Iju’s Passion for Planting Trees: Beyond the Harvest

Farmer story: Iju, one of Trees4Trees best farmers from Neglasari village
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.

Farmer story: Iju, one of Trees4Trees best farmers from Neglasari village
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. 

Planting Trees to Restore the Former Forest in the Village
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.  

Planting trees: Iju, one of Trees4Trees best farmers from Neglasari village
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. 

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.  

10 Mother’s Day Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas

mothers day gift
10 Mother’s Day Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas
There are ways we can cut down on the environmental effect when giving gifts. A sustainable gift is a perfect choice as it is more eco-friendly and far less to end up in the trash and unused

Different from most of the rest of the world which celebrates Mother’s Day in May, Indonesia celebrates Mother’s Day every 22 December. It is celebrated as Mother’s Day after the first Indonesia Women’s Congress convened on December 22, 1928, promoting women’s rights.  

Like Mother’s Day celebrations in other countries, Mother’s Day in Indonesia is meant to honor women, especially mothers. Friends and family give cards, flowers, and small presents on this day to show their appreciation for favorite women and mothers. In celebrating Mother’s Day, gift-giving can be a wasteful activity. But it should not be. However, we should also love mother earth while giving a gift to our beloved mother.  

There are ways we can cut down on the environmental effect when giving gifts. A sustainable gift is a perfect choice as it is more eco-friendly and far less to end up in the trash and unused. This list of 10 Mother’s Day eco-friendly gift ideas will get you started! These gifts are not only thoughtful but also kind to mother earth.  

Beeswax food wrap  

If your mom really enjoys cooking or loves to spend a lot of time preparing food, beeswax food wrap would be a perfect eco-friendly gift. It is a plastic-free and organic food wrapper that your mom can store the family’s food in an eco-friendly way. By giving this as a gift, you also help her to start a zero-waste movement in her kitchen.  

Eco-friendly Dishes Brush  

To reduce the plastic and undegradable waste from the kitchen, you also can give a set of eco-friendly dish brushes to your mother as a Mother’s Day gift. It is usually made from coconut coir and natural bamboo that is one hundred percent biodegradable and safe for mother earth.  

Bicycle  

Biking is a great way for moms to get exercise. Gifting a new bike to mom as a Mother’s Day gift is a great way to get her exercise. It makes her healthy and of course, it is a zero-emission vehicle.  

Earth-friendly Bath Products 

These days, there are so many varieties of bath products made from natural, free preservatives, and free chemicals that are safe for the body and for the earth. It usually comes with wonderful- smelling soap, shampoo, and conditioner bars. Gift a bundle of natural and earth-friendly bath products for your mom in the Mother’s Dat so she can pamper herself after a tiring day.  

10 Mother’s Day Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas
Photo: Freepik

Essential Oils 

Consider essential oils as an eco-friendly gift as a Mother’s Day gift for your mother. She can use the oils in her beauty products or diffuse them for aromatherapy. There are kinds of oils that can aid some issues for the body. So, you can choose essential oils which you think your mother will enjoy using it. 

Reusable Facial Cleansing Pads 

Using single-use facial cleansing cotton to remove makeup or clean the face can be wasteful. Why don’t you introduce your mom to using a reusable facial cleansing pads as part of her makeup tools? It can be used many times and makes less trash from single-use facial cleansing cotton. 

Reusable Shopping Bags and Produce Bags 

Plastic waste is a serious problem we face these days. Going to the grocery store often means using a bunch of plastic bags and plastic produce sacks and then throwing them away shortly after. Gifting a bundle of reusable shopping bags and produce bags as a Mother’s Day gift is a great way to show your love for mother and mother earth at the same time. Your mother will take the reusable bags with her to the market, food store, or anywhere else she shops.  

10 Mother's day gift
Photo: Freepik

Water Bottle  

Buying a drink in a single-use plastic package can increase the amount of plastic waste globally. Changing the habit of bringing a reusable water bottle will help to reduce plastic waste. Introduce the plastic-free movement and reusable water bottle trend to your mother by gifting a stylish water bottle. Encourage her to bring the bottle wherever she goes to be more eco-friendly. 

Cook a Veggie Meal 

Mother’s Day is a special day for moms. You can serve her a special dish as a gift for Mother’s Day. Cook her a nice vegetable or vegan meal! Eating more vegetables and reducing meat consumption is healthy for the body and it is also one of the most effective ways to combat climate change.  

Gift a Tree 

Gifting a tree to your mother is an extraordinary gift to celebrate Mother’s Day. You can give her an alive tree planted that contributes to improving the environment and empowering the local community where it is planted. A gifted tree is planted around degraded areas in Central Java and West Java, Indonesia to prevent some of the environmental issues, like erosion, flooding, dry soil, clean water shortages, and more. At the same time, the tree will also improve the local community livelihood through fruit and result from the tree.

10 Mother’s Day Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas
Photo: Trees4Trees 10 Mother’s day gift

Learn more to know how you can gift a tree for your mother. Click here: Give Trees as a Gift to Your Loved Ones

Trees4Trees Collaborates with BRIN to Strengthen Program Effectiveness

Trees4Trees collaborates with BRIN to strengthen reforestation program effectiveness_1

Trees4Trees collaborates with BRIN to strengthen reforestation program effectiveness_1

Trees4Trees Collaborates and the National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia (BRIN) are establishing a collaboration to accelerate the development of Trees4Trees programs related to research, education, and community service. The project will reinforce all Trees4Trees programs and will be rolled out in the Citarum watershed reforestation program funded by AstraZeneca Forests and One Tree Planted.  

Through the guidance and training from professional forestry experts and researchers of BRIN, it is hoped that Trees4Trees programs can create a greater impact in the local communities and environment and also contribute real world research results of BRIN’s innovation goals. 

Trees4Trees collaborates with BRIN to strengthen reforestation program effectiveness_2

Trees4Trees Collaborates is in its Early Stage 

Currently, the collaboration is in its early stages. It started by holding a training session conducted by BRIN last month. A four-day training was held at Trees4Trees Arjasari, Bandung Regency, and attended by Trees4Trees technical officers, and Field Coordinators.  

As part of the event, the BRIN team visited T4T tree-planting sites at local farmers’ fields to review and evaluate the agroforestry and conservation cropping patterns that had been applied. The team also recorded data on tree growth and pests found on the young trees. In addition to the discovery event, the team also visited impact measurement locations and seedling nurseries.  

Trees4Trees collaborates with BRIN to strengthen reforestation program effectiveness_3

Advancing Trees4Trees program development 

The project is expected to advance the success of eight aspects of the Trees4Trees’ program development; agroforestry demonstration plots, conservation demonstration plots, pest control, organic fertilizer and pesticide production, environmental impacts, social impacts, nursery and seedlings production training, and development of mangrove rehabilitation. 

“Currently, Trees4Trees is running a program for rehabilitation of critical areas working with local communities around Citarum watershed. To strengthen this program, Trees4Trees initiated research collaboration with BRIN which is the most relevant institution that can support this program development. In the early stages of the collaboration, starting with agroforestry plot research and research on social and ecological impacts, it is expected that the collaboration can provide great benefits,” Anto Wartono, Forestry Planning Manager of Trees4Trees commented.  

Author: V. Arnila Wulandani

Photos: Kemas Duga Muis

Aan and Sugiman, Young People from Kalirejo Village Who Left the City for Farming

Young people from Kebumen decided to farming 2
Young people from Kebumen decided to farming
Aan and Sugiman, Young People from Kalirejo Village Who Left the City for Farming

Not many young people in Central Java, are interested to live in the village and engage themselves in farming. Based on data collected by the Trees4Trees team, farmers participating in the Trees4Trees program in Kebumen are mostly middle-aged and elderly farmers. Most of the youngsters choose to leave their rural homes and work in big cities. 

Like most youngsters in their village, Aan (26) and Sugiman (29) from Kalirejo village,  – who are close friends –  also decided to leave their village and migrate to the big cities. They thought that working in big cities was more promising to improve their living standard than in the villages.  

Unfortunately, reality was far from their expectation. Finding an ideal job in big cities was not as easy as they thought. Over the years, they jumped from one big city to another to find a better job. Life was getting tough. Finally, after years living in big cities the two decided to return to their village.  

Read also: Masimun is Not Just a Farmer. He’s a Puppet Craftsman 

“One day when we were far from home and life was tough, we remembered our village has great natural resource potential. We thought it would be better to develop what we already have in the village than to live in the city. We want to do something useful in our village,” both said.  

Young people from Kebumen decided to farming 2
Aan and Sugiman, Young People from Kalirejo Village Who Left the City for Farming

After returning to their home village, they did not know where to start for sure. Then one day, they discovered that many agricultural lands in their village were abandoned and had become barren. 

“At that time, we kept asking the question in our mind, why were the lands in our village turning barren, arid, and poorly managed? Those lands were productive and fertile before,” said Sugiman. “We also wonder, why did farmers leave their lands neglected and unproductive? These questions were spinning around in our mind for weeks,” Aan continued. 

Read also: Sarpin, Planting Trees are More Important than Money 

Later, they found the answer. The problem was because most of farmers in their village were getting older. They no longer have  the strength enough to manage their lands, so their lands became unproductive. Most of farmers also can’t expect their children to continue managing their lands because they already work and live in the city. 

Realizing these problems, Aan and Sugiman then began to learn farming and growing crops in their village. When ONE HOPE and Trees4Trees came to their village and started the tree-planting program, they joined it immediately. These two young farmers then learned about agriculture more, including how agroforestry works, how to maximize their agricultural lands, manage crop yields, and make organic fertilizer.  

young people from kebumen decided to farming
young people from kebumen decided to farming

Deciding to return to the village and being young farmers are new challenges for them. However, they thank Trees4Trees for supporting and encouraging them. Now, some of the barren lands in their village are turning green after they have planted various trees. As they look greener day by day, it makes them enormously proud and motivated.  

Currently, Aan and Sugiman are also supporting the Trees4Trees education program by working as field facilitators. They are also active in encouraging young people in the village to take part in the reforestation program. They want to spread knowledge and inspire more people, especially other young people in their village to keep farming and planting trees on their lands. 

Both said they will keep farming and not return to the city. Their village is their home and they will live there for the foreseeable future. They have a big dream, to create opportunities which can offer jobs to young people through agriculture, reforestation, and natural resources, so they do not need to leave the village to find a job. 

Aan and Sugiman also said, farmers are a principal element of agriculture practice, food security, and ecosystems restoration. It is an obligation for young people to take actions and continue what our previous generations have done before. They thank ONE HOPE and Trees4Trees in helping them to get started in the right way. 

Interview & photo: Yulianisa Dessenita

Author: V. Arnila Wulandani & Yulianisa Dessenita