided by Trees4Trees. Photo: Trees4Trees/Kemas Duga Muis.

The organic farming method takes longer and is more complicated. For example, the fertilizer mixture must be ripened for a week, then stored for another 15 days. “This is something new for them (the farmers),” explains Agus, “but I think it will be useful for them.”  

Agus believes the training is a golden opportunity to raise awareness among farmers about the many benefits of organic farming methods. “For example, chemical fertilizers often disrupt the soil structure, while organic fertilizers will restore the soil fertility and nutrients,” he added.   

Cheaper, Greener, Better: Finding More Sustainable Solutions 

One of the topics we covered at the training was how to make organic decomposer microbes. This process is an essential way to maintain soil nutrients. “Not many farmers could make [the microbes] on their own before,” observed Nuryanto, “but now we know it can be done using ingredients around us.”  

The training showed farmers how to make decomposers, fertilizers and pesticides by themselves, utilizing organic waste such as leaves, rotten fruit, expired milk, and eggs. Solutions like this allow them to reduce their expenses, while also lowering their impact on the environment. 

Idin Tauhidin learns grafting techniques from Rahmat
(Above) Idin Tauhidin learns grafting techniques from Rahmat, the Trees4Trees trainer; while villagers in Mangunweni village, Kebumen also develop their knowledge (below) . Photo: Doc. Trees4Trees.
Turning Over a New Leaf: Farmers Going Green in Java
while villagers in Mangunweni village, Kebumen also develop their knowledge (below)

Working in Harmony with Nature, Going to the Next Level 

During our recent planting season, Trees4Trees held training sessions in a total of 193 villages around West and Central Java. Idin Tauhidin is one of around 4,000 farmers who benefited. He believes it offers a way to reduce farmer’s dependence on suppliers and reduce the cost of buying seedlings and farming materials. When we spoke to him during the grafting technique training, he shared his thoughts: 

“If farmers always expect seedlings from outside agencies or institutions, or always buy ready-made agricultural materials, it means they will remain dependent,” he said.  

“By mastering the techniques, farmers can be more self-sufficient; from my experience, if farmers don’t update and accelerate their knowledge and skills, never attend training sessions, and rely only on self-taught knowledge, they will never go to the next level,” he added. 

Idin, Nuryanto, and the many farmers in their communities hope to apply the knowledge they have gained from the Trees4Trees training to their own land. They aspire to become more independent, building their well-being without harming their environment where they live. Together with Trees4Trees, they are beginning to bring this dream to fruition. 

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

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

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.