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When we think about food sources, vast rice fields, fertile farmland, or abundant oceans often come to mind. However, we often overlook wetlands, despite their crucial role in feeding billions of people worldwide. As dynamic ecosystems where land and water intersect, wetlands have long fascinated scientists and agricultural experts. 
These unique landscapes are not only biodiversity hotspots and natural carbon sinks but also hold immense potential for sustainable farming. Harnessing their fertility while overcoming environmental challenges requires innovation and collaboration.
Wetlands, characterised by the intersection of aquatic and terrestrial environments, have long intrigued researchers and agricultural experts. Wetlands International states that these unique ecosystems offer considerable value, functioning as crucial biodiversity hotspots, natural carbon sinks, and fertile soils conducive to sustainable agricultural practices. The conversion of these fertile yet difficult conditions into productive agricultural systems requires creativity and cooperative efforts. Indonesia encompasses roughly 40.5 million hectares of wetlands, which constitutes about 20% of the nation&#8217;s overall land area. This makes wetlands, such as peatland and swampland, an important resource for improving national food security.
Recognising this potential, the Tay Juhana Foundation (TJF) convened TJF Sharing Session (TSS) #1, with the theme Farming in Wetlands, on March 13, 2025. The event brought together farmers, researchers, and community leaders to explore the opportunities, best practices, and challenges of wetland-based farming. The interactive event included farmers, researchers, and community leaders, providing practical experiences and scientific insights on the role of wetlands in fostering resilient and productive agriculture.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-228363" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/1.png" alt="" width="1114" height="556" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/1.png 1114w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/1-300x150.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/1-1024x511.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/1-768x383.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1114px) 100vw, 1114px" /></a>
The discussion starts with story sharing from Hermawan, a rice farmer from Rambutan Village in South Sumatra who began cultivating peatland two years ago when the soil was compact, highly acidic, and nearly barren. With the support of the Centre for International Forestry Research—World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) in South Sumatra, Hermawan implemented zero-burning techniques, built  dams and canals for effective water management, and converted weeds and livestock waste into nutrient-rich compost.
His dedication paid off; rice production surged from 2.3 to 5 tonnes per hectare. More importantly, his success has inspired fellow farmers to adopt similar sustainable practices, proving that environmentally friendly farming can also be profitable.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-228365" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2.png" alt="" width="1116" height="584" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2.png 1116w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2-300x157.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2-1024x536.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2-768x402.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1116px) 100vw, 1116px" /></a>
The second discussion is carried out by Dedek Putri Mufarroha, the SLAI (Suboptimal Land Agriculture Initiative) Enumerator. Kampung Gambut, located in North Pontianak, West Kalimantan, is a successful village with vast vegetable fields stretching as far as the eye can see. Farmers in this area view innovation and open communication as important to their success. The village&#8217;s transformation into a leading vegetable grower can be attributed in part to the leadership of local cooperative head Irwansyah, who has transformed the hamlet into a major crop provider.
Farmers in Kampung Gambut learn from one another, adopting techniques such as using dolomite to regulate soil acidity.  They understand that collective effort, rather than reliance on outside help, drives progress. However, challenges remain. Despite harvesting 7–8 tonnes of vegetables daily, market prices often fail to reflect their hard work.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/3.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-228367" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/3.png" alt="" width="1104" height="584" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/3.png 1104w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/3-300x159.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/3-1024x542.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/3-768x406.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1104px) 100vw, 1104px" /></a>
Lastly, we discuss the scientific explanation about sustainable farming on wetland. This topic is presented by Rabbirl Yarham Mahardika, who emphasises the extensive historical and scientific relevance of tropical peatlands. A study conducted by <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/abb853/pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Monika Ruwaimana et al. (2020) </a>highlights a significant contrast between the comparatively young coastal peatlands in Rasau Jaya and the centuries-old interior peatlands in Kapuas Hulu, with some dating back approximately 49,600 years.
Beyond their geological significance, peatlands serve as vital habitats for endangered species and function as crucial carbon sinks. However, without proper water management and sustainable practices, these ecosystems face rapid degradation. Protecting peatlands is not just about conservation. It is a fundamental step toward strengthening climate resilience and securing food systems for future generations.
Wetlands offer immense potential for agriculture, supporting rice, sago, and horticultural crops while providing a consistent water supply for aquaculture and biodiversity that enhances agroforestry and polyculture systems. The key takeaway from the TSS event was clear: sustainable wetland agriculture requires continuous  innovation, adaptation, and collaboration. It is about finding harmony between nature and human needs.  The escalation of climate uncertainty, indigenous wisdom, collective knowledge, and novel methodologies are proving essential for building resilience.
To explore the discussion in more detail, feel free to rewatch the full session through the following link: <a href="https://youtu.be/VYu9uBGSwmA?si=kvD6d2Uehef17UR8" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;" data-rich-links="{&quot;fple-t&quot;:&quot;TJF Sharing Session 2025 - Bertani di Lahan Basah&quot;,&quot;fple-u&quot;:&quot;https://youtu.be/VYu9uBGSwmA?si=kvD6d2Uehef17UR8&quot;,&quot;fple-mt&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;first-party-link&quot;}">TJF Sharing Session 2025 &#8211; Bertani di Lahan Basah</a>

Maximizing Nature’s Concealed Potential in Wetland Agriculture

Peatland Agriculture Potential for Food Production &#8211; Indonesia, with its vast <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peatland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">peatland</a> ecosystems, holds an untapped opportunity to revolutionize agriculture. These lands, often considered challenging for farming due to their unique soil composition and high water content, are, in fact, a hidden treasure for sustainable food production. With the right approach, peatlands can be transformed into productive agricultural landscapes that support food security while preserving the environment.
For decades, peatland agriculture potential for food production has been viewed with skepticism, mainly due to unsustainable practices that lead to land degradation, fires, and carbon emissions. However, a new perspective is emerging—one that focuses on sustainable cultivation methods that not only make these lands viable for farming but also ensure long-term ecological balance. The Tay Juhana Foundation is at the forefront of this movement, proving that with knowledge, innovation, and dedication, peatlands can become key players in global food production.
<h2>Peatland Agriculture Potential for Food Production &#8211; Unlocking a Sustainable Future</h2>
Peatlands cover millions of hectares in Indonesia, yet their agricultural potential remains largely underutilized. The traditional approach of draining these lands for farming has led to severe environmental consequences, including increased greenhouse gas emissions and devastating peat fires. However, when managed correctly, peatlands offer a fertile and moisture-rich environment that can support a variety of crops suitable for wetland conditions.
Sustainable peatland agriculture potential for food production focuses on maintaining water levels, using peat-friendly crops, and implementing eco-conscious farming practices. Crops such as sago, taro, and jelutung thrive in these conditions, providing not only food but also economic stability for local farmers. Additionally, integrating aquaculture with peatland farming opens new opportunities for diversified food production, ensuring both economic and environmental benefits.
Through years of research and fieldwork, the Tay Juhana Foundation has demonstrated that peatlands can be transformed into productive farmland without causing environmental harm. Their initiatives serve as a powerful example of how agricultural progress does not have to come at the expense of nature. Instead, by working with the land rather than against it, farmers can unlock the full potential of peatland agriculture potential for food production while preserving these critical ecosystems.
<h3>North Jakarta’s Role in Advancing Peatland Agriculture</h3>
One of the most significant challenges in peatland agriculture potential for food production is changing public perception. Many still believe that these lands are unsuitable for food production, yet real-world examples in North Jakarta prove otherwise. This region, heavily impacted by land-use changes, showcases how sustainable peatland agriculture potential for food production can bring about economic and environmental transformation.
The Tay Juhana Foundation has been actively working with communities in North Jakarta, providing training, resources, and support to farmers willing to adopt sustainable practices. By introducing agroforestry techniques, water management strategies, and peat-friendly crops, the foundation has helped farmers improve yields while maintaining ecological balance. These success stories demonstrate that, with the right approach, peatlands can become a reliable source of food production, ensuring food security for generations to come.
Farmers in the region have experienced firsthand the benefits of these techniques. With improved soil health and better water retention, their agricultural output has increased without harming the surrounding environment. This model of sustainable peatland farming is now inspiring other regions to follow suit, proving that the potential of peatland agriculture potential for food production extends far beyond what was once imagined.
<h3>Why Peatland Agriculture Matters?</h3>
The significance of peatland agriculture goes beyond Indonesia. As the global population continues to rise, the demand for food production is increasing at an unprecedented rate. Finding new, sustainable ways to cultivate land is crucial in addressing this challenge. Peatlands offer a unique solution, as they provide fertile ground for food crops while simultaneously acting as carbon sinks that help combat climate change.
By investing in sustainable peatland agriculture, businesses, policymakers, and individuals can contribute to a more resilient food system. The Tay Juhana Foundation’s work serves as a blueprint for how peatlands can be used productively without compromising environmental integrity. Their commitment to innovation and sustainability proves that responsible peatland management is not just an option—it is a necessity for a sustainable future.
Supporting sustainable peatland agriculture means investing in a future where food production and environmental conservation go hand in hand. It is an opportunity to create a world where peatlands are seen not as obstacles to development but as valuable assets that, when managed wisely, can provide for both people and nature.
<h3>Get Involved with Tay Juhana Foundation</h3>
The future of food production depends on sustainable practices, and peatland agriculture is a crucial part of the solution. Whether you are a farmer, researcher, business leader, or environmental advocate, there is a role for you in this movement. The <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/">Tay Juhana Foundation</a> is leading the way, providing expertise, resources, and support to those committed to making a difference.
Visit us at Kobexindo Tower – 2nd Floor, Jl. Pasir Putih Raya Blok No.E-5-D, Ancol, Pademangan, North Jakarta, Indonesia, 14430. For inquiries, call us at (021) 6603926 or reach out via WhatsApp: +62 815 8855 584.
Join us in harnessing the potential of peatland agriculture potential for food production. Together, we can build a sustainable future where peatlands thrive, food security is strengthened, and the environment is protected for generations to come. Let’s take action today!

Peatland Agriculture Potential for Food Production

Sustainable Peatland Cultivation Example &#8211; <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indonesia</a>, a country rich in natural resources, is home to some of the most extensive peatland ecosystems in the world. These vast wetlands are more than just landscapes; they are crucial carbon sinks that help mitigate climate change, support biodiversity, and sustain the livelihoods of millions. However, rapid land conversion, unsustainable farming methods, and deforestation have led to severe peatland degradation, causing long-term environmental and economic consequences.
The challenge now is to cultivate peatlands in a way that balances environmental conservation with economic productivity. Sustainable peatland cultivation offers a solution—one that not only restores damaged ecosystems but also provides opportunities for sustainable agriculture. The Tay Juhana Foundation is at the forefront of this movement, demonstrating that responsible peatland cultivation can be both profitable and ecologically beneficial.
<h2>Sustainable Peatland Cultivation Example &#8211; Innovative Solutions for a Greener Future</h2>
In Indonesia, where millions depend on agriculture, the shift towards sustainable peatland cultivation is no longer a choice but a necessity. Traditional farming techniques often involve drainage, which leads to peat oxidation, making the soil vulnerable to fires and carbon emissions. However, sustainable methods focus on maintaining water levels, utilizing peat-friendly crops, and adopting eco-conscious farming systems.
The Tay Juhana Foundation exemplifies how innovative approaches can transform degraded peatlands into productive yet environmentally friendly agricultural landscapes. By implementing water management strategies, such as canal blocking and re-wetting, peatlands can retain their moisture, reducing the risk of fires and ensuring soil health. Additionally, the cultivation of suitable crops like sago, pineapple, and jelutung provides farmers with a stable income while preserving the integrity of peat soil.
Through this approach, sustainable peatland cultivation example is not just about growing crops; it’s about fostering a long-term vision where economic prosperity and environmental conservation go hand in hand. This model proves that farmers do not have to choose between productivity and sustainability—they can achieve both with the right knowledge, techniques, and support.
<h3>Real-World Impact &#8211; A Sustainable Peatland Cultivation Example in North Jakarta</h3>
One of the most pressing areas for sustainable peatland cultivation example is North Jakarta, where urbanization and land degradation threaten the surrounding environment. With vast tracts of peatland facing depletion, the region serves as a prime example of why responsible land management is crucial.
The Tay Juhana Foundation has been working tirelessly in these areas, providing farmers with the resources and education needed to adopt sustainable practices. By promoting agroforestry and introducing peat-friendly crops, they have helped transform once-degraded peatlands into thriving agricultural hubs. Farmers who once struggled with unproductive land are now seeing increased yields and better economic prospects, proving that sustainability can drive real, tangible benefits.
One key initiative is the integration of aquaculture with peatland farming, a technique that maximizes land use while maintaining ecological balance. By combining fish farming with peatland-friendly crops, communities can diversify their income sources while ensuring environmental stability. This initiative has not only improved local livelihoods but also demonstrated the practical benefits of sustainable peatland cultivation example.
<h3>Why Sustainable Peatland Cultivation Matters on a Global Scale</h3>
Indonesia&#8217;s peatlands are more than just a national asset; they are a global responsibility. These ecosystems store massive amounts of carbon, and their degradation can lead to significant climate repercussions worldwide. Sustainable peatland cultivation example is a solution that aligns with global sustainability goals, ensuring that environmental conservation does not come at the cost of economic progress.
By supporting initiatives like those led by the Tay Juhana Foundation, businesses, policymakers, and individuals can contribute to a more sustainable future. Investing in responsible peatland management not only helps protect these critical ecosystems but also fosters economic resilience for communities that rely on them.
The foundation’s efforts serve as a blueprint for how nations can balance agriculture with conservation, proving that peatlands are not obstacles to development but rather valuable assets that, when managed correctly, can yield sustainable benefits for generations to come.
<h3>Take Action with Tay Juhana Foundation</h3>
Sustainable peatland cultivation example is more than just a concept—it is a movement that requires collective effort. Whether you are a farmer, entrepreneur, policymaker, or environmental advocate, you have the power to make a difference. The <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/">Tay Juhana Foundation</a> is here to guide, support, and implement solutions that ensure peatlands remain a thriving resource for both people and nature.
Visit us at Kobexindo Tower – 2nd Floor, Jl. Pasir Putih Raya Blok No.E-5-D, Ancol, Pademangan, North Jakarta, Indonesia, 14430. For inquiries, call us at (021) 6603926 or reach out via WhatsApp: +62 815 8855 584.
Join us in championing sustainable peatland cultivation example and be part of a movement that secures a better future for Indonesia and the world. Let’s cultivate change, one peatland at a time.

Sustainable Peatland Cultivation Example for a Greener Future

Sustainable Peatland Management in Indonesia &#8211; <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indonesia</a>, with its vast archipelago and diverse ecosystems, is home to some of the world&#8217;s most critical peatlands. These unique wetlands serve as natural carbon sinks, storing massive amounts of carbon and playing a crucial role in global climate regulation. Rich in biodiversity, they provide a habitat for countless plant and animal species, many of which are endemic to the region. However, human activities such as deforestation, agricultural expansion, and drainage for plantations have severely threatened these ecosystems. The loss of peatlands not only endangers wildlife but also disrupts water cycles and increases the risk of natural disasters.
As peatlands degrade, they release significant amounts of greenhouse gases, contributing to climate change and worsening air pollution through frequent peat fires. These fires have caused severe environmental and health crises, affecting millions of people across Southeast Asia. Without proper intervention, the destruction of peatlands will continue to accelerate, leading to irreversible ecological damage. Sustainable peatland management in Indonesia is now a crucial strategy to restore these ecosystems while supporting local communities that depend on them. By integrating conservation with sustainable peatland management in Indonesia development, Indonesia can safeguard its peatlands and secure a more resilient future for both people and nature.
<h2>The Importance of Sustainable Peatland Management in Indonesia</h2>
Peatlands in Indonesia play a pivotal role in the nation&#8217;s ecological and economic framework. These wetlands act as carbon sinks, sequestering vast amounts of CO2, and are home to unique flora and fauna that thrive only in these habitats. Unfortunately, unsustainable practices like slash-and-burn agriculture and drainage for palm oil plantations have led to peatland fires, which release significant greenhouse gases and cause harmful haze affecting millions.
Sustainable peatland management in Indonesia is more than just an environmental necessity; it is a commitment to securing livelihoods, protecting biodiversity, and addressing climate change. Organizations like the Tay Juhana Foundation are at the forefront, advocating innovative and impactful solutions to conserve and restore peatland ecosystems.
<h3>Championing Sustainable Peatland Management in North Jakarta</h3>
Peatland degradation in regions like North Jakarta highlights the urgency of sustainable peatland management in Indonesia interventions. North Jakarta’s communities depend on these ecosystems for agriculture and water resources, making their preservation essential. The Tay Juhana Foundation has taken significant steps in promoting sustainable practices that balance ecological health with local livelihoods.
By implementing eco-friendly agricultural methods and restoring damaged peatlands, the foundation helps communities unlock the long-term benefits of these ecosystems. Beyond ecological restoration, this approach empowers local farmers with knowledge and tools to adopt sustainable peatland management in Indonesia techniques, ensuring their future prosperity.
<h4>Innovative Restoration Techniques</h4>
Restoring degraded peatlands is no easy feat, but the Tay Juhana Foundation employs innovative strategies tailored to Indonesia&#8217;s unique landscapes. From re-wetting peat soils to planting native vegetation, their methods ensure a lasting impact. These efforts not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also create a buffer against natural disasters such as floods and droughts.
<h4>The Role of Community Involvement</h4>
True sustainability is achieved when local communities are at the heart of conservation efforts. The foundation&#8217;s programs prioritize education, equipping farmers and residents with the expertise to practice sustainable peatland management. This collaboration fosters a sense of ownership, turning conservation into a shared mission.
<h3>Why Sustainable Peatland Management Matters Globally</h3>
The significance of Indonesia’s peatlands transcends national borders. As global carbon sinks, these ecosystems are critical in mitigating climate change. Each hectare of restored peatland contributes to a healthier planet by absorbing CO2 and enhancing biodiversity. Tay Juhana Foundation’s efforts are a testament to Indonesia’s potential as a global leader in sustainable development.
The organization also works to raise awareness on the international stage, showcasing how preserving peatlands can align with economic growth. By investing in peatland restoration, stakeholders can ensure not only environmental stability but also sustainable business practices.
<h3>Contact Tay Juhana Foundation Today</h3>
Are you ready to make a difference in Indonesia’s peatlands? The <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/">Tay Juhana Foundation</a> offers a gateway to impactful and sustainable peatland management in Indonesia solutions. Whether you&#8217;re an individual, a corporation, or a policymaker, your involvement can drive positive change.
Visit us at Kobexindo Tower – 2nd Floor, Jl. Pasir Putih Raya Blok No.E-5-D, Ancol, Pademangan, North Jakarta, Indonesia, 14430. For inquiries, call us at (021) 6603926 or reach out via WhatsApp: +62 815 8855 584.
Together, we can ensure a future where Indonesia&#8217;s peatlands thrive, benefiting generations to come. Join us in championing sustainable peatland management in Indonesia today!

Sustainable Peatland Management in Indonesia

<h2>Water Management in Peatland</h2>
Peatland is one of the most important ecosystems for environmental balance and economic sustainability. However, peatland also has unique characteristics that require special management, especially in terms of water management. Effective water management in peatland not only supports agricultural productivity but also preserves its ecological functions as a carbon sink and a biodiversity habitat. This article will discuss how water management in peatland is carried out, the challenges faced, and its benefits for the environment and society.
<h3>Challenges in Water Management in Peatland</h3>
Peatland has a high water retention capacity, but poor water management can lead to various problems. Some of the main challenges in peatland water management include:
<h4>1. Excessive Drying</h4>
Peatland drainage for agriculture or development often results in ecosystem damage. Dried peat soil becomes easily oxidized, leading to significant carbon emissions.
<h4>2. Vulnerability to Fires</h4>
Dried peatland is highly prone to fires, which not only destroy ecosystems but also increase air pollution.
<h4>3. Difficulty in Drainage Control</h4>
Peat soil&#8217;s porous nature and rich organic content make drainage control a significant challenge. Improper drainage management can lead to flooding or excessive drying, both of which harm the peatland ecosystem.
<h3>Strategies for Water Management in Peatland</h3>
To address these challenges, various water management strategies have been developed. Here are the key steps in peatland water management:
<h4>1. Rewetting (Re-moistening of Peatland)</h4>
Rewetting is a crucial step in restoring the ecological function of degraded peatland. This process involves refilling water into peat soil layers to prevent further drying and reduce carbon emissions.
<h4>2. Construction of Canal Blocks</h4>
Canal blocks are used to control water flow in peatland. By limiting excessive water drainage, canal blocks help maintain optimal soil moisture levels, prevent drying, and reduce fire risk.
<h4>3. Ecosystem-Based Drainage Management</h4>
Drainage systems in peatland should be designed with a balance between agricultural needs and ecological functions. Excessive drainage must be avoided to maintain adequate soil moisture and prevent carbon loss.
<h4>4. Regular Hydrological Monitoring</h4>
Hydrological monitoring is essential to understanding changes in water levels in peatland. This data helps determine necessary actions, such as adjusting canal blocks or rewetting if needed.
<h4>5. Community Involvement</h4>
Local communities must be involved in peatland water management. Through education and training, they can adopt sustainable peatland practices, such as eco-friendly agriculture or efficient water resource management.
<h3>Benefits of Effective Water Management in Peatland</h3>
Proper water management in peatland provides various benefits for both the environment and economy:
<h4>1. Protecting the Ecological Function of Peatland</h4>
By maintaining soil moisture, water management helps preserve peatland&#8217;s ecological role as a carbon sink and a habitat for flora and fauna.
<h4>2. Reducing Fire Risk and Carbon Emissions</h4>
Well-managed peatland has a lower risk of fire. Additionally, carbon emissions from peat oxidation can be minimized.
<h4>3. Enhancing Agricultural Productivity</h4>
With proper water management, peatland can be effectively used for agriculture, such as cultivating sago, coconut, and other crops that thrive in moist conditions.
<h3>Water Management in Peatland</h3>
Effective water management is key to sustainable peatland utilization. Processes such as rewetting, canal block construction, and hydrological monitoring play an essential role in maintaining the balance between agricultural productivity and environmental conservation.
One successful example is <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/our-work/our-project/peatland-research/" target="_new" rel="noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation</a>, which has been a leader in sustainable peatland management. They not only support effective water management but also utilize peatland for eco-friendly food cultivation. With the support of all stakeholders, we can transform peatland into a valuable asset for the future.
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/tayjuhanafoundation/?hl=id" target="_new" rel="noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation</a> proves that collaboration and innovation can overcome challenges. Let&#8217;s work together to support water management in peatland for a greener and more sustainable future.
Let’s make a sustainable future a reality, starting today. 🌍

Water Management in Peatland

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<h2 class="relative p-1 rounded-sm flex items-center justify-center bg-token-main-surface-primary text-token-text-primary h-8 w-8">Water Management Process in Peatland for Agriculture</h2>
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Peatland is one of the unique ecosystems that presents both challenges and great potential for agriculture. With its wet nature, rich organic content, but vulnerability to degradation, water management becomes a crucial aspect in utilizing peatland for <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agriculture</a>. Proper water management not only supports agricultural productivity but also preserves the ecological function of peatland as a carbon sink and biodiversity habitat.
<h3>Challenges in Water Management in Peatland</h3>
Peatland has unique hydrological characteristics, with high moisture levels and a great capacity to store water. However, draining peatland for agricultural activities without proper management can lead to various problems, such as:
<ul>
<li>Carbon Emissions: Excessive drainage oxidizes organic materials in peat, generating large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions.</li>
<li>Ecosystem Degradation: Drought causes peatland soil to lose its ecological function as a natural habitat.</li>
<li>Land Fires: Dry peatland is highly prone to fires, resulting in economic and environmental losses.</li>
</ul>
For this reason, proper water management is key to successfully utilizing peatland for agriculture while ensuring the sustainability of its ecosystem.
<h3>Water Management Process in Peatland</h3>
Water management in peatland requires a holistic approach based on its hydrological characteristics. The following are the main processes in peatland water management:
<h4>1. Construction of Canal Blocks</h4>
Canals built in peatland often lead to excessive drainage. To address this issue, canal blocks are used to control water flow and maintain optimal soil moisture levels. These blocks help prevent excessive drying, which could trigger fires and soil degradation.
<h4>2. Rewetting (Re-moistening of Peatland)</h4>
Degraded peatland due to excessive drainage needs to undergo rewetting or re-moistening. This process involves refilling water into peat soil layers to restore its hydrological function. Rewetting also helps reduce carbon emissions from dry peatland.
<h4>3. Integrated Drainage Management</h4>
The drainage system in peatland must be carefully designed to balance agricultural water needs while preserving the ecological functions of peatland. Drainage regulation includes controlling water flow to maintain optimal moisture levels.
<h4>4. Regular Hydrological Monitoring</h4>
Monitoring groundwater levels regularly is essential to ensure the success of peatland water management. Hydrological data helps determine necessary actions, such as adjusting canal blocks or conducting rewetting if needed.
<h4>5. Community Involvement</h4>
Local communities play an important role in peatland water management. Through education and training, they can be taught to utilize land sustainably, such as adopting eco-friendly irrigation techniques or cultivating crops suited for peatland conditions.
<h3>Benefits of Proper Water Management in Peatland</h3>
Proper water management in peatland provides significant benefits, both environmentally and economically:
<h4>1. Enhancing Agricultural Productivity</h4>
By maintaining optimal moisture levels, peatland can be used effectively for agriculture, such as cultivating sago, coconut, or vegetables that tolerate high humidity.
<h4>2. Preventing Ecosystem Degradation</h4>
Water management helps protect peatland from degradation, reducing the risk of fires, and preserving natural habitats for flora and fauna.
<h4>3. Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions</h4>
By keeping peatland wet, carbon emissions from peat oxidation can be significantly reduced, contributing to climate change mitigation efforts.
<h3>Water Management in Peatland for Agriculture</h3>
Water management in peatland for agriculture is a critical step in ensuring its sustainable utilization. This process includes various methods, such as canal blocks, rewetting, and hydrological monitoring, all of which aim to balance agricultural needs and the ecological functions of peatland for agriculture.
One successful example is <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/our-work/our-project/peatland-research/" target="_new" rel="noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation</a>, which has successfully optimized peatland for agriculture through sustainable farming practices. They not only provide food for communities but also protect the environment through effective water management.
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/tayjuhanafoundation/?hl=id" target="_new" rel="noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation</a> proves that with support and collaboration, challenges can be turned into opportunities. Let’s work together to support peatland water management for agriculture, for a greener, more sustainable, and prosperous future.
Let’s take action for a better future, today. 🌍
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Water Management Process in Peatland for Agriculture

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<h3>Journal of Suboptimal Land Agriculture: Optimization of Land Management</h3>
Suboptimal land refers to land that has natural limitations, such as low fertility levels, high soil acidity, or drainage issues, requiring special interventions to be utilized optimally. In Indonesia, most suboptimal land includes peat soil, marginal dry land, and freshwater swamps. With a significant land area, suboptimal land agriculture holds great potential to support the agricultural sector, provided that it is managed properly through sustainable and innovative approaches.
<h3>Definition of Suboptimal Land and Its Challenges</h3>
In simple terms, suboptimal land agriculture refers to land with physical, chemical, or biological characteristics that do not support intensive agricultural cultivation without improvements or special management. Some characteristics of suboptimal land include low pH (acidic soil), poor drainage (either too wet or too dry), and low nutrient content. Despite these challenges, this land type holds great potential to be developed into productive agricultural areas when managed with the right approach.
<h3>Strategies for Optimizing Suboptimal Land Management</h3>
<h4>1. Sustainable Peatland Management</h4>
Peatland, which falls under the suboptimal category, requires special attention. One of the key strategies is peatland ecosystem restoration through methods such as rewetting (re-moistening), revegetation (replanting native vegetation), and drainage control. These steps aim to maintain soil moisture, prevent fires, and optimize the ecological functions of peatland.
<h4>2. Utilizing Agricultural Technology for Suboptimal Land</h4>
Modern technology, such as precision irrigation, satellite-based monitoring, and eco-friendly organic fertilizers, can help increase suboptimal land productivity. With technology, farmers can identify specific soil and crop needs, leading to higher yields without harming the ecosystem.
<h4>3. Crop Engineering</h4>
Developing crop varieties that tolerate suboptimal land conditions, such as swamp rice or drought-resistant maize, is a key solution for utilizing this land. These varieties are designed to thrive in less-than-ideal environments, ensuring optimal productivity.
<h4>4. Empowering Local Communities</h4>
Local communities must be actively involved in every effort to manage suboptimal land. Education on sustainable agricultural practices, such as peat-friendly crops or integrated fish farming in swamp areas, can provide economic benefits while preserving the environment.
<h4>5. Effective Water Management</h4>
Proper drainage control is essential for suboptimal land, especially for peatland and swamp areas. By constructing canal blocks and maintaining balanced water levels, the land can be optimized without the risk of excessive drying or flooding.
<h3>Benefits of Suboptimal Land Optimization</h3>
Optimizing suboptimal land provides significant benefits, both environmentally and economically.
<h4>1. Enhancing Agricultural Productivity</h4>
By implementing proper water and land management, suboptimal land can be used for agriculture, such as sago, coconut, or other environmentally friendly crops.
<h4>2. Preventing Ecosystem Degradation</h4>
Sustainable land management helps reduce soil degradation risks, carbon emissions, and ecological disasters such as peatland fires.
<h4>3. Improving Local Economic Growth</h4>
By optimizing suboptimal land, local communities have new opportunities to increase their income through agriculture, livestock, or fisheries.
For example, properly managed peatland can be used to grow sago, coconut, or other environmentally friendly crops. In addition, swamp land can be integrated with fish farming, creating a more productive and sustainable farming system.
<h3>Challenges in Managing Suboptimal Land</h3>
Despite its vast potential, suboptimal land management faces various challenges. Some of these include limited access to technology, lack of farmer knowledge on sustainable management, and conflicts between conservation and economic exploitation. Additionally, high rehabilitation costs are often a barrier, particularly in remote areas.
<h3>Solutions and Recommendations</h3>
To overcome these challenges, a comprehensive and collaborative approach is needed. Some recommendations include:
<ul>
<li>Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration: Governments, private sectors, and local communities must work together to ensure sustainable suboptimal land management. Incentive programs for companies adopting environmentally friendly practices can encourage greater investment.</li>
<li>Education and Training: Providing training to local farmers on modern agricultural techniques and environmental sustainability is key to success.</li>
<li>Utilizing Data and Technology: Data-driven land mapping systems can help identify priority areas for restoration and development.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Journal of Suboptimal Land Agriculture</h3>
Although suboptimal land has various limitations, it holds great potential to support Indonesia’s agricultural sector. By understanding the definition of suboptimal land, recognizing its characteristics, and utilizing its potential wisely, this land can be transformed into a productive asset that contributes to food security and environmental sustainability. With planned management, supported by technology and collaboration, suboptimal land agriculture can become a key pillar in national agricultural development.
<h3>The Future of Suboptimal Land Agriculture</h3>
Suboptimal land in Indonesia faces major challenges but also presents extraordinary opportunities for optimization. With the right approach, technological innovation, and collaboration among various parties, suboptimal land can be a solution to support food security, economic sustainability, and environmental conservation.
One inspiring example is <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/our-work/our-project/peatland-research/" target="_new" rel="noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation</a>, which has been a pioneer in managing suboptimal land agriculture sustainably. With a focus on environmentally friendly cultivation, they have proven that suboptimal land agriculture can become a productive resource to meet food demands. With support and joint efforts, this initiative can accelerate the transformation of suboptimal land into a valuable asset for all.
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/tayjuhanafoundation/?hl=id" target="_new" rel="noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation</a> has shown that sustainably managing suboptimal land is not just possible but is already happening. Let’s join forces to create a greener and more sustainable future. Awareness, support, and real action from all stakeholders are key steps to ensuring this initiative&#8217;s success.
Together, we can transform suboptimal land into a source of hope for future generations.
Let’s take action for a sustainable future, today. 🌍
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Journal of Suboptimal Land Agriculture: Optimization of Land Management

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National peatland plays a highly strategic role in maintaining Indonesia&#8217;s <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecosystem" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ecosystem</a> balance while supporting climate change mitigation efforts. Covering approximately 14.9 million hectares, Indonesia is one of the countries with the largest peatland areas in the world.
These lands not only serve as significant carbon storage but also hold great economic value if managed properly. However, uncontrolled utilization has led to various challenges, such as forest fires, ecosystem degradation, and increased greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, a holistic and sustainable national peatland management strategy is required.
<h2>The Importance of National Peatland Management</h2>
National peatland is an environmental asset with high ecological value. These ecosystems can absorb and store large amounts of carbon, making them essential tools for climate change mitigation. Additionally, peatland supports biodiversity conservation, serving as a habitat for rare flora and fauna, including orangutans and Sumatran tigers.
However, peatland&#8217;s natural characteristics classify it as suboptimal land, making it vulnerable to degradation. In the definition of suboptimal land, this type of soil presents challenges such as high acidity, low nutrient content, and difficult drainage. Without proper management, peatland is easily degraded, ultimately affecting its ecological functions.
<h3>National Peatland Management Strategy</h3>
<h4>Peatland Ecosystem Restoration</h4>
Restoring degraded ecosystems is one of the primary steps in national peatland management. Programs such as rewetting (re-moistening dried land), revegetation (replanting native vegetation), and excessive canal closure are integral parts of this strategy. These efforts aim to restore peatland&#8217;s natural function as an effective carbon sink and water cycle regulator, promoting a healthier and more sustainable ecosystem.
<h4>Fire Prevention and Control</h4>
Peatland forest fires are among the most significant challenges in peatland management in Indonesia. Fire prevention requires comprehensive measures, such as implementing early warning systems, field patrols, and local community education. The use of advanced technology, such as satellite monitoring for detecting fire hotspots, is essential in identifying potential fires and taking swift action.
<h4>Local Community Empowerment</h4>
Local communities play a crucial role in national peatland management. Education and training programs on peat-friendly farming practices, such as sago cultivation or other crops that require minimal drainage, can provide sustainable alternative livelihoods. This approach enables communities to become active partners in protecting and restoring peatland ecosystems.
<h4>Water Management</h4>
Effective water management is key to peatland sustainability. Maintaining water balance through the construction of canal blocks is essential for retaining soil moisture. This approach prevents excessive drying, which can trigger large-scale carbon emissions while also reducing the risk of land degradation.
<h4>A Strong Regulatory Framework</h4>
Governments must strengthen regulations to ensure that peatland utilization is conducted sustainably. Establishing protected peatland zones and enforcing strict penalties for violations are crucial parts of this framework. Additionally, incentives can be offered to companies or organizations that adopt sustainable management practices, encouraging broader participation in peatland conservation.
<h3>The Economic Potential of Peatland</h3>
Despite its challenges, national peatland holds immense economic potential if managed sustainably. For instance, cultivating peat-friendly crops such as sago, coconut, and Liberica coffee can generate significant income without harming the ecosystem. Additionally, peatland can be utilized for eco-tourism and scientific research, further expanding its economic value.
By optimizing these potentials, peatland can become a pillar of green economic development, supporting low-carbon growth. With the right management strategy, suboptimal land potential can be transformed into a productive asset without compromising its ecological function.
<h3>Challenges and Solutions</h3>
Despite comprehensive strategies, national peatland management faces several challenges, including lack of inter-agency coordination, limited funding, and low public awareness. Addressing these challenges requires a collaborative approach, where governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the private sector work together to protect and utilize peatland sustainably.
Additionally, data-driven management is key. Modern technology, such as digital mapping and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), can help identify priority areas for intervention. This approach ensures efficient resource allocation.
A sustainable national peatland management strategy is essential for protecting one of Indonesia&#8217;s most vital ecosystems. By incorporating the definition of suboptimal land, identifying the characteristics of suboptimal land, and optimizing the potential of suboptimal land, Indonesia can ensure the long-term sustainability of peatland ecosystems while supporting local economic development. Collaboration between governments, communities, and the private sector is a crucial step in ensuring effective peatland management, environmental protection, and long-term benefits for future generations.
<h3>Current State of Peatlands in Indonesia</h3>
Peatlands in Indonesia are currently facing many challenges. However, there are also opportunities for restoration and sustainable use. Through collaboration and innovation, we can turn threats into opportunities.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/our-work/our-project/peatland-research/" target="_new" rel="noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation</a> is one of the pioneers in this effort. They provide food for humanity by cultivating suboptimal land sustainably. By supporting initiatives like these, we can help secure a better future.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/our-work/our-project/peatland-research/" target="_new" rel="noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation</a> has demonstrated that sustainable peatland management is not just a possibility—it is already happening. Together, we can create a greener and more sustainable world for future generations. Awareness, action, and support from all stakeholders are vital.
Let’s commit to protecting Indonesia’s peatlands. This is not just for our own benefit, but also for our planet.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/our-work/our-project/peatland-research/" target="_new" rel="noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation</a> proves that a sustainable future is achievable. Let’s make it a reality, one step at a time. 🌍
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National Peatland Management Strategy

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<h2>Optimization of Peatland Utilization into Productive Land</h2>
Peatlands are one of the unique ecosystems that play a crucial role in maintaining global environmental balance. In addition to being the largest <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">carbon</a> sink, peat soil also serves as a habitat for various types of flora and fauna. However, the challenge in utilizing peat soil lies in its classification as suboptimal land. Therefore, optimizing peat soil utilization in a sustainable manner is the solution to transform it into potential and productive land.
<h3>Definition of Suboptimal Land and Its Characteristics</h3>
Suboptimal land refers to land that has physical, chemical, or biological limitations, making it less ideal for agriculture or development without special intervention. The definition of suboptimal land encompasses various land types, including peat soil, which requires specialized management and technology for optimal use.
Some characteristics of suboptimal land include low soil pH (acidic nature), limited soil fertility, poor drainage (either too wet or too dry), and susceptibility to erosion or fire. Despite these challenges, suboptimal land, such as peat soil, holds great potential when managed properly.
<h3>Potential of Peatland as Suboptimal Land</h3>
Peat soil have great potential to be developed into productive areas through proper management. One of the potential aspects of suboptimal land is its ability to support activities such as sago-based agriculture, coconut cultivation, and other peat-friendly commodities. Additionally, peat soil can also be used for fish farming, forestry, and eco-tourism.
To realize this potential, optimization measures are required to ensure that utilization does not harm the ecosystem. Uncontrolled peatland exploitation can lead to environmental degradation, such as land fires that release large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, sustainable peat soil management is the primary approach to optimizing this land’s potential.
<h3>Sustainable Peatland Management</h3>
Sustainable peatland management is an approach that integrates ecosystem protection, climate change mitigation, and community economic empowerment.
The first step is the restoration of degraded peat soil through methods such as rewetting (re-moistening dried land) and revegetation (replanting native vegetation). This process aims to restore the natural function of peat soil as a carbon sink and a water cycle regulator.
The next step is community-based management by providing education and technology to local residents. This is essential because local communities are often the primary stewards of peat ecosystems. Through training and technical support, they can utilize peat soil for eco-friendly agricultural activities and non-timber forest product management without harming the environment.
Additionally, modern technology such as satellite-based monitoring can help detect fire risks early and improve water management effectiveness. By leveraging this technology, peat soil utilization can be optimized without compromising its ecological function.
<h3>Benefits of Optimizing Peatland Utilization</h3>
Sustainable peatland utilization offers various benefits, both environmentally and economically.
<h4>1. Climate Change Mitigation</h4>
Properly managed peatlands can absorb large amounts of carbon, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and prevent environmental disasters such as wildfires, which frequently occur in tropical regions.
<h4>2. Biodiversity Conservation</h4>
Peatland ecosystems are home to various unique species of flora and fauna, including some that are endangered, such as orangutans and Sumatran tigers. Protecting these ecosystems means safeguarding global biodiversity.
<h4>3. Boosting the Local Economy</h4>
Sustainable peatland management allows local communities to wisely utilize natural resources. For instance, cultivating peat-friendly crops such as sago and palm sugar can be a profitable alternative without damaging the environment.
<h3>Challenges and Solutions</h3>
Despite its potential, optimizing peatland is not without challenges. One of the biggest issues is lack of awareness among communities and governments regarding the importance of sustainable peatland management. Additionally, conflicts between conservation efforts and economic exploitation often present significant obstacles. Limited resources, both financial and technological, also pose challenges to implementing restoration programs.
To overcome these challenges, strict regulations and technological support are needed. Governments must also involve various stakeholders, including local communities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the private sector, in peatland management efforts.
Optimizing peatland utilization into productive land requires an integrated approach that prioritizes sustainability principles. By understanding the definition of suboptimal land, identifying the characteristics of suboptimal land, and wisely utilizing the potential of suboptimal land, peatlands can provide significant benefits for both the environment and society.
Sustainable peatland management is key to protecting these ecosystems while supporting inclusive and environmentally friendly economic development.
<h3>Current State of Peatlands in Indonesia</h3>
Peatlands in Indonesia currently face many challenges. However, there are also opportunities for restoration and sustainable use. Through collaboration and innovation, we can turn threats into opportunities.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/our-work/our-project/peatland-research/" target="_new" rel="noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation</a> is one of the pioneers in this effort. They provide food for humanity by cultivating suboptimal land in a sustainable manner. By supporting initiatives like these, we can help ensure a better future.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/our-work/our-project/peatland-research/" target="_new" rel="noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation</a> has shown that this is not just possible, but it is already happening. Together, we can create a greener and more sustainable world for future generations. Awareness, action, and support from all stakeholders are vital.
Let’s commit to protecting Indonesia’s peatlands. This is not just for our own benefit, but also for our planet.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/our-work/our-project/peatland-research/" target="_new" rel="noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation</a> proves that a sustainable future is achievable. Let’s make it a reality, one step at a time!
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Optimization of Peatland Utilization into Productive Land

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<h2>Peatland Management: A Key to Environmental and Economic Sustainability</h2>
<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peatland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Peatlands</a> are among the most important ecosystems in the world, covering only about 3% of the Earth&#8217;s surface but playing a significant role in climate change mitigation by storing up to 30% of global soil carbon. This function makes peatlands highly effective carbon sinks while also helping to maintain overall ecosystem balance.
However, uncontrolled exploitation and peatland degradation have caused various negative impacts, such as forest fires, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and the destruction of natural habitats. To address these issues, sustainable peatland management is a crucial step. This approach aims to protect the ecological functions of peatlands while providing sustainable economic benefits to local communities.
<h3>Sustainable Peatland Management</h3>
Sustainable peatland management is a holistic approach that integrates ecological, social, and economic aspects. Its main objective is to protect peatland ecosystems, prevent degradation, and optimize their benefits for both people and the environment. Some of the key principles in peatland management include ecosystem restoration, drainage control, and community empowerment.
<h4>Peatland Ecosystem Restoration</h4>
Peatland restoration aims to restore its natural function as a carbon sink and biodiversity habitat. One of the primary methods is rewetting, which involves rehydrating drained peatlands. The use of canal blocking is an effective way to maintain soil moisture and prevent fires.
Additionally, this method supports the regeneration of natural vegetation, which is essential for ecosystem stability. These efforts help protect peatlands from further damage and reduce carbon emissions.
<h4>Drainage Control</h4>
Uncontrolled drainage is one of the main causes of peatland damage. Proper water management is crucial to maintaining optimal groundwater levels, ensuring the stability of peatland ecosystems.
By preventing excessive drying, the risk of subsidence or land sinking can be minimized. This step also plays a crucial role in reducing carbon emissions from degraded peatlands. These measures form the foundation for the future sustainability of peatland ecosystems.
<h4>Community Empowerment</h4>
Local communities play a vital role in the success of peatland management. Programs such as peat-friendly agriculture and non-timber forest product management provide alternative, sustainable livelihoods. Involving communities in conservation efforts ensures the long-term sustainability of peatland ecosystems.
Moreover, their participation strengthens the relationship between ecosystems and local community well-being. This approach ensures that peatlands remain preserved with the direct support of the people who depend on them.
<h3>Benefits of Sustainable Peatland Management</h3>
A sustainable management approach provides various benefits for both the environment and the economy.
<ol>
<li>Climate Change Mitigation
<ul>
<li>Well-managed peatlands can absorb large amounts of carbon, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preventing environmental disasters such as forest fires, which are common in tropical regions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Biodiversity Conservation
<ul>
<li>Peatland ecosystems are home to various unique flora and fauna species, including endangered species such as the orangutan and Sumatran tiger. Protecting these ecosystems means safeguarding global biodiversity.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Improving the Local Economy
<ul>
<li>Sustainable peatland management enables local communities to wisely utilize natural resources. For instance, cultivating peat-friendly crops like sago and palm sugar can be a profitable alternative without harming the environment.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
<h3>Challenges in Peatland Management</h3>
Despite its significant potential, sustainable peatland management faces several challenges. One of the primary issues is lack of awareness and understanding of the importance of peatland ecosystems. Additionally, conflicts of interest between environmental conservation and economic exploitation often create major obstacles. Limited resources, both financial and technological, also hinder the implementation of restoration programs.
<h3>Strategies for Successful Peatland Management</h3>
To address these challenges, a coordinated and collaborative approach is needed. Here are some strategies that can be implemented:
<ol>
<li>Strong Regulatory Framework
<ul>
<li>Governments must establish and enforce strict regulations that prohibit the exploitation of peatlands for environmentally harmful activities. Providing incentives for companies that implement sustainable practices can also be a positive driver.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Utilization of Technology
<ul>
<li>Technologies such as satellite-based monitoring and early warning systems for forest fires can help make peatland management more effective. These technologies enable early detection and faster preventive action.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships
<ul>
<li>Collaboration between government bodies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academics, and the private sector is essential to support peatland management initiatives. These partnerships can include funding, research, and local capacity-building programs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
<h3>Peatland Management: An Investment for the Future</h3>
Sustainable peatland management is a crucial investment for the future of both the environment and humanity. By preserving peatland ecosystems, we not only protect biodiversity and mitigate climate change but also create inclusive and sustainable economic opportunities. Collaboration among various stakeholders, combined with strict regulations and technological advancements, will be the key to successfully protecting peatland ecosystems for future generations.
<h3>The State of Peatlands in Indonesia</h3>
Peatlands in Indonesia are currently facing many challenges. However, there are also opportunities for restoration and sustainable use. Through collaboration and innovation, we can turn these threats into opportunities.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/our-work/our-project/peatland-research/">Tay Juhana Foundation</a> is one of the pioneers in this effort. They provide food for humanity by cultivating suboptimal land in a sustainable way. By supporting initiatives like these, we can help secure a better future.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/our-work/our-project/peatland-research/">Tay Juhana Foundation</a> has demonstrated that sustainable peatland management is not just a possibility—it is already happening. Together, we can create a greener and more sustainable world for future generations. Awareness, action, and support from all stakeholders are crucial. Let’s commit to protecting Indonesia’s peatlands. This is not just for our benefit but for the planet as well.
Let’s make a sustainable future a reality, one step at a time. 🌍
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Peatland Management Practices and Working Methods for Sustainability

Jakarta, October 7, 2024, Tay Juhana Foundation (TJF) is delighted to announce the exceptional accomplishments of its members in the World Coconut Day 2024 competition organized by the International Coconut Community. Ratu Nabillah clinched the top spot in the writing category with her essay &#8220;Social Capital as a Catalyst for Collaborative Actions in Realizing a Circular Economy.&#8221; At the same time, Andri Kornelius secured second place in the photography category with his work titled &#8220;Coconut Contemplation.&#8221; This achievement showcases the ingenuity and commitment of TJF members in supporting sustainable initiatives. 
The written and visual works impressed the judges and effectively conveyed a profound message about the significance of coconuts in human life and the diversity of coconut ecosystems. Ratu Nabillah&#8217;s essay comprehensively elucidated how social capital can drive collaboration to realize a circular economy based on coconuts. Her thorough analysis of social and economic interactions in the context of coconut utilization significantly contributes to developing policies and practices for sustainable coconut management.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WhatsApp-Image-2024-10-07-at-3.24.17-PM.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-228279" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WhatsApp-Image-2024-10-07-at-3.24.17-PM.jpeg" alt="" width="1209" height="683" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WhatsApp-Image-2024-10-07-at-3.24.17-PM.jpeg 1209w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WhatsApp-Image-2024-10-07-at-3.24.17-PM-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WhatsApp-Image-2024-10-07-at-3.24.17-PM-1024x578.jpeg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WhatsApp-Image-2024-10-07-at-3.24.17-PM-768x434.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1209px) 100vw, 1209px" /></a>
Meanwhile, Andri Kornelius, with his photo &#8220;Coconut Contemplation,&#8221; captured the judges with its exquisite composition and profound meaning. The photo not only presents the visual beauty of a coconut carrier but also prompts viewers to contemplate the role of coconuts in human life and the environment. &#8220;We are proud of Ratu and Andri&#8217;s achievements,&#8221; said Nurul Ihsan, Operational Program Manager of Tay Juhana Foundation. &#8220;Their victories prove that TJF members have great potential to contribute to sustainable development. Their works inspire us all to continue innovating and finding solutions to environmental challenges, especially in addressing food security issues in the future.&#8221; 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-228281" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WhatsApp-Image-2024-10-07-at-3.24.18-PM.jpeg" alt="" width="1197" height="672" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WhatsApp-Image-2024-10-07-at-3.24.18-PM.jpeg 1197w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WhatsApp-Image-2024-10-07-at-3.24.18-PM-300x168.jpeg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WhatsApp-Image-2024-10-07-at-3.24.18-PM-1024x575.jpeg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/WhatsApp-Image-2024-10-07-at-3.24.18-PM-768x431.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1197px) 100vw, 1197px" />
This triumph aligns with TJF&#8217;s vision to encourage people to care more about the environment and utilize natural resources sustainably. Through various programs and partnerships, TJF endeavors to positively impact society and the environment.
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About Tay Juhana Foundation Tay Juhana Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to transforming suboptimal land into productive and sustainable areas. Through various programs and partnerships, TJF strives to improve food security, protect the environment, and empower communities.
For More Information: 
Andri Kornelius 
Communication Coordinator 
andri@old.tayjuhanafoundation.org 
085753322520

Tay Juhana Foundation Achieves Success at World Coconut Day 2024

Tay Juhana Foundation’s researcher presents Groundbreaking Research at ICSARD 2024
Tay Juhana Foundation proudly announces its continued commitment to fostering sustainable agricultural practices by supporting groundbreaking research. Our recent involvement in the 4th International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture for Rural Development (ICSARD) 2024, hosted by Jendral Soedirman University, Indonesia, on July 31, 2024, underscores our dedication to addressing critical challenges in the agricultural sector.
A key highlight of the conference was the presentation of a preliminary study titled &#8220;Defining Social Sustainability through Social Capital in the Small-scale Coconut Agriculture Ecosystem in Indragiri Hilir, Riau, Indonesia.&#8221; This research, conducted with the support of the Foundation, delves into the crucial role of social capital in promoting social sustainability within the coconut farming communities of Indragiri Hilir.
<figure id="attachment_228220" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-228220" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/WhatsApp-Image-2024-08-08-at-10.50.11_5cb551d1-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-228220 size-full" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/WhatsApp-Image-2024-08-08-at-10.50.11_5cb551d1-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/WhatsApp-Image-2024-08-08-at-10.50.11_5cb551d1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/WhatsApp-Image-2024-08-08-at-10.50.11_5cb551d1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/WhatsApp-Image-2024-08-08-at-10.50.11_5cb551d1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/WhatsApp-Image-2024-08-08-at-10.50.11_5cb551d1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/WhatsApp-Image-2024-08-08-at-10.50.11_5cb551d1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/WhatsApp-Image-2024-08-08-at-10.50.11_5cb551d1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-228220" class="wp-caption-text">Sustainability Researcher of TJF, Ratu (far right), received the award as best presenter in presenting her research at ICSARD 2024</figcaption></figure>
By examining the intricate relationships between farmers, middlemen, and community leaders, the study reveals the profound impact of social capital on various aspects of coconut agriculture, including finance, supply chain management, agriculture regeneration, and responsible land management. The findings emphasize the importance of strong social networks among farmers (bonding social capital) as a cornerstone for ecosystem sustainability. However, the study also highlights the need to broaden these networks to include external stakeholders (bridging and linking social capital) to address complex challenges and unlock new opportunities.
This research aligns perfectly with the Tay Juhana Foundation&#8217;s mission to empower rural communities and promote sustainable agricultural practices. Strengthening social capital can create resilient and prosperous agricultural ecosystems. The insights gained from this study will inform our future initiatives and partnerships to support small-scale farmers and enhance the sustainability of coconut production in Indonesia.
We are excited to share the results of this research with a wider audience and to collaborate with partners to translate these findings into actionable solutions. Stay tuned for further updates on our efforts to build a more sustainable future for Indonesia&#8217;s agricultural sector.

Tay Juhana Foundation Update: Social Capital and Coconut Sustainability

Manajemen Air di Lahan Gambut: Kunci Keberhasilan Pertanian Berkelanjutan. Lahan gambut memiliki peran penting dalam menjaga keseimbangan <a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekosistem" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ekosistem</a> global dan menyimpan karbon dalam jumlah besar. Namun, pengelolaan yang tidak tepat dapat menyebabkan degradasi lingkungan yang signifikan, termasuk emisi gas rumah kaca yang tinggi dan hilangnya biodiversitas. Salah satu kunci untuk menjaga keberlanjutan pertanian di lahan gambut adalah manajemen air yang efektif. Artikel ini akan membahas pentingnya manajemen air di lahan gambut, tantangan yang dihadapi, serta solusi dan inovasi yang dapat diimplementasikan untuk memastikan pertanian yang berkelanjutan.
<h3>Mengapa Manajemen Air di Lahan Gambut Penting?</h3>
Lahan gambut memiliki kandungan air yang sangat tinggi dan terbentuk dari akumulasi bahan organik yang terendam air selama ribuan tahun. Kelembaban tanah yang tinggi ini merupakan faktor kunci yang menjaga kestabilan ekosistem gambut. Jika lahan gambut dikeringkan, bahan organik akan terurai, melepaskan karbon dioksida ke atmosfer dan meningkatkan risiko kebakaran.
Manajemen air yang tepat di lahan gambut sangat penting untuk:
<ol>
<li>Mencegah Degradasi Lahan: Mengurangi risiko subsiden tanah dan emisi karbon.</li>
<li>Mengendalikan Kebakaran: Mencegah kebakaran lahan yang sering terjadi pada musim kemarau.</li>
<li>Meningkatkan Produktivitas Pertanian: Menyediakan kondisi optimal bagi tanaman untuk tumbuh.</li>
<li>Mempertahankan Biodiversitas: Melindungi habitat alami berbagai spesies flora dan fauna.</li>
</ol>
<h3>Tantangan dalam Manajemen Air di Lahan Gambut</h3>
Pengelolaan air di lahan gambut menghadapi berbagai tantangan yang perlu diatasi untuk mencapai keberlanjutan. Beberapa tantangan utama meliputi:
<ol>
<li>Pengeringan Lahan: Banyak lahan gambut yang dikeringkan untuk tujuan pertanian dan perkebunan, mengakibatkan degradasi tanah dan emisi karbon yang tinggi.</li>
<li>Kebakaran Lahan: Pengeringan lahan gambut meningkatkan risiko kebakaran, yang dapat merusak ekosistem dan kesehatan manusia.</li>
<li>Keterbatasan Infrastruktur: Kurangnya infrastruktur yang memadai untuk pengelolaan air, seperti kanal dan bendungan kecil, menyulitkan pengaturan tingkat air.</li>
<li>Perubahan Iklim: Perubahan pola curah hujan dan suhu global dapat mempengaruhi keseimbangan air di lahan gambut.</li>
</ol>
<h3>Solusi dan Inovasi dalam Manajemen Air di Lahan Gambut</h3>
Untuk mengatasi tantangan tersebut, berbagai solusi dan inovasi dalam manajemen air di lahan gambut telah dikembangkan. Berikut beberapa pendekatan yang dapat diterapkan:
<h4>1. Restorasi Hidrologi</h4>
Restorasi hidrologi bertujuan untuk mengembalikan kondisi air alami di lahan gambut. Ini melibatkan:
<ul>
<li>Penutupan Kanal: Menutup kanal-kanal yang telah mengeringkan lahan gambut untuk mengembalikan kelembaban tanah.</li>
<li>Pembangunan Bendungan Kecil: Membangun bendungan kecil untuk menjaga tinggi muka air dan mencegah pengeringan lahan.</li>
<li>Rewetting: Menggenangi kembali lahan gambut yang telah kering untuk mengembalikan kondisi aslinya.</li>
</ul>
<h4>2. Sistem Pengelolaan Air Terpadu</h4>
Sistem pengelolaan air terpadu melibatkan penggunaan teknologi modern dan pendekatan manajemen yang holistik. Ini termasuk:
<ul>
<li>Sensor Kelembaban Tanah: Menggunakan sensor untuk memantau kondisi kelembaban tanah secara real-time.</li>
<li>Pemetaan Digital: Pemetaan lahan gambut menggunakan teknologi GIS untuk memahami topografi dan pola aliran air.</li>
<li>Pengaturan Irigasi: Menggunakan sistem irigasi yang efisien untuk mengatur distribusi air ke lahan pertanian.</li>
</ul>
<h4>3. Pengelolaan Berbasis Komunitas</h4>
Pemberdayaan komunitas lokal dalam pengelolaan air sangat penting untuk keberlanjutan jangka panjang. Pendekatan ini melibatkan:
<ul>
<li>Pelatihan dan Penyuluhan: Memberikan pelatihan kepada petani dan masyarakat tentang praktik manajemen air yang berkelanjutan.</li>
<li>Partisipasi Aktif: Mendorong partisipasi aktif komunitas dalam pengambilan keputusan terkait pengelolaan lahan gambut.</li>
<li>Pengelolaan Berbasis Adat: Mengintegrasikan pengetahuan dan praktik tradisional dalam manajemen air.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Studi Kasus: Keberhasilan Manajemen Air di Lahan Gambut</h3>
Salah satu contoh sukses manajemen air di lahan gambut adalah proyek restorasi lahan gambut di Kabupaten Pulang Pisau, Kalimantan Tengah. Melalui kerja sama antara pemerintah, LSM, dan komunitas lokal, proyek ini berhasil mengembalikan kondisi hidrologi alami di area tersebut.
Langkah-langkah yang diambil meliputi penutupan kanal-kanal pengeringan, pembangunan bendungan kecil, dan pelibatan komunitas dalam pemantauan dan pemeliharaan infrastruktur air. Hasilnya, lahan gambut kembali lembab, mengurangi risiko kebakaran, dan meningkatkan produktivitas pertanian setempat.
Di Sumatera Selatan, sebuah proyek serupa juga berhasil meningkatkan keberlanjutan pertanian di lahan gambut. Dengan mengadopsi sistem pengelolaan air terpadu, petani setempat dapat mengatur tingkat air dengan lebih efektif, mencegah pengeringan lahan dan meningkatkan hasil panen.
<h3>Manfaat Manajemen Air yang Efektif di Lahan Gambut</h3>
Manajemen air yang efektif di lahan gambut menawarkan berbagai manfaat, termasuk:
<h4>1. Pelestarian Ekosistem</h4>
Dengan menjaga kelembaban tanah, ekosistem lahan gambut dapat dipertahankan. Ini penting untuk melindungi habitat alami berbagai spesies flora dan fauna serta menjaga fungsi ekosistem.
<h4>2. Pengurangan Emisi Karbon</h4>
Manajemen air yang baik dapat mengurangi emisi karbon dari lahan gambut. Dengan mencegah pengeringan dan degradasi tanah, lahan gambut dapat tetap menjadi penyimpan karbon yang efektif.
<h4>3. Peningkatan Produktivitas Pertanian</h4>
Dengan mengelola air secara efektif, kondisi tanah dapat dipertahankan sehingga mendukung pertumbuhan tanaman yang optimal. Hal ini penting untuk meningkatkan hasil panen dan kesejahteraan petani.
<h4>4. Pengendalian Kebakaran</h4>
Dengan menjaga kelembaban tanah, risiko kebakaran lahan dapat dikurangi secara signifikan. Ini penting untuk melindungi ekosistem, kesehatan manusia, dan ekonomi lokal.
<h4>5. Keberlanjutan Jangka Panjang</h4>
Manajemen air yang efektif merupakan fondasi untuk keberlanjutan jangka panjang. Dengan menjaga kondisi lahan gambut yang sehat, manfaat ekologis, ekonomi, dan sosial dapat dinikmati oleh generasi mendatang.
<h3>Kesimpulan</h3>
Manajemen air di lahan gambut adalah kunci keberhasilan pertanian berkelanjutan. Dengan mengadopsi pendekatan yang holistik dan inovatif, kita dapat menjaga keseimbangan ekosistem gambut sambil meningkatkan produktivitas pertanian. Melalui restorasi hidrologi, sistem pengelolaan air terpadu, dan pemberdayaan komunitas, tantangan dalam manajemen air di lahan gambut dapat diatasi. Keberhasilan manajemen air di lahan gambut tidak hanya menawarkan manfaat lingkungan, tetapi juga ekonomi dan sosial, menjadikannya langkah penting menuju masa depan yang lebih berkelanjutan.
<h3>Peran Tay Juhana Foundation dalam Manajemen Air di Lahan Gambut</h3>
<a href="http://old.old.tayjuhanafoundation.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation (TJF)</a> berkomitmen untuk memajukan pengelolaan lahan gambut yang berkelanjutan melalui manajemen air yang efektif. Dengan pendekatan ilmiah dan keterlibatan komunitas, TJF bekerja untuk menjaga ekosistem gambut, meningkatkan produktivitas pertanian, dan mengurangi emisi karbon. TJF mengajak semua pihak untuk mendukung inisiatif ini demi masa depan yang lebih hijau dan berkelanjutan. Bersama, kita bisa menciptakan dampak positif bagi lingkungan dan masyarakat.

Manajemen Air di Lahan Gambut: Kunci Keberhasilan Pertanian Berkelanjutan

Pemberdayaan Petani di Lahan Gambut: Membangun Ketahanan Ekonomi dan Ekologis.
Lahan gambut merupakan salah satu ekosistem paling unik dan penting di dunia, yang memiliki peran signifikan dalam penyimpanan <a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karbon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">karbon</a> serta pengaturan tata air. Di Indonesia, lahan gambut tersebar luas, khususnya di pulau Sumatera, Kalimantan, dan Papua. Namun, pemanfaatan lahan gambut yang tidak berkelanjutan sering kali menimbulkan dampak negatif, seperti kebakaran hutan, degradasi lahan, dan emisi gas rumah kaca. Oleh karena itu, pemberdayaan petani di lahan gambut menjadi kunci untuk membangun ketahanan ekonomi dan ekologis secara bersamaan. Artikel ini akan membahas strategi pemberdayaan petani di lahan gambut serta manfaatnya bagi lingkungan dan ekonomi.
<h3>Mengapa Lahan Gambut Penting?</h3>
Lahan gambut memiliki kemampuan menyimpan karbon yang sangat tinggi, bahkan jauh lebih tinggi daripada hutan tropis. Selain itu, lahan gambut juga berperan sebagai penyimpan air alami yang penting untuk mencegah banjir dan menjaga kestabilan ekosistem. Namun, pengelolaan yang tidak tepat dapat mengakibatkan kerusakan yang serius, termasuk kebakaran hutan yang merusak dan pelepasan emisi karbon yang besar.
<h3>Tantangan dalam Pengelolaan Lahan Gambut</h3>
Pengelolaan lahan gambut yang tidak berkelanjutan menimbulkan berbagai tantangan, antara lain:
<ol>
<li>Kebakaran Hutan: Lahan gambut yang kering sangat rentan terhadap kebakaran, yang dapat menyebabkan kerusakan lingkungan yang luas dan emisi karbon yang signifikan.</li>
<li>Degradasi Lahan: Pengeringan lahan gambut untuk keperluan pertanian atau perkebunan sering kali mengakibatkan degradasi tanah dan hilangnya kesuburan tanah.</li>
<li>Kerusakan Ekosistem: Penggunaan lahan gambut yang tidak tepat dapat mengakibatkan hilangnya habitat bagi berbagai spesies flora dan fauna.</li>
<li>Ketidakpastian Ekonomi: Petani di lahan gambut sering kali menghadapi ketidakpastian ekonomi akibat rendahnya produktivitas tanah dan risiko lingkungan yang tinggi.</li>
</ol>
<h3>Strategi Pemberdayaan Petani di Lahan Gambut</h3>
Pemberdayaan petani di lahan gambut melibatkan pendekatan yang holistik dan berkelanjutan untuk memastikan bahwa lahan ini dapat dimanfaatkan secara produktif tanpa merusak lingkungan. Berikut adalah beberapa strategi utama:
<h4>1.       Pendidikan dan Pelatihan</h4>
Memberikan pendidikan dan pelatihan kepada petani tentang praktik pertanian berkelanjutan adalah langkah awal yang penting. Petani perlu memahami pentingnya menjaga kelembaban tanah gambut, mencegah kebakaran, dan menggunakan metode pertanian yang ramah lingkungan. Program pelatihan yang melibatkan teknik pengelolaan air, agroforestri, dan penggunaan tanaman adaptif dapat membantu meningkatkan pengetahuan dan keterampilan petani.
<h4>2.       Pengelolaan Air yang Berkelanjutan</h4>
Pengelolaan air yang tepat sangat penting untuk menjaga kelembaban lahan gambut dan mencegah kebakaran. Pembangunan kanal-kanal kecil untuk mengatur tingkat air serta penggunaan teknologi irigasi yang efisien dapat membantu menjaga kondisi tanah gambut tetap basah. Pengelolaan air yang baik juga mendukung pertumbuhan tanaman dan meningkatkan produktivitas lahan.
<h4>3.       Diversifikasi Tanaman</h4>
Menanam berbagai jenis tanaman yang adaptif terhadap kondisi lahan gambut dapat meningkatkan ketahanan ekonomi petani. Tanaman seperti sagu, nanas, dan kelapa sawit hibrida telah terbukti cocok untuk ditanam di lahan gambut. Selain itu, tanaman leguminosa seperti kacang tanah dan kacang hijau dapat membantu memperbaiki kesuburan tanah dengan menambahkan nitrogen alami.
<h4>4.       Agroforestri</h4>
Agroforestri merupakan sistem pertanian yang mengintegrasikan tanaman pertanian dengan pohon-pohon. Pendekatan ini tidak hanya meningkatkan produktivitas lahan gambut tetapi juga menjaga keanekaragaman hayati. Pohon-pohon yang ditanam dapat membantu menjaga kelembaban tanah, mengurangi erosi, dan memberikan sumber pendapatan tambahan bagi petani melalui hasil hutan non-kayu.
<h4>5.       Teknologi Pertanian Modern</h4>
Penggunaan teknologi modern dalam pertanian gambut dapat meningkatkan efisiensi dan produktivitas. Teknologi seperti sensor tanah untuk memantau kelembaban dan kondisi tanah, drone untuk pengawasan lahan, serta aplikasi manajemen lahan berbasis digital dapat membantu petani mengelola lahan gambut dengan lebih efektif.
<h3>Manfaat Pemberdayaan Petani di Lahan Gambut</h3>
Pemberdayaan petani di lahan gambut tidak hanya memberikan manfaat ekonomi tetapi juga lingkungan dan sosial, antara lain:
<h4>1. Ketahanan Ekonomi</h4>
Dengan mengadopsi praktik pertanian yang berkelanjutan, petani dapat meningkatkan produktivitas lahan dan mendapatkan hasil panen yang lebih stabil. Diversifikasi tanaman dan penggunaan teknologi modern juga dapat membuka peluang pendapatan baru dan mengurangi ketergantungan pada satu jenis komoditas.
<h4>2. Pelestarian Lingkungan</h4>
Praktik pertanian yang ramah lingkungan membantu menjaga keseimbangan ekosistem lahan gambut. Pengelolaan air yang baik, penggunaan tanaman adaptif, dan sistem agroforestri dapat mencegah degradasi tanah dan kebakaran hutan, serta mengurangi emisi gas rumah kaca.
<h4>3. Peningkatan Kesejahteraan Sosial</h4>
Program pemberdayaan petani yang melibatkan pendidikan dan pelatihan dapat meningkatkan pengetahuan dan keterampilan petani. Selain itu, pemberdayaan komunitas melalui proyek-proyek pertanian berkelanjutan dapat menciptakan lapangan kerja dan meningkatkan kesejahteraan masyarakat setempat.
<h4>4. Keberlanjutan Jangka Panjang</h4>
Dengan mengadopsi pendekatan berkelanjutan dalam pertanian gambut, kita dapat memastikan bahwa lahan ini tetap produktif dalam jangka panjang. Hal ini penting untuk menjaga ketahanan pangan dan kelestarian lingkungan bagi generasi mendatang.
<h3>Studi Kasus: Keberhasilan Pemberdayaan Petani di Lahan Gambut</h3>
Salah satu contoh keberhasilan pemberdayaan petani di lahan gambut adalah program pengelolaan lahan gambut di Provinsi Riau, Indonesia. Melalui kerja sama antara pemerintah, LSM, dan komunitas lokal, program ini berhasil mengurangi kebakaran hutan dan meningkatkan produksi pertanian. Petani setempat diberikan pelatihan tentang teknik pengelolaan air yang berkelanjutan dan praktik pertanian tanpa pembakaran. Hasilnya, lahan gambut tetap produktif dan lingkungan terjaga.
Di Kalimantan, sebuah inisiatif komunitas berhasil mengubah lahan gambut yang sebelumnya rawan kebakaran menjadi lahan pertanian yang produktif. Dengan bantuan teknologi modern dan pelatihan pertanian berkelanjutan, petani setempat berhasil menanam tanaman yang adaptif terhadap kondisi lahan gambut dan meningkatkan hasil panen mereka. Program ini juga melibatkan pengelolaan air yang efektif untuk menjaga kelembaban tanah dan mencegah kebakaran.
<h3>Kesimpulan</h3>
Pemberdayaan petani di lahan gambut merupakan langkah penting untuk membangun ketahanan ekonomi dan ekologis. Dengan mengadopsi praktik pertanian yang berkelanjutan, petani dapat meningkatkan produktivitas lahan sambil menjaga kelestarian lingkungan. Strategi seperti pendidikan dan pelatihan, pengelolaan air yang berkelanjutan, diversifikasi tanaman, agroforestri, dan penggunaan teknologi modern dapat membantu petani mengelola lahan gambut dengan lebih efektif.
Manfaat yang ditawarkan tidak hanya dari segi ekonomi tetapi juga lingkungan dan sosial, menjadikan pemberdayaan petani di lahan gambut sebagai langkah penting menuju masa depan yang berkelanjutan. Kami mengajak semua pihak, baik pemerintah, sektor swasta, maupun masyarakat, untuk berkolaborasi dalam mendukung program pemberdayaan petani di lahan gambut. Dengan bekerja sama, kita dapat menciptakan sistem pertanian yang lebih berkelanjutan dan berkontribusi pada masa depan hijau bagi generasi mendatang. Mari kita jaga kelestarian lahan gambut untuk kehidupan yang lebih baik.
<h3>Penutup: Peran Tay Juhana Foundation dalam Manajemen Air di Lahan Gambut</h3>
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation (TJF)</a> berkomitmen untuk memajukan pengelolaan lahan gambut yang berkelanjutan melalui manajemen air yang efektif. Dengan pendekatan ilmiah dan keterlibatan komunitas, TJF bekerja untuk menjaga ekosistem gambut, meningkatkan produktivitas pertanian, dan mengurangi emisi karbon. TJF mengajak semua pihak untuk mendukung inisiatif ini demi masa depan yang lebih hijau dan berkelanjutan. Bersama, kita bisa menciptakan dampak positif bagi lingkungan dan masyarakat.

Pemberdayaan Petani di Lahan Gambut: Membangun Ketahanan Ekonomi dan Ekologis

Pertanian Gambut Ramah Lingkungan: Inovasi untuk Masa Depan Hijau. Pertanian gambut merupakan salah satu solusi yang menjanjikan untuk memenuhi kebutuhan pangan dunia yang semakin meningkat, terutama di tengah tantangan perubahan iklim dan degradasi lahan. <a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambut" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gambut</a>, yang terbentuk dari bahan organik yang terakumulasi selama ribuan tahun, memiliki kandungan karbon yang tinggi dan berperan penting dalam penyimpanan karbon global. Namun, pengelolaan lahan gambut yang tidak berkelanjutan dapat menyebabkan kerusakan lingkungan yang signifikan. Oleh karena itu, pertanian gambut ramah lingkungan menjadi kunci untuk menjaga keseimbangan ekosistem sambil meningkatkan ketahanan pangan. Artikel ini akan membahas inovasi dalam pertanian gambut yang ramah lingkungan serta manfaatnya untuk masa depan hijau.
<h3>Mengapa Pertanian Gambut Penting?</h3>
Lahan gambut menutupi sekitar 3% dari daratan dunia namun menyimpan sekitar 30% dari seluruh karbon tanah. Di Indonesia, lahan gambut tersebar luas, terutama di Sumatera, Kalimantan, dan Papua. Potensi pertanian di lahan gambut sangat besar, namun penggunaannya harus dilakukan dengan hati-hati untuk menghindari kerusakan lingkungan.
Lahan gambut memiliki potensi besar untuk pertanian karena kesuburan tanahnya yang tinggi. Namun, pengelolaan yang tidak tepat dapat menyebabkan emisi gas rumah kaca, kebakaran hutan, dan kerusakan ekosistem. Oleh karena itu, penting untuk mengembangkan strategi pertanian yang ramah lingkungan guna memanfaatkan potensi lahan gambut tanpa merusak lingkungan.
<h3>Tantangan dalam Pertanian Gambut</h3>
Pengelolaan lahan gambut yang tidak berkelanjutan, seperti pengeringan dan pembakaran, dapat menyebabkan emisi gas rumah kaca yang signifikan, penurunan kualitas tanah, serta kehilangan biodiversitas. Tantangan utama dalam pertanian gambut adalah menjaga keseimbangan antara produktivitas pertanian dan kelestarian lingkungan.
Beberapa tantangan utama yang dihadapi dalam pertanian gambut meliputi:
<ol>
<li>Degradasi Lahan: Pengeringan lahan gambut dapat menyebabkan penurunan kualitas tanah dan meningkatkan risiko kebakaran.</li>
<li>Emisi Karbon: Pembakaran lahan gambut melepaskan sejumlah besar karbon dioksida dan gas rumah kaca lainnya ke atmosfer.</li>
<li>Kehilangan Keanekaragaman Hayati: Penggunaan lahan gambut yang tidak berkelanjutan dapat menyebabkan hilangnya habitat bagi berbagai spesies flora dan fauna.</li>
<li>Pemahaman yang Kurang: Banyak petani yang belum memahami pentingnya pengelolaan lahan gambut yang berkelanjutan.</li>
</ol>
<h3>Inovasi dalam Pertanian Gambut Ramah Lingkungan</h3>
Beberapa inovasi telah dikembangkan untuk mendukung pertanian gambut yang ramah lingkungan. Berikut adalah beberapa di antaranya:
<h4>1. Pengelolaan Air yang Berkelanjutan</h4>
Pengelolaan air yang baik sangat penting dalam pertanian gambut. Teknik seperti pembangunan kanal-kanal kecil untuk menjaga kelembaban tanah dan pengaturan tingkat air dapat membantu mencegah pengeringan lahan gambut. Pengelolaan air yang tepat juga dapat mengurangi risiko kebakaran gambut yang sering terjadi pada musim kemarau.
<h4>2. Pertanian Tanpa Pembakaran</h4>
Pembakaran lahan untuk membuka lahan pertanian sering digunakan di daerah gambut, namun metode ini sangat merusak lingkungan. Alternatifnya, teknik pertanian tanpa pembakaran, seperti pembersihan lahan secara manual atau mekanis, dapat digunakan. Metode ini tidak hanya mengurangi emisi karbon tetapi juga menjaga struktur tanah dan meningkatkan kesuburan tanah jangka panjang.
<h4>3. Penggunaan Tanaman Adaptif</h4>
Menanam jenis tanaman yang adaptif terhadap kondisi lahan gambut adalah kunci keberhasilan pertanian di daerah ini. Tanaman seperti sagu, nanas, dan beberapa jenis kelapa sawit hibrida telah terbukti cocok untuk ditanam di lahan gambut. Selain itu, tanaman leguminosa seperti kacang tanah dan kacang hijau dapat membantu meningkatkan kesuburan tanah dengan menambahkan nitrogen alami.
<h4>4. Agroforestri</h4>
Agroforestri adalah sistem pertanian yang mengintegrasikan tanaman pertanian dengan pohon-pohon. Pendekatan ini dapat meningkatkan produktivitas lahan gambut sekaligus menjaga keanekaragaman hayati. Pohon-pohon yang ditanam dapat membantu menjaga kelembaban tanah dan mencegah erosi.
<h4>5. Penggunaan Teknologi Ramah Lingkungan</h4>
Teknologi modern dapat memainkan peran penting dalam mendukung pertanian gambut ramah lingkungan. Penggunaan sensor tanah untuk memantau kelembaban dan kondisi tanah, drone untuk pengawasan lahan, dan aplikasi manajemen lahan berbasis digital dapat membantu petani mengelola lahan gambut dengan lebih efektif dan efisien.
<h3>Manfaat Pertanian Gambut Ramah Lingkungan</h3>
Pertanian gambut ramah lingkungan menawarkan berbagai manfaat, baik dari segi lingkungan, ekonomi, maupun sosial.
<h4>1.       Pelestarian Ekosistem</h4>
Dengan mengadopsi praktik pertanian yang berkelanjutan, kita dapat menjaga keanekaragaman hayati dan fungsi ekosistem lahan gambut. Hal ini penting untuk melindungi habitat alami bagi berbagai spesies flora dan fauna.
<h4>2.       Pengurangan Emisi Karbon</h4>
Pertanian gambut yang ramah lingkungan dapat mengurangi emisi gas rumah kaca yang dihasilkan dari pengelolaan lahan yang tidak berkelanjutan. Teknik seperti pengelolaan air yang tepat dan pertanian tanpa pembakaran berperan penting dalam mitigasi perubahan iklim.
<h4>3.       Peningkatan Ketahanan Pangan</h4>
Dengan mengoptimalkan penggunaan lahan gambut secara berkelanjutan, kita dapat meningkatkan produksi pangan dan ketahanan pangan. Hal ini penting mengingat pertumbuhan populasi global yang terus meningkat dan kebutuhan pangan yang semakin besar.
<h4>4.       Keberlanjutan Ekonomi</h4>
Pertanian gambut yang berkelanjutan dapat memberikan manfaat ekonomi bagi masyarakat setempat. Dengan menjaga produktivitas lahan dalam jangka panjang, petani dapat menikmati hasil panen yang stabil dan pendapatan yang meningkat.
<h4>5.       Pemberdayaan Komunitas</h4>
Praktik pertanian yang berkelanjutan dapat memberdayakan komunitas lokal dengan memberikan pengetahuan dan keterampilan baru dalam pengelolaan lahan gambut. Program pelatihan dan penyuluhan pertanian dapat membantu petani mengadopsi teknik-teknik baru yang lebih ramah lingkungan.
<h3>Studi Kasus: Keberhasilan Pertanian Gambut Ramah Lingkungan di Indonesia</h3>
Salah satu contoh sukses pertanian gambut ramah lingkungan di Indonesia adalah program pengelolaan lahan gambut di Provinsi Riau. Melalui kerja sama antara pemerintah, LSM, dan komunitas lokal, program ini berhasil mengurangi kebakaran gambut dan meningkatkan produksi pertanian. Petani setempat diperkenalkan dengan teknik pengelolaan air yang berkelanjutan dan praktik pertanian tanpa pembakaran. Hasilnya, lahan gambut tetap produktif dan lingkungan tetap terjaga.
Di Kalimantan, sebuah inisiatif komunitas berhasil mengubah lahan gambut yang sebelumnya rawan kebakaran menjadi lahan pertanian yang produktif. Dengan bantuan teknologi modern dan pelatihan pertanian berkelanjutan, petani setempat berhasil menanam tanaman yang adaptif terhadap kondisi lahan gambut dan meningkatkan hasil panen mereka.
<h3>Kesimpulan</h3>
Pertanian gambut ramah lingkungan adalah solusi yang menjanjikan untuk menghadapi tantangan perubahan iklim dan degradasi lahan sambil meningkatkan ketahanan pangan. Dengan mengadopsi inovasi seperti pengelolaan air yang berkelanjutan, pertanian tanpa pembakaran, penggunaan tanaman adaptif, dan agroforestri, kita dapat menjaga keseimbangan ekosistem lahan gambut dan meningkatkan produktivitas pertanian. Manfaat yang ditawarkan tidak hanya dari segi lingkungan, tetapi juga ekonomi dan sosial, menjadikan pertanian gambut ramah lingkungan sebagai langkah penting menuju masa depan hijau yang berkelanjutan.
<h3>Penutup: Peran Tay Juhana Foundation dalam Manajemen Air di Lahan Gambut</h3>
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation (TJF)</a> berkomitmen untuk memajukan pengelolaan lahan gambut yang berkelanjutan melalui manajemen air yang efektif. Dengan pendekatan ilmiah dan keterlibatan komunitas, TJF bekerja untuk menjaga ekosistem gambut, meningkatkan produktivitas pertanian, dan mengurangi emisi karbon. TJF mengajak semua pihak untuk mendukung inisiatif ini demi masa depan yang lebih hijau dan berkelanjutan. Bersama, kita bisa menciptakan dampak positif bagi lingkungan dan masyarakat.

Pertanian Gambut Ramah Lingkungan: Inovasi untuk Masa Depan Hijau

Pengelolaan Manajemen Air di Lahan Gambut &#8211; Manajemen air di lahan gambut merupakan isu penting dalam pengelolaan lingkungan dan pertanian berkelanjutan. Lahan gambut, yang secara alami merupakan ekosistem basah, memiliki peran kritikal dalam siklus hidrologi serta penyimpanan karbon global. Keunikan lahan gambut dengan kapasitas tinggi dalam menyimpan air menjadikannya sangat sensitif terhadap perubahan penggunaan lahan dan iklim. Karena itu, pengelolaan air yang efektif menjadi kunci untuk menjaga keseimbangan ekologis dan fungsi lahan gambut sebagai penyangga keanekaragaman hayati dan mitigasi perubahan iklim.
Di Indonesia, masalah pengelolaan air di lahan gambut sering kali terkait dengan konversi lahan menjadi area pertanian atau perkebunan, yang sering menyebabkan degradasi. Pengeringan lahan gambut untuk pertanian, misalnya, tidak hanya mengurangi kemampuan lahan untuk menyimpan air tapi juga meningkatkan risiko kebakaran dan pelepasan karbon yang besar. Oleh karena itu, manajemen air yang bijaksana dan berkelanjutan menjadi sangat penting untuk memastikan keberlanjutan ekosistem gambut.
Pengelolaan manajemen air di lahan gambut membutuhkan pendekatan yang terintegrasi dan berkelanjutan, yang mempertimbangkan kebutuhan ekologis, ekonomi, dan sosial. Pendekatan ini harus melibatkan berbagai pihak, termasuk pemerintah, masyarakat lokal, dan lembaga penelitian, untuk mengembangkan solusi yang inovatif dan adaptif terhadap perubahan kondisi lingkungan.
<h3>Aspek Kunci dalam Manajemen Air Lahan Gambut</h3>
<ol>
<li>
<h4>Pemeliharaan Muka Air Optimal</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Menjaga ketinggian muka air gambut stabil sangat penting karena gambut berfungsi sebagai penyerap karbon alami yang besar. Ketika ketinggian air gambut menurun, gambut menjadi rentan terhadap kebakaran dan degradasi, melepaskan karbon yang disimpan selama ribuan tahun. Dengan mempertahankan ketinggian air, kita melindungi ekosistem gambut, mencegah degradasi lahan, dan mengurangi emisi karbon, berkontribusi pada perlindungan lingkungan dan mitigasi perubahan iklim global.
<ol start="2">
<li>
<h4>Infrastruktur Pengelolaan Air yang Adaptif</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Pembangunan kanal-kanal kontrol yang dapat diatur ketinggiannya merupakan langkah penting dalam manajemen air, terutama saat menghadapi musim kering dan hujan yang ekstrem. Kanal yang dapat diatur memungkinkan pengendalian aliran air, membantu mengelola surplus air selama musim hujan dan menyediakan pasokan air selama musim kering. Dengan cara ini, petani dapat menjaga kestabilan produksi tanaman mereka dan mengurangi risiko kekurangan air, yang dapat berdampak buruk pada hasil panen dan kesejahteraan pertanian.
<ol start="3">
<li>
<h4>Penggunaan Praktik Pertanian yang Sesuai</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Mengadopsi metode pertanian yang mempertimbangkan karakteristik gambut, seperti agroforestri atau padi rawa, adalah langkah penting dalam mengurangi dampak negatif terhadap hidrologi gambut. Agroforestri mempertahankan kelembaban tanah dan mengurangi erosi, sementara padi rawa memanfaatkan kondisi air gambut yang unik. Dengan cara ini, praktik pertanian ini membantu menjaga keseimbangan hidrologi gambut, mencegah degradasi lahan, dan melindungi ekosistem gambut serta sumber daya air yang berharga.
<ol start="4">
<li>
<h4>Restorasi Lahan Gambut Terdegradasi</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Kegiatan ini mencakup rekonstruksi dam penahan air dan revitalisasi vegetasi asli. Tindakan ini membantu mengembalikan fungsi hidrologis alami lahan.
<ol start="5">
<li>
<h4>Edukasi dan Kerja Sama Komunitas</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Menginformasikan dan melibatkan masyarakat lokal dalam pengelolaan air adalah esensial. Pemahaman bersama tentang manfaat jangka panjang dapat mendukung kepatuhan dan inovasi lokal.
<h3>Integrasi Teknologi dan Inovasi</h3>
Teknologi modern, seperti penginderaan jauh dan model hidrologi canggih, memainkan peran penting. Mereka membantu pemantauan dan pengelolaan lahan gambut. Dengan teknologi ini, pengelolaan air dapat lebih tepat dan efisien.
Sistem informasi geografis (GIS) adalah alat lain yang berharga. GIS mendukung analisis komprehensif tentang penggunaan lahan dan dinamika air. Ini membantu dalam pengambilan keputusan yang berbasis bukti.
Pendekatan berbasis ekosistem juga mendapatkan momentum. Ini melibatkan pengelolaan sumber daya alam yang holistik dan berkelanjutan. Pendekatan ini mengakui keterkaitan antara air, tanah, dan keanekaragaman biologis. Inilah Pengelolaan Manajemen Air di Lahan Gambut.
<h3>Kesimpulan Pengelolaan Manajemen Air di Lahan Gambut</h3>
Kegiatan pengelolaan air yang efektif dan berkelanjutan di lahan gambut bukanlah opsi tetapi keharusan. Ini vital untuk melindungi ekosistem ini dari degradasi lebih lanjut. Pengelolaan yang baik juga mendukung kehidupan masyarakat setempat dan keberlanjutan lingkungan.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/our-work/our-project/peatland-research/">Tay Juhana Foundation</a> telah menjadi pemimpin dalam mempromosikan budidaya lahan suboptimal yang berkelanjutan. Dengan menyediakan pangan untuk kemanusiaan, mereka mendemonstrasikan bahwa pertanian di lahan gambut bisa berkelanjutan. Inisiatif seperti ini menunjukkan bagaimana penelitian, teknologi, dan kerja sama komunitas dapat bersinergi.
Kita semua memegang kunci untuk masa depan lahan gambut yang lebih baik. Dengan mendukung organisasi seperti <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tayjuhanafoundation/?hl=id" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation</a> dan mengadopsi praktik pengelolaan air yang baik, kita bisa menciptakan perubahan positif. Mari kita bekerja sama untuk melindungi dan mengelola lahan gambut kita dengan cara yang bertanggung jawab. Let’s strive for a sustainable future, benefiting both our environment and society.

Pengelolaan Manajemen Air di Lahan Gambut

Rahasia Pengelolaan Lahan Gambut untuk Pertanian &#8211; Lahan gambut di Indonesia seringkali dipandang sebagai tantangan besar dalam sektor pertanian karena karakteristik unik dan kondisi alaminya yang peka. Namun, dengan pengelolaan yang tepat, lahan gambut dapat diubah menjadi aset berharga untuk produksi pertanian. Mempelajari cara efektif untuk mengelola lahan gambut memungkinkan kita untuk memanfaatkan potensinya sambil menjaga keberlanjutan lingkungan.
Pertanian di lahan gambut memerlukan pendekatan yang berbeda dibandingkan dengan lahan lainnya. Karakteristik lahan gambut yang kaya akan karbon dan memiliki kapasitas menyimpan air yang tinggi memberikan tantangan unik. Tantangan ini termasuk kestabilan tanah, kesuburan, dan masalah keasaman. Namun, dengan strategi yang tepat, lahan gambut bisa menjadi sangat produktif.
Memahami kompleksitas lahan gambut adalah langkah pertama dalam mengelolanya dengan efektif. Karakteristik seperti kedalaman gambut, tingkat keasaman, dan kandungan air perlu diperhatikan. Ini memastikan bahwa praktik pertanian yang diterapkan dapat mendukung pertumbuhan tanaman tanpa merusak ekosistem gambut yang rapuh.
<h3>Strategi Pengelolaan yang Efektif</h3>
<ol>
<li>
<h4>Adaptasi Metode Tanam</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Mengadopsi metode tanam yang sesuai sangat penting. Sebagai contoh, sistem agroforestri bisa efektif. Sistem ini menggabungkan pohon dengan tanaman pertanian, yang membantu menjaga kestabilan air dan tanah.
<ol start="2">
<li>
<h4>Pengaturan Kadar Air</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Manajemen air krusial dalam mencegah degradasi lahan gambut. Menjaga ketinggian muka air stabil mencegah kekeringan dan risiko kebakaran. Praktik ini penting untuk menjaga ekosistem gambut tetap sehat dan berfungsi dengan baik, serta mengurangi dampak negatifnya pada lingkungan dan masyarakat.
<ol start="3">
<li>
<h4>Pemilihan Tanaman yang Sesuai</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Beberapa tanaman lebih cocok untuk kondisi gambut daripada yang lain. Misalnya, palawija dan beberapa jenis sayuran dapat tumbuh baik. Penggunaan varietas tanaman yang tepat bisa meningkatkan hasil pertanian.
<ol start="4">
<li>
<h4>Pengelolaan Kesuburan Tanah</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Menambahkan kompos atau pupuk organik meningkatkan kesuburan lahan gambut dengan memperbaiki struktur tanah dan meningkatkan penyerapan air. Hal ini juga mendukung penyimpanan karbon, mengurangi emisi gas rumah kaca, dan mendukung pertumbuhan tanaman yang lebih sehat.
<ol start="5">
<li>
<h4>Edukasi dan Pelatihan untuk Petani</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Memberikan petani pengetahuan tentang praktik terbaik adalah penting karena itu memungkinkan mereka untuk mengadopsi teknik-teknik yang meningkatkan hasil panen dan menjaga lingkungan. Dengan pelatihan yang tepat, petani dapat belajar tentang penggunaan pupuk organik, irigasi yang efisien, rotasi tanaman, dan praktik pertanian berkelanjutan lainnya. Ini membantu memastikan keberlanjutan lahan pertanian serta meningkatkan pendapatan dan kesejahteraan petani.
<h3>Mengintegrasikan Teknologi dalam Pengelolaan Lahan Gambut</h3>
Teknologi modern memberikan peluang baru dalam pengelolaan lahan gambut. Penggunaan drone untuk memetakan dan memonitor kondisi lahan gambut, misalnya, bisa memberikan data berharga. Ini membantu dalam perencanaan penggunaan lahan dan intervensi yang diperlukan.
Sistem informasi geografis (GIS) dan lainnya dapat digunakan untuk analisis mendalam. Ini membantu dalam membuat keputusan yang berbasis data. Dengan teknologi, intervensi bisa lebih tepat sasaran dan efisien.
Pemanfaatan teknologi juga bisa membantu dalam pencatatan pola cuaca dan dampaknya terhadap lahan gambut. Informasi ini penting untuk manajemen air dan adaptasi strategi tanam. Oleh karena itu, integrasi teknologi menjadi sangat penting dalam mengelola lahan gambut secara modern dan berkelanjutan. Inilah Rahasia Pengelolaan Lahan Gambut untuk Pertanian.
<h3>Kesimpulan Rahasia Pengelolaan Lahan Gambut untuk Pertanian</h3>
Rahasia Pengelolaan lahan gambut untuk pertanian membutuhkan pemahaman, strategi, dan teknologi yang tepat. Dengan pendekatan yang holistik, lahan gambut dapat diubah menjadi lahan produktif yang mendukung keberlanjutan ekologis dan ekonomi lokal. Pendekatan ini harus melibatkan komunitas setempat, pemerintah, dan lembaga penelitian.
<a style="color: #000000;" href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/our-work/our-project/peatland-research/">Tay Juhana Foundation</a> telah memainkan peran penting dalam mengedukasi dan mendukung penggunaan lahan gambut secara berkelanjutan. Mereka menyediakan pangan untuk kemanusiaan melalui budidaya lahan suboptimal yang berkelanjutan. Dengan fokus pada inovasi dan edukasi, foundation ini membantu memastikan bahwa lahan gambut dapat dimanfaatkan secara maksimal.
Kita semua memiliki peran dalam menjaga dan mengelola lahan gambut Indonesia. Dengan kerja sama dan komitmen bersama, kita dapat mencapai manfaat maksimal dari lahan gambut. Ini sambil menjaga keseimbangan ekologis yang penting untuk planet kita. Mari kita bergandengan tangan dalam usaha ini, untuk masa depan yang lebih berkelanjutan dan produktif. <a style="color: #000000;" href="https://www.instagram.com/tayjuhanafoundation/?hl=id" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation</a>, menunjukkan bahwa hal ini bukan hanya mungkin, tetapi sedang terjadi. Bersama, kita bisa menciptakan dunia yang lebih hijau dan lebih berkelanjutan bagi generasi yang akan datang.

Rahasia Pengelolaan Lahan Gambut untuk Pertanian

Kondisi Lahan Gambut di Indonesia &#8211; Indonesia dikenal memiliki luas lahan gambut yang signifikan, menyebar luas di berbagai pulau. Lahan gambut ini memegang peran penting dalam ekologi global karena kemampuannya menyimpan karbon. Namun, lahan gambut di Indonesia juga menghadapi berbagai tantangan. Tantangan ini berdampak pada keberlanjutan lingkungan dan penghidupan masyarakat setempat.
Pengelolaan lahan gambut telah menjadi topik penting dalam diskusi lingkungan di Indonesia. Permasalahan yang muncul sering kali berkaitan dengan konversi lahan untuk pertanian dan perkebunan. Konversi ini bisa mengurangi fungsi lahan gambut sebagai penyangga iklim. Selain itu, pembakaran lahan gambut untuk membersihkan lahan merupakan penyebab utama kabut asap yang sering terjadi di beberapa wilayah.
Dalam konteks ini, pemahaman yang mendalam tentang kondisi lahan gambut sangat penting. Pemahaman ini berguna untuk merumuskan strategi pengelolaan yang efektif dan berkelanjutan. Memastikan bahwa lahan gambut dapat terus berfungsi sebagai habitat penting, reservoir karbon, dan sumber mata pencaharian, adalah tujuan yang harus dikejar bersama.
<h3>Situasi Saat Ini</h3>
<ol>
<li>
<h4>Penurunan Kualitas Lahan</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Degradasi lahan gambut sering disebabkan oleh deforestasi untuk pembukaan lahan pertanian dan perkebunan. Ini mengakibatkan kehilangan fungsi vital lahan gambut dalam menyimpan air dan karbon. Tanah yang kering dan terdegradasi sulit menahan air, meningkatkan risiko kebakaran dan kerusakan ekosistem. Kehilangan lahan gambut juga berkontribusi pada emisi gas rumah kaca. Perlindungan lahan gambut dan penggunaan praktik pertanian berkelanjutan diperlukan untuk mengatasi dampak negatifnya.
<ol start="2">
<li>
<h4>Kebakaran Lahan Gambut</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Kebakaran tahunan merupakan masalah serius yang tidak hanya merusak ekosistem tetapi juga menghasilkan emisi CO2 besar ke atmosfer. Kabut asap yang dihasilkan dapat mengancam kesehatan masyarakat dengan meningkatkan risiko penyakit pernapasan dan kardiovaskular. Dampaknya dapat merata, mempengaruhi baik lingkungan maupun kesejahteraan manusia. Upaya pencegahan kebakaran, manajemen hutan yang lebih baik, dan pengurangan emisi merupakan langkah penting untuk mengurangi risiko dan dampak negatif kebakaran hutan.
<ol start="3">
<li>
<h4>Perubahan Iklim</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Kondisi Lahan Gambut di Indonesia saat ini terjadi karena perubahan iklim. Perubahan iklim membawa dampak tambahan terhadap lahan gambut. Perubahan pola hujan dan suhu mempengaruhi keseimbangan hidrologis lahan gambut. Hal ini dapat mempercepat degradasi.
<ol start="4">
<li>
<h4>Tantangan Konservasi</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Usaha konservasi lahan gambut menghadapi hambatan. Tantangan ini termasuk kurangnya pemahaman, minimnya sumber daya, dan resistensi dari kepentingan ekonomi lokal.
<ol start="5">
<li>
<h4>Kebijakan Pemerintah</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Pemerintah Indonesia telah mengambil langkah-langkah untuk melindungi lahan gambut. Namun, implementasi kebijakan ini seringkali tidak konsisten. Hal ini menghambat upaya pelestarian.
<h3>Upaya Pelestarian dan Pengembangan Berkelanjutan</h3>
Berbagai inisiatif telah dilakukan untuk mengatasi masalah yang dihadapi lahan gambut. Ini termasuk restorasi ekosistem, penegakan hukum yang lebih ketat, dan edukasi masyarakat. Upaya-upaya ini esensial untuk memulihkan dan memelihara fungsi ekologis lahan gambut.
Pendidikan dan kesadaran masyarakat tentang pentingnya pelestarian lahan gambut perlu ditingkatkan. Lebih banyak informasi dan pelatihan bisa memperkuat partisipasi komunitas. Ini membantu dalam implementasi praktik-praktik berkelanjutan.
Teknologi dan inovasi juga memainkan peran penting. Mereka membantu dalam monitoring dan manajemen lahan gambut yang lebih efektif. Penggunaan alat dan metode baru bisa meningkatkan efisiensi usaha restorasi.
Kerja sama antar lembaga dan pihak berkepentingan adalah kunci. Sinergi ini memperkuat upaya pelestarian lahan gambut. Membangun kemitraan yang kuat antara pemerintah, sektor swasta, dan masyarakat sipil adalah penting.
<h3>Penutup Kondisi Lahan Gambut di Indonesia</h3>
Kondisi lahan gambut di Indonesia saat ini menghadapi banyak tantangan. Namun, ada juga peluang untuk pemulihan dan penggunaan berkelanjutan. Melalui kolaborasi dan inovasi, kita dapat mengubah ancaman menjadi kesempatan.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/our-work/our-project/peatland-research/">Tay Juhana Foundation</a> adalah salah satu pionir dalam upaya ini. Mereka menyediakan pangan untuk kemanusiaan melalui budidaya lahan suboptimal yang berkelanjutan. Dengan mendukung inisiatif seperti ini, kita bisa membantu memastikan masa depan yang lebih baik.
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/tayjuhanafoundation/?hl=id" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation</a>, menunjukkan bahwa hal ini bukan hanya mungkin, tetapi sedang terjadi. Bersama, kita bisa menciptakan dunia yang lebih hijau dan lebih berkelanjutan bagi generasi yang akan datang. Kesadaran, aksi, dan dukungan dari semua pihak adalah vital. Mari kita berkomitmen untuk menjaga lahan gambut Indonesia. Ini bukan hanya untuk kepentingan kita, tapi juga untuk planet ini. Let&#8217;s make a sustainable future a reality, one step at a time.

Kondisi Lahan Gambut di Indonesia Terbaru (2025)

Strategi Pemanfaatan Lahan Gambut &#8211; Lahan gambut, dengan karakteristik unik dan sumber daya alam yang melimpah, menawarkan potensi besar untuk pertanian berkelanjutan. Namun, tantangan dalam pemanfaatannya memerlukan pendekatan yang cermat dan inovatif. Pemahaman mendalam tentang ekosistem lahan gambut dan strategi pengelolaan yang berkelanjutan menjadi kunci untuk memaksimalkan potensinya. Pendekatan ini tidak hanya mendukung produktivitas pertanian tetapi juga pelestarian lingkungan dan mitigasi perubahan iklim.
Pertanian di lahan gambut sering kali dihadapkan pada masalah seperti keasaman tanah yang tinggi dan pengelolaan air yang kompleks. Namun, dengan teknik dan teknologi yang tepat, lahan gambut dapat dikonversi menjadi lahan produktif yang mendukung pertanian berkelanjutan. Hal ini menuntut kombinasi dari pemahaman ilmiah yang solid, inovasi teknologi, dan partisipasi aktif dari masyarakat lokal serta pemangku kepentingan.
Strategi pengelolaan lahan gambut harus mengutamakan keberlanjutan dan keseimbangan ekosistem. Ini mencakup penggunaan metode pertanian yang ramah lingkungan, pemulihan area yang telah terdegradasi, dan perlindungan area gambut yang masih alami. Dengan demikian, pemanfaatan lahan gambut dapat memberikan manfaat ekonomi bagi masyarakat sekitar tanpa merugikan lingkungan. Kesuksesan dalam pemanfaatan ini akan memberikan model bagi pengelolaan sumber daya alam yang lain.
<h3>Strategi Pemanfaatan Lahan Gambut Berkelanjutan</h3>
<ol>
<li>
<h4>Pengelolaan Air yang Efisien</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Pengelolaan Air yang Efisien adalah fondasi dari pertanian berkelanjutan di lahan gambut. Sistem irigasi yang dirancang khusus dapat meminimalkan risiko kekeringan dan banjir, dua masalah umum di lahan gambut. Pengelolaan air yang baik juga mengurangi emisi gas rumah kaca.
<ol start="2">
<li>
<h4>Penggunaan Varietas Tanaman</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Penggunaan Varietas Tanaman yang Sesuai dengan kondisi lahan gambut adalah penting. Penelitian dan pengembangan harus terus menerus dilakukan untuk menemukan varietas tanaman yang dapat tumbuh subur di lahan gambut dengan input minimal.
<ol start="3">
<li>
<h4>Pemulihan Lahan Terdegradasi</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Pemulihan Lahan Terdegradasi melalui re-wetting (pengembalian kadar air) dan re-vegetasi adalah kunci. Ini membantu memulihkan fungsi ekosistem gambut, yang penting untuk pelestarian keanekaragaman hayati dan penyerapan karbon.
<ol start="4">
<li>
<h4>Pendekatan Agroforestri</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Pendekatan Agroforestri, yang menggabungkan pertanian dengan pelestarian pohon, menawarkan manfaat ganda. Ini tidak hanya meningkatkan kesejahteraan petani tetapi juga membantu menjaga keseimbangan ekosistem.
<ol start="5">
<li>
<h4>Edukasi dan Pelatihan</h4>
</li>
</ol>
Edukasi dan Pelatihan bagi masyarakat lokal dan petani tentang pengelolaan lahan gambut yang berkelanjutan adalah esensial. Pengetahuan dan kesadaran adalah alat penting dalam mengubah praktik tradisional menjadi lebih berkelanjutan.
<h3>Menuju Masa Depan yang Berkelanjutan</h3>
Dalam mewujudkan visi pertanian berkelanjutan di lahan gambut, kerjasama antara pemerintah, sektor swasta, dan lembaga non-pemerintah sangat penting. Integrasi kebijakan, investasi dalam penelitian dan teknologi, serta pemberdayaan masyarakat lokal harus menjadi prioritas. Pendekatan multidisiplin dan partisipatif akan memastikan bahwa solusi yang dihasilkan tidak hanya efektif tetapi juga inklusif dan adil.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/our-work/our-project/peatland-research/">Tay Juhana Foundation</a>, dengan misinya menyediakan pangan untuk kemanusiaan melalui budidaya lahan suboptimal yang berkelanjutan, telah menjadi contoh nyata dalam penerapan prinsip-prinsip ini. Melalui kerja keras dan dedikasi, fondasi ini telah menunjukkan bahwa dengan strategi yang tepat, lahan gambut dapat berkontribusi signifikan terhadap keamanan pangan dan keberlanjutan lingkungan. Inisiatif seperti ini menawarkan pelajaran berharga dan inspirasi bagi usaha serupa di seluruh dunia.
Langkah ke depan memerlukan kolaborasi yang lebih luas lagi, inovasi berkelanjutan, dan komitmen yang kuat dari semua pihak. Dengan bergandeng tangan, kita dapat mengatasi tantangan yang dihadapi oleh lahan <a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambut" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gambut</a> dan mengubahnya menjadi aset berharga untuk pertanian berkelanjutan. Esensi dari usaha ini bukan hanya tentang produksi pangan tetapi juga tentang menciptakan ekosistem yang sehat, komunitas yang berdaya, dan planet yang lebih baik bagi generasi yang akan datang. Kesuksesan ini akan menjadi bukti bahwa manusia mampu hidup harmonis dengan alam, menjaga keberlangsungan hidup kita dan planet yang kita huni.

Strategi Pemanfaatan Lahan Gambut Berkelanjutan

Pemanfaatan Lahan Gambut &#8211; Lahan gambut sering dianggap sebagai tantangan dalam pertanian. Namun, potensinya untuk pertanian berkelanjutan tidak bisa diabaikan. Dengan pengelolaan yang tepat, lahan gambut dapat menjadi sumber daya yang berharga. Kunci dari pemanfaatan ini terletak pada teknik dan pendekatan yang berkelanjutan. Hal ini memungkinkan kita untuk memanfaatkan lahan gambut tanpa merusak ekosistemnya.
<h2>Pengelolaan dan Pemanfaatan Lahan Gambut</h2>
Pengelolaan lahan gambut memerlukan pemahaman yang mendalam tentang karakteristiknya. Ini termasuk keasaman tanah, kandungan air, dan bahan organik. Pendekatan yang hati-hati dan terukur diperlukan. Dengan demikian, kita dapat mengoptimalkan pemanfaatannya untuk pertanian. Seiring waktu, praktek ini bisa meningkatkan ketahanan pangan. Selain itu, dapat memperkuat ekonomi lokal.
Pertanian berkelanjutan di lahan gambut menawarkan solusi untuk beberapa tantangan global. Misalnya, perubahan iklim dan keamanan pangan. Melalui pendekatan inovatif, kita dapat mengubah lahan gambut menjadi area produktif. Sekaligus, kita menjaga keseimbangan alam. Dengan demikian, pemanfaatan lahan gambut untuk pertanian berkelanjutan memegang janji untuk masa depan yang lebih hijau dan sejahtera.
<h3>Strategi dan Pendekatan untuk Pertanian Berkelanjutan di Lahan Gambut</h3>
Pengelolaan air merupakan faktor kunci dalam pertanian lahan gambut. Sistem irigasi yang efektif dan efisien diperlukan. Ini memastikan tanaman mendapatkan air yang cukup. Selain itu, mencegah degradasi lahan. Pengelolaan air yang baik juga membantu menjaga keseimbangan ekosistem.
Pemilihan tanaman adalah aspek penting lainnya. Beberapa tanaman lebih cocok untuk lahan gambut daripada yang lain. Penelitian dan pengembangan varietas tanaman yang tahan terhadap kondisi lahan gambut terus dilakukan. Ini termasuk tanaman pangan, sayuran, dan tanaman perkebunan.
Penggunaan pupuk organik dan pestisida alami dianjurkan. Ini mendukung kesehatan tanah dan mengurangi dampak negatif terhadap lingkungan. Praktek ini mendukung pertanian berkelanjutan. Juga, mengurangi dependensi terhadap bahan kimia sintetis.
Teknologi modern memegang peran penting dalam pengelolaan lahan gambut. Teknologi seperti sistem informasi geografis (GIS) dan penginderaan jauh dapat membantu dalam pemetaan dan pengelolaan lahan. Ini memungkinkan petani dan pengelola lahan membuat keputusan yang lebih baik. Juga, meningkatkan efisiensi penggunaan sumber daya.
Kolaborasi antara petani, pemerintah, lembaga penelitian, dan LSM sangat penting. Kerja sama ini dapat meningkatkan pengetahuan dan sumber daya. Selain itu, mendukung penerapan praktek pertanian berkelanjutan di lahan gambut.
Dengan menerapkan prinsip-prinsip pertanian berkelanjutan di lahan gambut, kita memulai perjalanan menuju solusi jangka panjang untuk beberapa tantangan global yang kita hadapi saat ini. Dari perubahan iklim hingga ketidakstabilan pangan, pendekatan inovatif ini menawarkan harapan dan kemungkinan nyata. Pemanfaatan lahan gambut dengan cara yang bertanggung jawab dan berkelanjutan dapat secara signifikan meningkatkan produksi pangan, sambil menjaga kesehatan planet kita.
Keberhasilan usaha ini memerlukan lebih dari sekedar aplikasi teknologi atau metode pertanian; itu membutuhkan perubahan mindset. Kita perlu melihat lahan gambut bukan sebagai tantangan, tetapi sebagai kesempatan. Melalui pendidikan dan kesadaran, kita dapat menginspirasi perubahan ini. Kami dapat mengajak lebih banyak individu dan organisasi untuk bergabung dalam upaya ini, memperluas dampak positif kita terhadap lingkungan dan komunitas kita.
<h3>Menuju Masa Depan yang Lebih Berkelanjutan</h3>
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/our-work/our-project/peatland-research/">Tay Juhana Foundation</a> telah menjadi pelopor dalam usaha ini. Mereka berfokus pada penyediaan pangan untuk kemanusiaan. Caranya, melalui budidaya lahan suboptimal yang berkelanjutan. Upaya mereka membantu mengubah cara kita melihat dan mengelola lahan gambut. Dengan demikian, berkontribusi pada keamanan pangan dan pelestarian lingkungan.
Kesadaran dan pendidikan masyarakat terkait pentingnya lahan gambut perlu ditingkatkan. Melalui sosialisasi dan pelatihan, lebih banyak orang dapat memahami cara mengelola lahan gambut dengan berkelanjutan. Inisiatif seperti ini dapat memperkuat komunitas lokal. Juga, memberikan mereka alat untuk meningkatkan kesejahteraan mereka.
<h3>Kesimpulan</h3>
Kesimpulannya, pemanfaatan lahan gambut untuk pertanian berkelanjutan adalah jalur menuju masa depan yang lebih baik. Dengan kerja keras, inovasi, dan kolaborasi, kita dapat memanfaatkan potensi lahan gambut. Kita dapat melakukannya tanpa merugikan planet ini. Inisiatif dan dedikasi dari berbagai pihak, termasuk <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tayjuhanafoundation/?hl=id" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation</a>, menunjukkan bahwa hal ini bukan hanya mungkin, tetapi sedang terjadi. Bersama, kita bisa menciptakan dunia yang lebih hijau dan lebih berkelanjutan bagi generasi yang akan datang.

Pemanfaatan Lahan Gambut untuk Pertanian Berkelanjutan

Potensi Pertanian Gambut &#8211; Indonesia, negeri kaya akan sumber daya alamnya, memegang potensi besar dalam sektor pertanian. Salah satu aset berharga yang belum tergarap secara maksimal adalah lahan gambut. Lahan ini, seringkali dianggap sebagai tanah tidak produktif, sebenarnya menyimpan kemungkinan luas untuk pertanian. Dengan pendekatan yang tepat, lahan gambut dapat bertransformasi menjadi sumber pangan yang berkelanjutan.
<h2>Potensi Pertanian Gambut</h2>
Karakteristik khas lahan gambut, yang kaya akan bahan organik, menjadikannya cocok untuk berbagai jenis tanaman. Namun, tantangan seperti pengelolaan air dan keasaman tanah harus diatasi terlebih dahulu. Teknik pertanian yang inovatif dan ramah lingkungan menjadi kunci untuk membuka potensi ini. Selain itu, pemahaman mendalam tentang ekosistem gambut akan mendukung upaya konservasi sekaligus peningkatan produktivitas.
Pentingnya lahan gambut bagi ketahanan pangan Indonesia tidak bisa diabaikan. Sebagai negara dengan populasi yang terus bertambah, kebutuhan akan sumber pangan yang stabil menjadi prioritas. Lahan gambut, dengan luas mencapai jutaan hektar, menawarkan solusi untuk memenuhi kebutuhan tersebut. Oleh karena itu, pengembangan pertanian di lahan gambut tidak hanya berfokus pada produksi, tetapi juga pada aspek keberlanjutan dan lingkungan.
<h3>Pengelolaan Lahan Gambut untuk Pertanian</h3>
Pengelolaan lahan gambut memerlukan strategi khusus. Pertama, perbaikan drainase dan pengelolaan air harus dilakukan dengan hati-hati. Ini untuk menghindari degradasi lahan dan pelepasan karbon yang besar. Kedua, penggunaan pupuk organik dan metode pengelolaan tanah yang ramah lingkungan menjadi penting. Ini mendukung pertumbuhan tanaman tanpa merusak karakteristik alami gambut.
Teknik budidaya spesifik, seperti sistem agroforestri, dapat diterapkan untuk mengoptimalkan hasil tanaman sekaligus menjaga keseimbangan ekosistem. Dalam sistem ini, tanaman pangan ditanam bersamaan dengan tanaman hutan, menciptakan sinergi antara pertanian dan pelestarian alam. Selain itu, penelitian terus dilakukan untuk mengembangkan varietas tanaman yang cocok dan tahan terhadap kondisi lahan gambut.
Pemanfaatan teknologi juga menjadi bagian penting dari pengembangan pertanian gambut. Dengan teknologi tepat guna, seperti sistem irigasi pintar dan penginderaan jauh, pengelolaan lahan gambut bisa lebih efisien. Teknologi ini membantu petani dalam memonitor kondisi lahan, mengatur penggunaan air, dan meningkatkan produktivitas tanaman.
Keterlibatan pemerintah dan lembaga swadaya masyarakat dalam pengembangan pertanian gambut sangat diperlukan. Melalui kebijakan yang mendukung dan program pelatihan bagi petani, transformasi lahan gambut menjadi area pertanian produktif dapat terwujud. Pendekatan partisipatif, melibatkan komunitas lokal dalam proses pengambilan keputusan, juga krusial untuk kesuksesan jangka panjang.
<h3>Menyediakan Pangan untuk Kemanusiaan</h3>
Dalam upaya memperkuat ketahanan pangan nasional melalui pengelolaan lahan gambut, kolaborasi berbagai pihak menjadi kunci. Tay Juhana Foundation, sebagai salah satu inisiator, berperan aktif dalam promosi budidaya lahan suboptimal yang berkelanjutan. Organisasi ini memahami pentingnya menggabungkan pengetahuan lokal dengan inovasi teknologi untuk menciptakan sistem pertanian gambut yang efektif dan ramah lingkungan.
Kesadaran akan nilai lahan gambut dan potensinya untuk pertanian harus terus ditingkatkan. Ini bukan hanya tugas pemerintah atau lembaga tertentu, tetapi menjadi tanggung jawab bersama. Melalui edukasi dan sosialisasi, persepsi masyarakat terhadap lahan gambut dapat berubah menjadi lebih positif. Ini akan mendorong lebih banyak inisiatif dan investasi dalam pengembangan pertanian di lahan gambut.
<h3>Dukungan dari Tay Juhana Foundation</h3>
Dukungan teknis dan keuangan juga penting untuk mengatasi tantangan awal pengelolaan lahan gambut. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tayjuhanafoundation/?hl=id" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation</a> dan mitra kerjanya berkontribusi dalam hal ini, menyediakan sumber daya yang diperlukan untuk penelitian, pengembangan, dan pelatihan petani. Melalui kerja sama ini, petani diberi pengetahuan dan alat yang mereka butuhkan untuk berhasil. Hasilnya, tidak hanya meningkatkan produksi pangan, tetapi juga membantu dalam pelestarian lingkungan dan peningkatan kualitas hidup petani.
Menyediakan pangan untuk kemanusiaan melalui budidaya lahan suboptimal yang berkelanjutan bukanlah tugas yang mudah. Namun, dengan kerjasama dan komitmen dari semua pihak, termasuk pemerintah, lembaga swadaya masyarakat, dan komunitas lokal, target ini dapat dicapai. Kunci dari kesuksesan ini terletak pada penerapan teknologi yang inovatif, pendekatan pengelolaan yang berkelanjutan, dan partisipasi aktif dari masyarakat.
Pengembangan pertanian di lahan gambut di Indonesia menawarkan peluang besar untuk meningkatkan ketahanan pangan nasional. Dengan strategi yang tepat, lahan gambut dapat bertransformasi menjadi aset berharga untuk produksi pangan. Inisiatif seperti yang dijalankan oleh <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/our-work/our-project/peatland-research/">Tay Juhana Foundation</a> menunjukkan bahwa dengan pendekatan yang tepat, lahan suboptimal dapat memberikan kontribusi signifikan dalam memerangi kelaparan dan mendukung pembangunan berkelanjutan. Kita semua berperan dalam mewujudkan visi ini, untuk masa depan yang lebih hijau dan lebih sejahtera bagi Indonesia.

Potensi Pertanian Gambut di Indonesia

Lahan sub optimal merupakan istilah yang merujuk pada lahan yang memiliki keterbatasan atau kendala dalam hal produktivitasnya. Kendala tersebut bisa berasal dari berbagai faktor, seperti kesuburan tanah yang rendah, drainase yang buruk, atau topografi yang tidak mendukung. Meskipun demikian, lahan ini masih memiliki potensi untuk dimanfaatkan secara produktif jika dikelola dengan tepat.
<h1>Pengertian Lahan Sub Optimal</h1>
Lahan sub optimal dapat didefinisikan sebagai lahan yang memiliki kualitas atau kondisi yang tidak mendukung pertumbuhan optimal tanaman atau kegiatan pertanian secara umum. Hal ini bisa disebabkan oleh berbagai faktor, mulai dari kualitas tanah yang rendah hingga keterbatasan air atau sumber daya lainnya. Meskipun demikian, dengan pendekatan yang tepat, lahan sub optimal masih dapat dimanfaatkan untuk berbagai kegiatan, meskipun mungkin dengan tingkat produktivitas yang lebih rendah daripada lahan yang optimal.
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<h2>Ciri-ciri Lahan Sub Optimal</h2>
Kesuburan Tanah Rendah
Salah satu ciri utamanya adalah kesuburan tanah yang rendah. Tanah tersebut mungkin mengandung sedikit unsur hara yang penting untuk pertumbuhan tanaman, atau memiliki pH yang tidak sesuai.
Drainase Buruk
Lahan ini sering kali mengalami masalah drainase yang buruk, yang dapat menyebabkan genangan air atau kelebihan air di permukaan tanah. Hal ini dapat menghambat pertumbuhan tanaman dan meningkatkan risiko kerusakan tanaman akibat penyakit atau kelebihan air.
Topografi Tidak Mendukung
Beberapa lahan mungkin memiliki topografi yang tidak mendukung, seperti lereng curam atau tanah yang terlalu berbatu. Hal ini dapat membuat sulit untuk melakukan kegiatan pertanian secara efisien.
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<h2>Karakteristik Lahan Sub Optimal</h2>
Lahan sub optimal, yang sering kali disebut sebagai tanah yang memiliki keterbatasan dalam produktivitasnya, menghadirkan serangkaian tantangan yang kompleks bagi para pemangku kepentingan pertanian dan lingkungan. Salah satu karakteristik utamanya adalah kesuburan tanah yang rendah, yang sering kali menjadi penghalang dalam mencapai hasil pertanian yang optimal. Tanah-tanah ini cenderung memiliki kadar unsur hara yang kurang memadai, seperti nitrogen, fosfor, dan kalium, sehingga memerlukan pendekatan khusus dalam hal pemupukan dan manajemen hara.
Selain itu, masalah drainase yang buruk juga merupakan karakteristik umum dari lahan ini. Drainase yang tidak efisien dapat mengakibatkan genangan air di permukaan tanah, terutama selama musim hujan, yang dapat merendam tanaman dan mengurangi produktivitas. Di sisi lain, selama musim kemarau, ketersediaan air menjadi terbatas, menghadirkan tantangan tambahan dalam mempertahankan pertumbuhan tanaman.
Karakteristik topografi yang tidak mendukung juga sering dijumpai di lahan-lahan ini. Beberapa lahan mungkin memiliki lereng curam atau kelerengan yang signifikan, yang membuat sulit untuk melakukan aktivitas pertanian atau perkebunan dengan efisien. Sementara itu, keterbatasan air juga dapat menjadi masalah yang serius, baik dalam bentuk kekurangan air maupun kelebihan air, yang perlu ditangani dengan bijak untuk memastikan kelangsungan pertanian.
Meskipun dihadapkan dengan sejumlah tantangan, lahan sub optimal juga memiliki potensi yang dapat dimanfaatkan dengan baik. Inovasi dalam pengembangan varietas tanaman yang tahan terhadap kondisi ekstrem, penggunaan teknologi pertanian modern, seperti irigasi tetes atau pupuk organik, serta diversifikasi produk pertanian, adalah beberapa strategi yang dapat diterapkan untuk mengoptimalkan potensi lahan ini.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/">Tay Juhana Foundation</a>, sebagai lembaga yang peduli akan pembangunan pertanian berkelanjutan, berkomitmen untuk memberikan pemahaman yang lebih dalam tentang potensi dan tantangan yang terkait dengan lahan sub optimal. Melalui blog ini, kami berharap dapat memberikan informasi yang bermanfaat dan solusi yang inovatif untuk pengelolaan lahan sub optimal yang lebih baik, demi kesejahteraan masyarakat dan pelestarian lingkungan yang lebih baik pula.
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<h2>Potensi Lahan Sub Optimal</h2>
Meskipun memiliki kendala, lahan ini memiliki potensi yang dapat dimanfaatkan dengan baik jika dikelola dengan tepat. Beberapa potensi tersebut antara lain:
Pengembangan Varietas Tanaman Khusus: Lahan sub optimal sering kali menjadi tempat yang cocok untuk pengembangan varietas tanaman yang tahan terhadap kondisi ekstrem. Misalnya, tanaman padi atau jagung yang tahan kekeringan atau tanaman sayuran yang tahan terhadap kelebihan air. Dengan pengembangan varietas yang sesuai, potensi hasil panen dapat ditingkatkan secara signifikan.
Pemanfaatan Teknologi Pertanian: Teknologi pertanian modern dapat menjadi solusi untuk mengatasi kendala-kendala yang ada. Contohnya, penggunaan irigasi tetes atau sistem irigasi yang efisien dapat membantu menjaga kelembaban tanah, sementara penggunaan pupuk organik atau pupuk kimia yang disesuaikan dapat meningkatkan kesuburan tanah.
Diversifikasi Produk Pertanian: Lahan sub optimal sering kali memberikan peluang untuk diversifikasi produk pertanian. Misalnya, tanaman obat-obatan atau tanaman hias yang memiliki nilai jual tinggi dapat ditanam di lahan ini. Selain itu, beberapa tanaman khusus seperti tanaman untuk bahan baku biofuel juga dapat tumbuh dengan baik.
Pengembangan Agrowisata: Potensi dalam sektor pariwisata juga patut diperhatikan. Beberapa lahan sub optimal memiliki keindahan alam yang unik atau kekayaan biodiversitas tertentu dapat dikembangkan sebagai destinasi agrowisata. Hal ini dapat memberikan pendapatan tambahan bagi pemilik lahan serta mengedukasi masyarakat tentang pentingnya pelestarian lingkungan.
Pengembangan Kemitraan dengan Industri: Lahan ini juga dapat menjadi basis untuk pengembangan kemitraan dengan industri. Misalnya, kerjasama dengan industri makanan atau kosmetik untuk memasok bahan baku dari tanaman yang dapat tumbuh. Hal ini dapat memberikan keuntungan ekonomi bagi petani atau pemilik lahan serta membuka peluang investasi di daerah tersebut.
Dengan memanfaatkan potensi-potensi ini secara optimal dan berkelanjutan, lahan sub optimal dapat menjadi sumber daya yang berharga dalam mendukung ketahanan pangan dan penghidupan berkelanjutan.
<h2>Kesimpulan</h2>
Lahan sub optimal merupakan tantangan bagi petani dan pengelola lahan, namun juga merupakan peluang untuk inovasi dan pengembangan. Dengan pendekatan yang tepat juga dapat dimanfaatkan secara produktif, memberikan manfaat ekonomi bagi masyarakat lokal serta kontribusi terhadap ketahanan pangan secara keseluruhan. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tayjuhanafoundation/?hl=id" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation</a>, sebagai pemangku kepentingan dalam pembangunan pertanian berkelanjutan, terus berkomitmen untuk mendukung upaya-upaya dalam mengoptimalkan potensinya untuk kesejahteraan masyarakat dan pelestarian lingkungan.

Lahan Sub Optimal : Pengertian, Ciri-Ciri dan Potensi

Pengelolaan lahan gambut berkelanjutan merupakan sebuah tantangan yang kompleks di era modern ini, terutama dalam konteks keberlanjutan ekologis dan sosial. Lahan gambut adalah salah satu sumber daya alam yang berharga, karena memiliki peran penting dalam menjaga keseimbangan ekosistem global dan juga memberikan manfaat ekonomi bagi masyarakat sekitarnya. Namun, pengelolaannya sering kali menimbulkan konflik antara kebutuhan akan pemanfaatan lahan dan pelestarian lingkungan.
<h1 data-pm-slice="1 1 [&quot;orderedList&quot;,{&quot;order&quot;:1},&quot;listItem&quot;,null]">Peran Penting Lahan Gambut Berkelanjutan</h1>
Pentingnya pengelolaan lahan gambut yang berkelanjutan tidak dapat disangkal lagi. Dengan melibatkan pendekatan yang holistik, yang memperhatikan aspek ekologi, sosial, dan ekonomi, dapat diciptakan solusi yang berkelanjutan dalam memanfaatkan lahan gambut. Salah satu pendekatan yang dapat diterapkan adalah dengan memperhatikan konservasi gambut alami, restorasi lahan yang telah terdegradasi, serta pengelolaan secara berkelanjutan untuk pemanfaatan ekonomi yang bijak.
Pendekatan ini harus melibatkan berbagai pihak, termasuk pemerintah, masyarakat lokal, organisasi non-pemerintah, dan sektor swasta. Kolaborasi antar berbagai pemangku kepentingan sangat diperlukan untuk mencapai pengelolaan lahan gambut yang berkelanjutan. Pemerintah perlu mengimplementasikan kebijakan yang mendukung perlindungan lahan gambut serta memberikan insentif bagi praktik-praktik yang ramah lingkungan. Sementara itu, masyarakat lokal perlu dilibatkan dalam pengambilan keputusan yang berkaitan dengan pengelolaan lahan gambut di wilayah mereka.
Selain itu, penting juga untuk meningkatkan kesadaran masyarakat akan pentingnya menjaga lahan gambut. Edukasi mengenai manfaat ekosistem gambut, serta dampak negatif dari degradasi lahan gambut, dapat membantu mengubah perilaku masyarakat dalam memanfaatkan lahan tersebut. Langkah-langkah ini bersama-sama akan membantu menjaga keberlanjutan lahan gambut untuk generasi yang akan datang.
Dengan demikian, pengelolaan lahan gambut yang berkelanjutan bukanlah hal yang mustahil untuk dicapai. Dengan kerjasama yang baik antar berbagai pihak, serta kesadaran akan pentingnya menjaga ekosistem gambut, kita dapat menjaga keseimbangan antara kebutuhan manusia dan pelestarian lingkungan. <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/">Tay Juhana Foundation</a>, sebagai sebuah lembaga yang peduli akan keberlanjutan lingkungan, terus berkomitmen dalam mendukung upaya-upaya untuk pengelolaan lahan gambut yang berkelanjutan.
<h2>Tujuan dan Fungsi Pengelolaan Lahan Gambut</h2>
Pengelolaan lahan gambut berkelanjutan mengacu pada upaya untuk mengelola dan merawat lahan gambut dengan memperhatikan prinsip-prinsip keberlanjutan. Lahan gambut merupakan jenis ekosistem yang terdiri dari lapisan gambut yang dalam, biasanya ditemukan di daerah tropis yang lembap seperti Indonesia, Malaysia, dan Brasil. Lahan gambut memiliki peran penting dalam menyimpan karbon, menyediakan habitat bagi berbagai spesies flora dan fauna, serta memengaruhi siklus air regional dan global.
Namun, dalam beberapa dekade terakhir, lahan gambut sering kali mengalami degradasi akibat dari kegiatan manusia seperti penebangan hutan, pembakaran, dan konversi lahan untuk pertanian atau perkebunan. Degradasi lahan gambut dapat menyebabkan pelepasan karbon yang besar ke atmosfer, mengakibatkan perubahan iklim dan merusak habitat alami.
Pengelolaan lahan gambut yang berkelanjutan bertujuan untuk menjaga fungsi ekologis dan ekonomis dari lahan gambut tersebut. Hal ini melibatkan berbagai strategi seperti konservasi gambut alami, restorasi lahan gambut yang telah terdegradasi, pengendalian kebakaran hutan, penerapan praktik pertanian yang berkelanjutan, serta pengembangan alternatif ekonomi bagi masyarakat lokal yang bergantung pada lahan gambut.
Penelitian dan implementasi praktik terbaik dalam pengelolaan lahan gambut berkelanjutan terus dilakukan oleh berbagai pihak, termasuk pemerintah, lembaga nirlaba, lembaga riset, dan sektor swasta. Tujuan akhirnya adalah untuk memastikan bahwa lahan gambut dapat terus berfungsi sebagai penyimpan karbon yang penting, serta memberikan manfaat ekonomi dan ekologis bagi masyarakat lokal dan dunia secara luas.
<h3>Strategi Pengelolaan</h3>
Strategi pengelolaan lahan gambut berkelanjutan harus memperhatikan keseimbangan antara kebutuhan manusia dengan kelestarian ekosistem gambut. Berikut beberapa strategi yang dapat diterapkan:
Konservasi Gambut Alami
Melindungi dan mempertahankan lahan gambut dalam kondisi alaminya merupakan langkah pertama dalam strategi pemanfaatan yang berkelanjutan. Ini melibatkan upaya untuk membatasi aktivitas manusia yang dapat merusak ekosistem gambut, seperti pembalakan liar, pembakaran hutan, dan penambangan.
Restorasi Lahan Gambut
Mengembalikan lahan gambut yang telah terdegradasi menjadi kondisi semula merupakan langkah penting dalam menjaga keberlanjutan ekosistem gambut. Proses restorasi dapat meliputi penghentian aktivitas yang merusak, pengembalian vegetasi asli, dan perbaikan drainase yang rusak.
Pengelolaan Secara Berkelanjutan
Menerapkan praktik-praktik pertanian dan perkebunan yang berkelanjutan di lahan gambut dapat membantu meminimalkan dampak negatif terhadap lingkungan. Ini termasuk penggunaan teknologi ramah lingkungan, rotasi tanaman, dan penggunaan pupuk organik.
Pengendalian Kebakaran Hutan
Kebakaran hutan di lahan gambut dapat menyebabkan kerusakan yang luas dan pelepasan karbon yang besar ke atmosfer. Oleh karena itu, pengendalian kebakaran hutan yang efektif, termasuk pemantauan secara terus-menerus dan penanggulangan cepat, sangat penting untuk menjaga keberlanjutan lahan gambut.
Pengembangan Alternatif Ekonomi
Mendorong pengembangan alternatif ekonomi bagi masyarakat lokal yang bergantung pada lahan gambut dapat membantu mengurangi tekanan terhadap ekosistem gambut. Ini dapat meliputi pengembangan pariwisata ekologi, pengembangan produk non-kayu dari gambut, atau pelatihan keterampilan untuk industri lain.
Kolaborasi Antar Pihak
Kerjasama antara pemerintah, masyarakat lokal, lembaga nirlaba, dan sektor swasta sangat penting dalam implementasi strategi pemanfaatan lahan gambut berkelanjutan. Kolaborasi ini dapat membantu mengintegrasikan kepentingan berbagai pemangku kepentingan dan memastikan keberlanjutan dalam jangka panjang.
Dengan menerapkan strategi pengelolaan lahan gambut berkelanjutan ini secara holistik dan berkelanjutan, diharapkan pemanfaatan lahan gambut dapat tetap memenuhi kebutuhan manusia tanpa mengorbankan keberlanjutan ekosistem gambut dan kesejahteraan masyarakat lokal.
<h2>Kesimpulan</h2>
Pengelolaan lahan gambut yang berkelanjutan membutuhkan pendekatan holistik yang melibatkan berbagai pemangku kepentingan. Dengan kolaborasi yang baik antara pemerintah, masyarakat lokal, dan sektor swasta, serta meningkatkan kesadaran akan pentingnya pelestarian lahan gambut, kita dapat menjaga <a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekosistem" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ekosistem</a> gambut untuk masa depan yang lebih baik.

Pengelolaan Lahan Gambut Berkelanjutan: Peran Penting dan Potensinya

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Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS) mencatat penurunan yang signifikan pada lahan yang memiliki potensi pertanian di beberapa kota di Indonesia. Luas lahan baku sawah (LBS) di delapan provinsi sentra beras nasional, yakni Sumatera Barat, Banten, Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, Jawa Timur, Bali, dan Nusa Tenggara Barat, telah mengalami penyusutan. Data menunjukkan bahwa pada tahun 2019, total LBS di delapan provinsi tersebut mencapai 3,97 juta hektare (ha), namun pada tahun 2021 mengalami penurunan menjadi 3,84 juta ha.</blockquote>
Imbas dari penyusutan lahan pertanian tersebut adalah inflasi bahan pangan yang terus mengalami peningkatan. Terbaru Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS) mencatat inflasi yang signifikan terhadap harga semua beras. Pada 22 Januari 2024, harga beras medium secara nasional mencapai rata-rata Rp 13.260 per kilogram. Angka ini melebihi nilai tertinggi rata-rata nasional beras medium pada Oktober tahun sebelumnya, yang mencapai Rp 13.210 per kilogram. Kebanyakan masyarakat tidak mau memanfaatkan lahan subur untuk pertanian karena tingginya biaya produksi dalam bertani. Ongkos produksi yang terus melonjak tinggi, seperti halnya pupuk dan biaya sewa lahan membuat para petani berpikir dua kali. Selain itu, harga pangan yang tidak stabil dan cenderung mengalami penurunan menjadi risiko lain yang harus dihadapi oleh petani.
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<div class="TextBoxweb__StyledTextBox-sc-1noultz-0 REikg">Semua risiko tersebut mengarah pada keberhasilan pertanian yang sudah mereka lakukan. Jika pertanian berhasil dilakukan, maka hasil tersebut rata-rata hanya bisa menutupi modal yang sebelumnya dikeluarkan. Hanya sedikit laba bersih yang bisa didapatkan. Dengan semua hal tersebut, maka pertanian menjadi pekerjaan yang mempunyai risiko tinggi.</div>
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<h4 class="TextBoxweb__StyledTextBox-sc-1noultz-0 REikg">Memperluas Lahan Pertanian dengan Memanfaatkan Lahan Suboptimal</h4>
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Data World Bank tahun 2018 mengkonfirmasi jika Indonesia yang dikenal sebagai negara yang subur terus mengalami pengurangan lahan pertanian. Pada tahun 1961 dikonfirmasi jika hanya terdapat lahan subur per kapitanya 0,2 ha per orang. Jumlah ini mengalami penurunan yang cukup signifikan di tahun 2018, dan hanya menjadi 0,098 ha. Jelas hal ini menjadi permasalahan di tengah lajunya pertumbuhan di Indonesia yang membutuhkan jumlah pangan yang besar.
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<div class="TextBoxweb__StyledTextBox-sc-1noultz-0 REikg">Salah satu solusi yang bisa dilakukan, diusulkan oleh <a class="components__StyledLink-sc-il899o-0 ckWUNA _918c86772 enabled" draggable="false" href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/resources/contribution-of-sustainable-agriculture-in-suboptimal-lands-to-environmental-and-socio-economic-aspects-in-pulau-burung-district-riau-province/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-key="65b74ccc8efd1c0012eb02c0-39-25">Ika Zahara Qurani, dkk </a>dalam penelitian yang berjudul Kontribusi Pertanian Berkelanjutan di Lahan Suboptimal Terhadap Aspek Lingkungan dan Sosial-ekonomi di Kecamatan Pulau Burung, Provinsi Riau dengan memanfaatkan lahan suboptimal menjadi lahan pertanian. Lahan suboptimal adalah area tanah yang memiliki keterbatasan atau kondisi yang tidak ideal untuk kegiatan pertanian atau penggunaan tanah tradisional lainnya. Beberapa karakteristik lahan suboptimal yang dapat menghambat pertanian termasuk ketinggian lereng yang curam, kekurangan unsur hara tanah, struktur tanah yang buruk, dan kondisi iklim yang ekstrem.</div>
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Ika Zahra Qurani, dkk mengemukakan jika lahan suboptimal bisa menjadi lahan pertanian yang subur asalkan tanah tersebut diolah dengan manajemen air yang efektif dan teknologi tanah yang tepat. Terdapat teknologi pengolahan air yang dikenal sebagai &#8220;trio tata air.&#8221; Sistem ini memiliki kemampuan untuk menghentikan laju subsiden, menjaga kelangsungan pasokan air bersih, mengurangi risiko kebakaran, dan berfungsi sebagai pendukung utama dalam sistem transportasi. Hasil dari sistem pertanian seperti ini membuat ekonomi warga sekitar semakin meningkat. Komponen sosial dan ekonomi mengalami perkembangan karena produktivitas pertanian kelapa meningkat, yang pada gilirannya meningkatkan kesejahteraan dan stabilitas pendapatan. Sehingga cara semacam ini bisa dilakukan oleh semua orang untuk memperluas lahan pertanian.
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<h4 class="TextBoxweb__StyledTextBox-sc-1noultz-0 REikg">Memanfaatkan Lahan Suboptimal Secara Maksimal</h4>
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Lahan suboptimal pada praktiknya dapat dijadikan area untuk praktik-praktik konservasi air dan tanah. Melalui teknik-teknik seperti reboisasi, tanaman penutup tanah, dan pembuatan teras, lahan suboptimal dapat diubah menjadi lahan yang lebih produktif dan ramah lingkungan. Praktik ini membantu mengendalikan erosi tanah, meningkatkan ketersediaan air, dan memperbaiki struktur tanah. Dengan memanfaatkan lahan suboptimal secara berkelanjutan, dapat diciptakan sistem pertanian yang lebih tahan terhadap perubahan iklim dan menjaga keberlanjutan lingkungan. Sehingga potensi gagal panen menjadi lebih rendah.
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<div class="TextBoxweb__StyledTextBox-sc-1noultz-0 REikg">Akan tetapi pemanfaatan lahan suboptimal ini akan bisa berjalan dengan lancar apabila pemerintah mendukung penuh program tersebut, dengan mensubsidi ongkos produksi pertanian dan memberikan petani edukasi tentang pemanfaatan lahan suboptimal. Kemudian pemerintah juga bisa mengambil kebijakan dengan memberikan teknologi terbaru untuk memperoleh hasil pertanian yang meningkat.</div>
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Dengan cara seperti itu, manfaat lahan suboptimal akan terasa. Dan banyak orang akan melirik petani sebagai profesi yang menjanjikan. Pemanfaatan lahan suboptimal secara maksimal dan dukungan dari pemerintah, akan menguatkan sektor pertanian, dan menjadikan Indonesia sebagai negara terbesar yang menyokong pangan dunia.
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<div style="text-align: left;">Artikel ini adalah bagian dari Program Collabowriting TJF dengan penulis. Artikel ini pernah di terbitkan di <a href="https://kumparan.com/nur-faizi-1706511562562815056/rekontruksi-lahan-pertanian-dengan-lahan-suboptimal-223q94zYrDj/full" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kumparan 
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Rekontruksi Lahan Pertanian dengan Lahan Suboptimal

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Pembangunan berkelanjutan perlu melihat pengalaman masa lalu. Mengapa?</blockquote>
Jauh sebelum istilah pembangunan berkelanjutan populer, para petani telah mengembangkan sistem pengetahuan yang memastikan mata pencarian mereka berlangsung dalam jangka panjang. Pengalaman, sebenarnya, telah mengajarkan bahwa pembangunan berkelanjutan telah jadi praktik di tingkat mikro dan madya.
Istilah keberlanjutan atau nachhaldigkeit dalam bahasa Jerman, pertama kali digunakan oleh Hans Carl von Carlowitz dalam risalah kehutanan, Sylviculture oeconomica (Panduan Budidaya Pohon Asli) yang diterbitkan di Leipzig pada 1713. Istilah ini muncul sebagai respons terhadap konversi hutan secara besar-besaran dan naiknya permintaan kayu sebagai bahan bakar untuk tungku pabrik yang perlu dibatasi dan diatur agar pemanfaatannya dapat digunakan secara efisien dan berkelanjutan.
Pada 1960-an, gerakan perlindungan lingkungan secara signifikan mempengaruhi lahirnya kebijakan-kebijakan yang berfokus pada lingkungan. Mereka terinspirasi oleh “economy of nature” di Eropa dan Amerika, yang menempatkan hubungan ekologi sebagai inti kegiatan ekonomi. Gerakan ini juga mempengaruhi munculnya pembangunan berkelanjutan sebagai Tujuan Pembangunan Berkelanjutan (Sustainable Development Goals/SDGs) yang dirumuskan dalam Laporan Komisi Bruntland pada 1987 berjudul Our Common Future.
Tujuan Pembangunan Berkelanjutan didefinisikan sebagai “pembangunan yang memenuhi kebutuhan hari ini tanpa mengorbankan kemampuan generasi mendatang untuk memenuhi kebutuhan mereka.” Idenya adalah mengembangkan solusi kebijakan yang mengintegrasikan kepedulian terhadap lingkungan, pertumbuhan ekonomi, dan kesetaraan sosial.
Dalam implementasinya, gagasan pembangunan berkelanjutan tidak tunggal. Nygren (1998) menganalisis empat gagasan besar tentang lingkungan dan pembangunan berkelanjutan yang selama ini beredar, yaitu environmentalism for nature, environmentalism for profit, alternative environmentalism, dan environmentalism for the people.
Gagasan environmentalism for nature berfokus pada konservasi lingkungan yang menempatkan manusia sebagai elemen eksternal dan terpisah dari alam. Gagasan ini menganggap manusia sebagai perusak alam. Oleh karena itu, kebutuhan untuk melestarikan lingkungan diwujudkan dalam kegiatan konservasi. Di sisi lain, environmentalism for profit menekankan pada gagasan bahwa pertumbuhan ekonomi adalah dasar dari pembangunan berkelanjutan. Pemanfaatan alam diperlukan agar memiliki nilai jual. Gagasan ini terlihat dalam program-program seperti ekowisata.
Gagasan alternative environmentalism mengasumsikan bahwa pengaruh modernisasi dan perluasan budaya Barat bersifat destruktif terhadap praktik-praktik budaya non-Barat. Gagasan ini menyiratkan penekanan pada pembangunan yang berpusat pada pengelolaan sumber daya lokal dan tradisional. Sedikit berbeda dengan gagasan alternative environmentalism, konsep environmentalism for the people menitikberatkan pada pencarian solusi melalui keterlibatan berbagai pihak dalam pengelolaan lingkungan. Kesadaran akan rasionalitas yang beragam dalam masyarakat menempatkan masyarakat untuk berpartisipasi aktif dalam pembangunan.
Meskipun keempat gagasan di atas memiliki perspektif berbeda, keberlanjutan dalam pembangunan berkelanjutan sering kali dipahami sebagai upaya mempertahankan apa yang sudah ada. Menurut Moore (2017), tujuan keberlanjutan seharusnya tidak hanya mempertahankan apa yang sudah ada, juga mempertahankan kapasitas untuk pengembangan lebih lanjut dan diversifikasi berbagai ontologi dan praktik-praktik pengetahuan lokal. Untuk mewujudkan hal ini, kita harus melihat proses perubahan. Di sini konteks masa lalu menjadi penting dalam keberlanjutan.
Pengalaman masa lalu bisa mempengaruhi tindakan saat ini dan membentuk masa depan dengan berbagai cara. Seperti yang dikatakan oleh McCallum (2014) bahwa berbagai realitas muncul dan diakui, tetapi mereka adalah produk dari keterlibatan, pertemuan yang secara historis dan dinamis berada di antara being dan becoming. Konteks masa lalu dapat dilihat dari bagaimana manusia terus menerus beradaptasi terhadap tantangan dan perubahan lingkungan.
Indonesia memiliki lahan gambut terluas di Asia Tenggara dan banyak digunakan untuk pertanian. Namun, pertanian di lahan gambut terkenal menghasilkan emisi yang tinggi dan tidak berkelanjutan. Agar tanaman dapat tumbuh, tinggi muka air harus diturunkan. Penurunan tinggi muka air ini dapat memicu timbulnya kebakaran karena gambut menjadi kering (Qurani et al, 2022). Kerentanan lahan gambut menjadi menarik untuk melihat proses adaptasi petani dalam menjalankan praktik pertanian di lahan gambut.
Perubahan Praktik Pertanian Komoditas Kelapa di Ekosistem Lahan Gambut Pemanfaatan lahan gambut untuk pertanian telah berlangsung sejak lama. Di Indonesia, pemanfaatan lahan gambut dimulai pada masa Kerajaan Majapahit yang ingin memperluas wilayah kekuasaannya. Pada saat itu, lahan gambut dimanfaatkan untuk permukiman dan pertanian. Pada 1920, lahan gambut dimanfaatkan oleh Belanda untuk menanam komoditas karet dan kelapa. Setelah Indonesia merdeka, lahan gambut dikelola oleh negara sebagai bagian dari proyek-proyek pembangunan (Nursyamsi et al, 2016).
Penelitian yang Anda et al, (2021) menyatakan bahwa lahan gambut di Indonesia memiliki luas total 13,43 juta hektare, tersebar di Sumatera (5,85 juta hektare), Kalimantan (4,54 juta hektare), dan Papua (3,01 juta hektare). Di Pulau Sumatera, Riau merupakan wilayah dengan lahan gambut terluas, yaitu 3,57 juta hektar. Salah satu kegiatan pertanian di lahan gambut yang dapat kita jumpai adalah pertanian kelapa.
Sejak masa kolonial Belanda, komoditas kelapa telah diperdagangkan di berbagai daerah, termasuk Indragiri Hilir, Riau (Akmal et al, 2021). Pertanian kelapa di Indragiri Hilir bergantung pada pasar. Selain pasar, faktor alam dan kekhawatiran petani terhadap perubahan lingkungan membuat petani kelapa harus terus beradaptasi dalam melakukan kegiatan pertanian.
Menurut Hastrup (2017), pengetahuan tentang teknologi asing sangat mempengaruhi kebutuhan lokal. Awalnya, perawatan kebun oleh petani hanya mengandalkan teknologi tebas untuk menghilangkan semak-semak dan gulma yang tumbuh di sekitar kebun. Munculnya teknologi pemanfaatan bahan kimia, seperti herbisida dan pestisida, kemudian digunakan oleh petani karena dianggap lebih mudah diakses, lebih cepat, dan lebih tahan lama.
Seiring berjalannya waktu, para petani merasakan efek samping dari penggunaan bahan kimia terhadap kondisi kebun, kuantitas, dan kualitas kelapa mereka. Hal ini berdampak pada pendapatan dari penjualan kelapa mereka. Pengalaman ini perlahan membentuk kembali pengetahuan petani untuk menggunakan bahan kimia secara hemat dengan mengombinasikan sistem tebas dan bahan kimia seperti herbisida. Beberapa petani telah menggunakan alat modern untuk sistem penebasan.
Adaptasi petani juga terlihat pada isu pembakaran lahan (Fawzi et al, 2021;  Rozaki et al, 2022). Menurut El Amady (2020), pembakaran lahan berawal dari kultur tanah mineral, yang berfungsi untuk mempersiapkan tanah dan mendapatkan kesuburan tanah. Pada pertanian kelapa di lahan gambut, pembakaran dilakukan untuk mendapatkan abu dari sabut kelapa yang dibakar. Abu ini kemudian digunakan sebagai pupuk untuk tanaman mereka. Namun, pembakaran lahan ini dapat menyebabkan kebakaran hebat dan cepat menyebar ke berbagai tempat karena sifat lahan gambut yang mudah terbakar.
Hidup di ekosistem gambut berarti menjadi sasaran kebijakan pemerintah terkait larangan membakar lahan seperti Undang-Undang No. 32 Tahun 2009 tentang Perlindungan dan Pengelolaan Lingkungan Hidup, dan Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 57 Tahun 2016 tentang Perubahan atas Peraturan Pemerintah No. 71 Tahun 2014 tentang Perlindungan dan Pengelolaan Ekosistem Gambut.
Kedua peraturan tersebut menyatakan bahwa setiap orang dilarang membuka lahan dengan cara membakar. Pihak yang melanggar akan diberikan sanksi tegas berupa pidana penjara 3 hingga 10 tahun dan denda Rp 3-10 miliar. Di sisi lain, pembakaran sabut dan limbah rumah tangga tetap tidak bisa dihindari. Hal ini dikarenakan sisa-sisa sabut kelapa selama masa panen tidak bisa dibiarkan membusuk dengan sendirinya. Bagaimana pun juga, penumpukan limbah sabut akan memenuhi lahan pertanian mereka.
Dengan adanya kebijakan pemerintah yang melarang pembakaran lahan seperti yang telah disebutkan sebelumnya, para petani biasanya membakar limbah sabut dengan mempertimbangkan lokasi dan kondisi cuaca. Pembakaran dilakukan pada saat udara dingin atau di lokasi dengan ketinggian gambut yang rendah.
Hal lain yang turut membantu petani kelapa dalam melakukan praktik pertanian berkelanjutan di lahan gambut Indragiri Hilir, Riau adalah keberadaan sistem pengelolaan air yang disebut sebagai Water Management Trinity (WMT). Sistem ini terdiri dari kanal, tanggul, bendungan, dan pintu air. WMT dirancang untuk menjaga kelembaban tanah dan mengatur ketersediaan air terutama pada saat musim kemarau sehingga kejadian kebakaran lahan dapat diminimalisasi (Fawzi  et   al,   2021;  Qurani et al, 2022).
Pola adaptasi petani tentu tidak selamanya bersifat linier. Keterlibatan jangka panjang antara petani dengan agen-agen non-manusia seperti tanaman, hama, teknologi, dan lain sebagainya juga mempengaruhi pandangan petani terhadap keberlanjutan. Pandangan ini diperoleh melalui sosialisasi kebijakan pemerintah nasional, dan hubungan yang kompleks dari faktor-faktor pengalaman, eksperimen, dan interaksi mereka dengan alam dan pasar.
Pembangunan berkelanjutan berfokus pada bagaimana membuat generasi berikutnya hidup dengan baik. Untuk mencapai hal tersebut, kita perlu melihat proses adaptasi. Dengan memahami konteks masa lalu, kita dapat melihat bagaimana pola adaptasi manusia dapat membantu kita melakukan improvisasi dan inovasi untuk masa depan yang berkelanjutan. Hal ini juga dapat menjadi refleksi bagi kita untuk memikirkan kembali masa depan seperti apa yang kita inginkan dan butuhkan.
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Artikel ini pernah diterbitkan di <a href="https://www.forestdigest.com/detail/2480/apa-itu-pembangunan-berkelanjutan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Forest Digest</a>

Konteks Masa Lalu dalam Pembangunan Berkelanjutan

Jakarta, November 13, 2023 – The Tay Juhana Foundation (TJF) and Dompet Dhuafa successfully organized an agriculture workshop in Sumber Makmur Village, Banyuasin Regency, South Sumatra, on November 9, 2023. The workshop had 30 farmers who actively participated, helping to improve their knowledge and skills in dealing with challenges in suboptimal lands.
In this collaborative event, TJF introduced the Suboptimal Lands Agriculture Initiatives (SLAI), a program to support research and farming implementation in suboptimal lands across Indonesia. Facing an increasing population, the demand for food is predicted to rise, while agricultural land is diminishing due to functional conversion into non-agricultural areas.
TJF found the management of suboptimal lands as a key solution to support food production, especially in regions dominated by wet and dry lands, such as Riau, South Sumatra, and NTT. Since 2018, TJF has focused on research in peat plantations in Indragiri Hilir, Riau. The SLAI program aims to serve as a platform to gather successful examples of farming in various regions in Indonesia, including those classified as suboptimal lands.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/TJF-and-Dompet-Dhuafa-Held-an-Agricultural-Workshop-on-Suboptimal-Land-in-Banyuasin-2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-227964" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/TJF-and-Dompet-Dhuafa-Held-an-Agricultural-Workshop-on-Suboptimal-Land-in-Banyuasin-2.jpg" alt="TJF and Dompet Dhuafa Held an Agricultural Workshop on Suboptimal Land in Banyuasin" width="2560" height="1449" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/TJF-and-Dompet-Dhuafa-Held-an-Agricultural-Workshop-on-Suboptimal-Land-in-Banyuasin-2.jpg 2560w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/TJF-and-Dompet-Dhuafa-Held-an-Agricultural-Workshop-on-Suboptimal-Land-in-Banyuasin-2-300x170.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/TJF-and-Dompet-Dhuafa-Held-an-Agricultural-Workshop-on-Suboptimal-Land-in-Banyuasin-2-1024x580.jpg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/TJF-and-Dompet-Dhuafa-Held-an-Agricultural-Workshop-on-Suboptimal-Land-in-Banyuasin-2-768x435.jpg 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/TJF-and-Dompet-Dhuafa-Held-an-Agricultural-Workshop-on-Suboptimal-Land-in-Banyuasin-2-1536x869.jpg 1536w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/TJF-and-Dompet-Dhuafa-Held-an-Agricultural-Workshop-on-Suboptimal-Land-in-Banyuasin-2-2048x1159.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a>
The workshop in Sumber Makmur Village marks the initial step in implementing the SLAI program, providing direct insights into cultivation techniques, pest management, and the potential sustainability of farming in suboptimal lands. The farmers’ active participation through questions and discussions during the workshop reflects the program’s positive impact on improving their knowledge and skills.
Moreover, the province of Palembang is known for its suboptimal lands, including tidal swamps and extensive peatlands in several regions, one of which is the Banyuasin Regency, capable of being the largest rice granary in Sumatra.
Several speakers from various institutions made significant contributions. Mr. Alfisyah B.SP, M.Si, Head of the Department of Licensing for Food Crops and Horticulture, Banyuasin Regency Department of Food Crops and Horticulture, emphasized that suboptimal lands, such as tidal swamps, can become effective food granaries with the right practices. Ms. Marlin Sefrila, SP, M.Si, a lecturer at the Faculty of Agriculture, Sriwijaya University, highlighted the importance of water-saturation cultivation techniques for managing agriculture in tidal swamp lands. Junaidi Hutasuhut, SP, Peat Livelihood Facilitator from the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), encouraged farmers to share their experiences overcoming agricultural challenges in suboptimal lands.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/TJF-and-Dompet-Dhuafa-Held-an-Agricultural-Workshop-on-Suboptimal-Land-in-Banyuasin-3.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-227966" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/TJF-and-Dompet-Dhuafa-Held-an-Agricultural-Workshop-on-Suboptimal-Land-in-Banyuasin-3.jpg" alt="The workshop in Sumber Makmur Village marks the initial step in implementing the SLAI program, providing direct insights into cultivation techniques, pest management, and the potential sustainability of farming in suboptimal lands. The farmers’ active participation through questions and discussions during the workshop reflects the program’s positive impact on improving their knowledge and skills. Moreover, the province of Palembang is known for its suboptimal lands, including tidal swamps and extensive peatlands in several regions, one of which is the Banyuasin Regency, capable of being the largest rice granary in Sumatra. Several speakers from various institutions made significant contributions. Mr. Alfisyah B.SP, M.Si, Head of the Department of Licensing for Food Crops and Horticulture, Banyuasin Regency Department of Food Crops and Horticulture, emphasized that suboptimal lands, such as tidal swamps, can become effective food granaries with the right practices. Ms. Marlin Sefrila, SP, M.Si, a lecturer at the Faculty of Agriculture, Sriwijaya University, highlighted the importance of water-saturation cultivation techniques for managing agriculture in tidal swamp lands. Junaidi Hutasuhut, SP, Peat Livelihood Facilitator from the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), encouraged farmers to share their experiences overcoming agricultural challenges in suboptimal lands." width="2560" height="1449" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/TJF-and-Dompet-Dhuafa-Held-an-Agricultural-Workshop-on-Suboptimal-Land-in-Banyuasin-3.jpg 2560w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/TJF-and-Dompet-Dhuafa-Held-an-Agricultural-Workshop-on-Suboptimal-Land-in-Banyuasin-3-300x170.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/TJF-and-Dompet-Dhuafa-Held-an-Agricultural-Workshop-on-Suboptimal-Land-in-Banyuasin-3-1024x580.jpg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/TJF-and-Dompet-Dhuafa-Held-an-Agricultural-Workshop-on-Suboptimal-Land-in-Banyuasin-3-768x435.jpg 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/TJF-and-Dompet-Dhuafa-Held-an-Agricultural-Workshop-on-Suboptimal-Land-in-Banyuasin-3-1536x869.jpg 1536w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/TJF-and-Dompet-Dhuafa-Held-an-Agricultural-Workshop-on-Suboptimal-Land-in-Banyuasin-3-2048x1159.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a>
In a statement, the Program Manager of TJF stated, “Suboptimal lands can be a solution for future food security. Through this workshop, we hope to serve as an educational platform and bridge for farmers and stakeholders to share knowledge in managing agriculture in suboptimal lands.”
TJF remains committed to contributing to national food security and supporting positive transformation in the agricultural sector in Indonesia. The SLAI program is a strategic step in addressing the increasingly vulnerable global food security challenges due to various disruptions.
Watch the video recap of this event <a href="https://youtu.be/fWEiyTJQkJc?si=Ns-n0Exe2lJPF2T1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

TJF and Dompet Dhuafa Held an Agricultural Workshop on Suboptimal Land in Banyuasin

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Beberapa tahun ini, Indonesia sering kali dihadapkan dengan <a href="https://jurnal.ipb.ac.id/index.php/jtanah/article/view/11538" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bencana banjir</a> yang menimbulkan banyak sekali kerugian bagi masyarakat, salah satunya pada bidang pertanian. Padahal, Indonesia menjadi salah satu negara produsen bahan pangan utama di dunia, khususnya pada sektor padi. Sektor pertanian telah menjadi kekuatan dalam menentukan ketahanan pangan serta pertumbuhan ekonomi bangsa. Lalu bagaimana dampak dari banjir pada lahan pertanian dan pengaruhnya terhadap ketahanan pangan?</blockquote>
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<li> Banjir dan Pertanian di Indonesia</li>
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Berdasarkan letak astronomisnya, Indonesia berada pada 6°LU-11°LS dan 95° BT-141°BT. Dengan posisi tersebut, mengakibatkan wilayah Indonesia memiliki iklim muson tropis. Iklim tropis membuat kondisi fisik (tanah, udara, suhu) di Indonesia cocok untuk dimanfaatkan sebagai lahan pertanian. Dibalik anugerah tersebut, iklim tropis cenderung mengalami perubahan cuaca, suhu, serta arah angin yang cukup ekstrem. Didukung dengan <a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Analisis-Lahan-Pertanian-Rawan-Banjir-Menggunakan-Aprillya-Chasanah/b01c39f01c0fe840306abeef71fae5aa37b55823/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kondisi alam</a> yang saat ini telah mengalami perubahan akibat perubahan iklim, menyebabkan Indonesia <a href="https://www.bnpb.go.id/potensi-ancaman-bencana" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rawan mengalami beragam bencana alam</a>, salah satunya adalah banjir yang merupakan peristiwa tergenangnya daratan akibat volume air yang berlebihan.
Banjir berpengaruh besar terhadap aktivitas masyarakat Indonesia, termasuk pertanian. Berdasarkan data <a href="https://bnpb.go.id/berita/bantu-petani-terdampak-banjir-bnpb-lakukan-pendataan-di-beberapa-wilayah" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana (BNPB)</a> pada semester awal tahun 2023, lebih dari 113 ribu hektar lahan pertanian yang tersebar di 22 provinsi terdampak banjir.
Pada musim banjir, lahan pertanian akan terendam air dalam waktu yang cukup lama. Air dapat merusak tumbuhan yang mengakibatkan gagal panen. Selain itu, petani juga harus berhadapan dengan penyakit serta hama, khususnya <a href="https://msmbindonesia.com/musim-hujan-waspada-keong-mas-merajalela/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">keong mas</a> yang hidup di daerah rawa atau sawah. Hal ini mengharuskan petani menunda waktu tanam sampai banjir surut.
Bencana ini juga mengakibatkan pengurangan jumlah lahan pertanian. Banjir rob telah merendam lahan pertanian khususnya di daerah pesisir utara Jawa. Sehingga lahan tersebut tidak dapat dimanfaatkan lagi.
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<li> Kerugian Ekonomi dan Ketahanan Pangan</li>
</ol>
Ketahanan pangan adalah kesanggupan negara dalam memastikan ketersediaan bahan pangan dan kemudahan masyarakat dalam mendapatkan pangan dengan stabil. Disinilah peran penting sektor pertanian dibutuhkan. Namun, apabila banjir pada lahan pertanian terus terjadi, petani akan mengalami gagal panen.
Gagal panen dapat mengakibatkan <a href="https://www.liputan6.com/bisnis/read/802939/bencana-banjir-ancam-pasokan-sayur-dan-buah" target="_blank" rel="noopener">penurunan pasokan bahan pangan</a> di Indonesia. Jika <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/blog/impacts-of-covid-19-food-security-under-threat-in-indonesia/">pasokan bahan pangan hanya sedikit</a>, sedangkan permintaan dan kebutuhan masyarakat yang terus tinggi, hal ini akan menyebabkan naiknya harga pangan di pasar dan ancaman bagi ketahanan pangan.
Menurut data <a href="https://databoks.katadata.co.id/datapublish/2022/09/14/sebanyak-115-juta-masyarakat-indonesia-menuju-kelas-menengah" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bank Dunia</a> tahun 2022, kurang lebih 34% penduduk Indonesia tergolong dalam kelompok miskin dan rentan. Ketika terjadi kenaikan harga bahan pangan, penduduk dengan penghasilan rendah akan sulit mendapatkan pangan yang sesuai dengan pendapatan mereka. Sehingga kesejahteraan masyarakat menurun bahkan berpotensi mengalami kelaparan dan malnutrisi. Kenaikan harga pangan juga akan merugikan petani sebagai produsen dan para pedagang. Apabila harga pangan terus naik, daya beli masyarakat akan ikut berkurang. Akibatnya petani dan pedagang akan merugi.
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<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Banjir-Pada-Lahan-Pertanian-Mengancam-Ketahanan-Pangan-Tabita-Devi-Kurniawati-.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-227938" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Banjir-Pada-Lahan-Pertanian-Mengancam-Ketahanan-Pangan-Tabita-Devi-Kurniawati-.png" alt="Banjir Pada Lahan Pertanian, Mengancam Ketahanan Pangan - Tabita Devi Kurniawati" width="1024" height="1024" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Banjir-Pada-Lahan-Pertanian-Mengancam-Ketahanan-Pangan-Tabita-Devi-Kurniawati-.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Banjir-Pada-Lahan-Pertanian-Mengancam-Ketahanan-Pangan-Tabita-Devi-Kurniawati--300x300.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Banjir-Pada-Lahan-Pertanian-Mengancam-Ketahanan-Pangan-Tabita-Devi-Kurniawati--150x150.png 150w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Banjir-Pada-Lahan-Pertanian-Mengancam-Ketahanan-Pangan-Tabita-Devi-Kurniawati--768x768.png 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Banjir-Pada-Lahan-Pertanian-Mengancam-Ketahanan-Pangan-Tabita-Devi-Kurniawati--700x700.png 700w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
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<ol start="3">
<li> Upaya Mitigasi dan Adaptasi Banjir Pada Lahan Pertanian</li>
</ol>
Pemerintah Indonesia telah merencanakan serta melaksanakan berbagai <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/blog/menilik-kabar-proyek-food-estate-sebagai-reformasi-pangan/">upaya untuk mengurangi </a>dampak banjir guna menjaga ketersediaan bahan pangan di Indonesia. Seperti yang dilakukan <a href="https://ekon.go.id/publikasi/detail/1437/pentingnya-koordinasi-kuat-untuk-tanggulangi-dampak-banjir-pada-sektor-pertanian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kementerian Pertanian</a>, yaitu dengan memetakan daerah rawan banjir serta membuat sistem peringatan dini melalui pemantauan informasi BMKG, melakukan perbaikan jaringan irigasi, serta menggunakan varietas benih padi tahan genangan.
Sebagai contoh, penyebab banjir di wilayah Kabupaten Karawang, Subang, dan Indramayu adalah faktor pengairan. Ketika terjadi hujan, terdapat air limpasan yang mengalir dari desa daerah hulu ke daerah hilir. Hal ini didukung dengan kondisi drainase yang tidak berfungsi dengan normal.
Air hujan yang mengalir cenderung membawa tanah dan berakhir mengendap di saluran air. Pengendapan ini dapat memperlambat laju air bahkan mengurangi daya tampung air, sehingga memicu terjadi luapan. Oleh karena itu, program rehabilitasi jaringan sungai yang dilakukan pemerintah bersama petani seperti pengerukan, pembersihan, dan pelebaran saluran air dapat mengurangi banjir yang terjadi.
Selain itu, penggunaan bibit varietas toleran rendaman merupakan salah satu bentuk adaptasi terhadap banjir yang tepat dilakukan, khususnya pada wilayah dengan kerawanan tinggi. Menurut penelitian pada <a href="https://jurnal.ipb.ac.id/index.php/jtanah/article/view/11538" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jurnal Tanah Lingkungan</a>, varietas benih padi yang ditanam petani saat ini hanya memiliki toleransi rendaman selama 4-7 hari saja. Dengan program penanaman varietas bibit toleran rendaman seperti Ciherang atau Inpara 3, benih dapat tahan terhadap rendaman air selama 10-14 hari. Akan tetapi, kenyataannya penggunaan varietas bibit tahan rendaman air ini masih belum banyak dikenal petani.
Banjir pada lahan pertanian dapat mengancam ketahanan pangan di Indonesia. Sebagai negara agraris, pertanian menjadi kekuatan dalam memenuhi kebutuhan pangan masyarakat. Oleh sebab itu, mitigasi, adaptasi, serta kebijakan terhadap banjir perlu dilakukan untuk menjaga ketersediaan bahan pangan di negara ini. Upaya pemerintah dalam membangun infrastruktur serta penetapan kebijakan yang tepat perlu didukung petani serta masyarakat untuk menghadapi tantangan banjir di lahan pertanian pada masa depan.
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Banjir Pada Lahan Pertanian, Mengancam Ketahanan Pangan

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Sektor pertanian merupakan satu di antara kunci masa depan ketahanan pangan di Indonesia. Keberlanjutan regenerasi petani sebagai produsen pangan yang tidak dapat dipastikan, akan menjadi masalah besar bagi ketahanan sosial. </blockquote>
Logika sederhananya seperti ini: jika generasi muda Indonesia enggan berprofesi sebagai petani ̶ sebab beberapa alasan yang nanti akan dijelaskan ̶ , maka rakyat Indonesia akan mengalami kesulitan dalam memperoleh ketersediaan pangan. Ketersediaan pangan bisa saja terpenuhi ̶ lewat jalur impor ̶ , tetapi pilihan ini tentu saja semakin membebani anggaran Negara yang ‘terbatas’. Ditambah lagi, sebutan Negara Agraris ̶ padahal secara data, Indonesia kini tak lagi agraris karena sektor industri lah yang paling banyak memberikan sumbangan pertumbuhan ekonomi ̶ yang telanjur melekat erat membuat sektor pertanian akan selalu menjadi bahan pertimbangan.
Rasa enggan untuk menjadi seorang petani di dalam benak para pemuda, membuat pemerintah segera berupaya untuk mengatasi ancaman regenerasi petani lewat program pemagangan petani muda ke Jepang. Program ini merupakan kegiatan rutin setiap tahun yang diselenggarakan oleh BPPSDMP (Badan Penyuluhan dan Pengembangan Sumber Daya Manusia Pertanian) Kementerian Pertanian sejak tahun 1984. Sistematika sederhana program ini adalah BPPSDMP melakukan seleksi terhadap para calon pemagang, lalu para peserta yang dinyatakan lolos seleksi (biasa disebut sebagai kenshuusei/trainee/pebelajar sambil bekerja) akan diberangkatkan ke Jepang untuk mempelajari pertanian modern di Jepang ̶ yang tentunya membutuhkan proses adaptasi ̶ selama 8 bulan/1 tahun/2 tahun, dan ketika kembali ke Indonesia mereka dapat mengadopsi segala ilmu yang telah diperoleh di Jepang untuk diterapkan di Indonesia. Kelihatannya memang sederhana, tetapi fakta di lapangan kerap kali tak sesederhana kelihatannya. Di luar itu, program ini tetaplah menjadi secercah harapan untuk keberlangsungan profesi petani di bumi pertiwi yang sering ‘dipandang sebelah mata’.
Penurunan minat bertani generasi muda disebabkan oleh berbagai faktor, satu di antaranya adalah alih fungsi lahan. Berdasarkan data dari Kementerian Pertanian pada tahun 2015, ditunjukkan bahwa dampak dari konversi lahan pertanian menjadi lahan perumahan adalah kehilangan sekitar 2 % rumah tangga petani setiap tahunnya. Mereka lebih memilih ‘berhijrah’ menjadi seorang pekerja pabrik, buruh bangunan, pedagang, dan lain sebagainya. Keuntungan profesi petani semakin sulit dicari jika lahan pertanian semakin ‘dilenyapkan’. Faktor lainnya yang juga ‘cukup’ berpengaruh dalam penurunan minat bertani generasi muda menurut Suyanto (2017) dalam tulisannya yang berjudul Krisis Regenerasi Petani Muda yaitu asumsi yang memandang profesi petani identik dengan kemiskinan, keterbelakangan, dan ketidaksejahteraan. Jika memang sudah seperti ini, maka program kenshuusei pertanian di Jepang diharapkan mampu mengubah persepsi ‘mengerikan’ tersebut sekaligus mampu menyiasati maraknya alih fungsi lahan.
Budaya Bertani di Jepang dan Harapan agar Dapat Diadopsi di Indonesia
Para kenshuusei yang telah diberangkatkan ke Jepang untuk belajar ihwal pertanian akan dihadapkan dengan bahasa dan budaya ‘baru’. Komunikasi sehari-hari yang tidak lagi menggunakan bahasa Jawa, Sunda, dll dan beralih menggunakan bahasa Jepang akan menjadi langkah awal adaptasi mereka di Negeri Sakura. Selain bahasa, kondisi cuaca dan penggunaan alat-alat pertanian di Jepang ̶ yang notabenenya berbeda dengan di Indonesia ̶ juga menjadi PR untuk para kenshuusei. Dari pelbagai kisah pemagangan inilah, diperoleh budaya-budaya bertani di Jepang yang dapat diaplikasikan oleh para kenshuusei ketika kembali ke tanah air mereka. Satu di antaranya adalah budaya disiplin terhadap waktu.
Kedisiplinan waktu di Jepang dirasakan oleh Nanang ̶ salah satu alumni kenshuusei pertanian tahun 1999 ̶ yang diceritakan Devi Riskianingrum (2018) dalam tulisannya yang berjudul Kisah-Kisah Transformasi Pengetahuan Alumni Magang Jepang dalam Perspektif Sejarah. Disebutkan oleh Nanang bahwa kehidupan di Jepang telah terjadwal dengan rapi, baik dalam urusan pekerjaan maupun kegiatan rutin harian. Misalnya saja, waktu bekerja di ladang dimulai pukul 7 pagi dan berakhir di pukul 5 sore. Selalu seperti itu, tidak boleh terlambat. Budaya ini agaknya perlu benar-benar diadopsi di Indonesia yang konon jam yang berlaku di Indonesia adalah ‘Jam Karet’. Artinya, jam atau waktu yang bisa dimajukan atau dimundurkan sesuka hati. Ketika sebuah kegiatan telah dijadwalkan pukul 09.00, maka telah menjadi rahasia umum bahwa peserta akan berkumpul pada pukul 10.00. Hebatnya lagi, budaya seperti ini telah dianggap biasa. Luar biasa, bukan?
Tak hanya ihwal kedisiplinan waktu, Devi Riskianingrum juga menceritakan tentang konsep “bertani mulai dari pasar” dari salah satu alumni kenshuusei pertanian tahun 1987 asal Lembang yang bernama Ishak. Selama 8 bulan di Jepang, Ishak memperoleh sebuah pemahaman baru bahwa tanaman yang diolah petani di Jepang ditanam berdasarkan kebutuhan pasar. Konsep semacam ini bertujuan untuk menghindari overproduksi. Lalu, apa keuntungan dari ketiadaan overproduksi? Logika sederhananya seperti ini: jika produksi tanaman terlalu banyak alias over, maka harga komoditas tanaman tersebut menjadi rendah (karena stok teralu berlimpah) dan hal ini tentu saja merugikan petani. Penggunaan konsep “bertani mulai dari pasar” akan lebih memberikan janji keberlangsungan pertanian dengan keuntungan yang lebih baik. Pemahaman seperti inilah yang tidak ditemui oleh Ishak ketika berada di Lembang, sebab sang ayah dengan lahan seluas lima hektare selalu menanam komoditas yang sama, yakni kentang dan jagung sebab tidak berani mengambil risiko. 
Budaya Jepang selanjutnya yang tidak kalah penting dari yang telah disebutkan adalah pengetahuan tentang kepemilikan lahan. Budaya ini masih berdasarkan kisah pengalaman magang dari Ishak. Orang tua ‘angkat’ Ishak selama di Jepang ̶ dalam hal ini biasanya disebut dengan istilah Otosan ̶ sering mengingatkan Ishak bahwa lahan adalah kehidupan bagi seorang petani, sehingga harus dijaga kelestariannya. Pemahaman seperti ini justru berbanding terbalik dengan pemahaman yang beredar di masyarakat Indonesia, yakni kecenderungan lahan yang semakin menyempit karena dibagi-bagikan kepada anak-cucu sebagai bentuk warisan. Memang benar warisan harus dibagikan kepada ahli waris, tetapi pembagian warisan tidak harus dengan cara mempersempit lahan. Satu di antara cara membagi warisan tanpa mengurangi luas lahan adalah membagi hasil bumi atas lahan tersebut, sehingga lahan tetap terjaga kelestariannya alias tidak hilang dan ‘bermutasi’ menjadi nominal angka-angka yang kerap dipanggil dengan sebutan ‘uang’. 
Sebuah Harapan di Akhir Tulisan
Adopsi pengetahuan dari Jepang untuk diaplikasikan di bumi pertiwi memang dinanti oleh keluarga dan masyarakat, tetapi dalam praktiknya hal itu tidak semudah menjektikkan jari. Perbedaan sudut pandang antara petani modern dan petani konvensional kerap kali menimbulkan konflik berkepanjangan yang ujung-ujungnya membuat para alumni kenshuusei pertanian menyerah dan patah semangat. Peran pemerintah dibutuhkan untuk mengatasi masalah ini lewat penyuluhan informasi dari desa ke desa bahwa ‘pengetahuan baru’ yang dibawa alumni kenshuusei tidak bertujuan untuk menggilas budaya bertani yang telah diwariskan secara turun-temurun, tetapi justru untuk mengukuhkan eksistensi tradisi bertani agar mampu bersaing dengan zaman yang semakin modern ini. Standard seleksi calon peserta kenshuusei juga perlu dievaluasi secara berkala agar peserta magang pertanian ke Jepang benar-benar tepat sasaran, bukan hanya sekadar peserta yang ingin mendapatkan uang saku ̶ yang memang cukup besar ̶ . 
Akhir kata, semoga program kenshuusei pertanian di Jepang ini tetap berlangsung secara konsisten dan menjaga keberlangsungan profesi bertani di bumi pertiwi ini. Dengan berbagai hal yang masih perlu dievaluasi, program ini tetaplah menjadi secercah harapan untuk keberlangsungan profesi petani di bumi pertiwi yang sering ‘dipandang sebelah mata’.
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Mengadopsi Budaya Bertani di Jepang

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Petani memegang peran penting dalam mengelola tanah untuk menumbuhkan dan memelihara tanaman, baik untuk keperluan sendiri maupun komersial.
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Kabupaten Wonogiri di Provinsi Jawa Tengah merupakan wilayah yang dikenal dengan aktivitas pertaniannya. Dengan 53,82% dari total wilayahnya, atau setara dengan 98.082 hektar, digunakan sebagai lahan pertanian, potensi untuk mengembangkan sektor pertanian di sana sangat besar. Namun, ironisnya, banyak petani di sana yang belum merasakan kesejahteraan.
Salah satu contoh nyata adalah Bapak Agus Budianto, warga Desa Kedungombo, Kecamatan Baturetno. Meskipun memiliki lahan pertanian yang luas dan pendidikan formal di bidang pertanian, kesejahteraannya belum terjamin. Kondisi ini menunjukkan bahwa luas lahan bukan satu-satunya faktor yang menentukan kesejahteraan petani.
Beberapa tantangan yang dihadapi petani di Wonogiri adalah kurangnya diversifikasi komoditas, ketersediaan pupuk yang terbatas dan mahal, serta alih fungsi lahan pertanian menjadi lahan industri. Kondisi ini mendorong masyarakat memilih bekerja di pabrik ketimbang bertani.
Meningkatkan kapasitas petani, khususnya dalam pengelolaan jagung dan padi di Wonogiri, menjadi hal yang mendesak. Dukungan dari sektor-sektor terkait juga perlu ditingkatkan agar pertanian di Wonogiri dapat berkembang dan petani merasakan kesejahteraannya.
Kesejahteraan petani mempengaruhi ketersediaan pangan kita. Dalam era yang penuh dengan ketidakpastian, pendekatan inovatif berdasarkan pengalaman petani, didukung oleh penelitian ilmiah, sangat dibutuhkan. Pemberdayaan melalui inovasi membuka peluang bagi petani untuk memiliki lebih banyak pilihan dan kemampuan untuk memanfaatkan peluang tersebut.
Mendorong kesejahteraan petani adalah investasi bagi sistem pangan yang lebih baik. Dalam konteks ini, Tay Juhana Foundation telah berupaya untuk berinovasi dalam meningkatkan produktivitas yang berkontribusi pada kesejahteraan petani. Salah satunya adalah kolaborasi dengan Blue Forests (BF) yang memiliki inisiatif <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/id/ruang-kerja/program/pemberdayaan-petani/">Coastal Farmer School (CFS)</a> untuk membantu petani mengatasi tantangan yang dihadapinya.
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<figure id="attachment_226881" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-226881" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/5-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-226881" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/5-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1440" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/5-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/5-300x169.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/5-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/5-768x432.jpg 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/5-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/5-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-226881" class="wp-caption-text">Coastal Field Schools (CFS) in multiple villages in Demak © Blue Forest Foundation</figcaption></figure>
Dari hasil kerjasama ini, diketahui bahwa CFS telah meningkatkan kapabilitas petani dalam menghadapi dampak perubahan iklim, khususnya di kawasan pesisir. Tay Juhana Foundation yakin bahwa dengan mengadopsi praktik pertanian berkelanjutan di lahan suboptimal, kita dapat mencapai ketahanan pangan global dengan mempertimbangkan aspek lingkungan, sosial, dan ekonomi. Untuk mewujudkannya, TJF aktif menyebarluaskan pengetahuan dan teknologi mereka kepada masyarakat luas.

Membangun Kesejahteraan Petani Melalui Inovasi dan Pemberdayaan

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Indragiri Hilir atau Inhil, merupakan kabupaten di Provinsi Riau yang terletak di wilayah pesisir timur Pulau Sumatra.
Inhil di kenal sebagai produsen kelapa, berkontribusi terhadap 10 persen produksi kelapa Indonesia. Terdapat dua perusahaan pengolahan kelapa yang besar, yaitu PT Pulau Sambu Guntung terletak di Kecamatan Kateman dan PT Riau Sakti United Plantations di Kecamatan Pulau Burung, telah memberi andil sangat besar dalam pembangunan kawasan Inhil. Corak utama mata pencaharian masyarakat sekitar, 50 (lima puluh) persen memiliki kebun kelapa. Sisanya ada yang berdagang, nelayan, kuli bangunan, buruh pabrik, karyawan bank, dan ASN.
Sebagaimana, kata falsafah jawa; “Sadhumuk Bhatuk Sanyari Bumi Di Tohi Pati.” Bahwasanya, persoalan tanah tidak bisa dipisahkan dari kehidupan masyarakat petani. Sebagai, lumbung pangan cakrawala sebuah kampung, wilayah maupun cakupannya lebih luas yaitu daerah maupun suatu negara dalam siklus ekonomi global. Secara geografis dua pabrik besar pengolahan kelapa dan perkebunan kelapa masyarakat memiliki spesifikasi wilayah daratannya tersebar lahan gambut sangat luas. Sedangkan, di pesisir pantainya di dominasi oleh tanah liat Pantai (marine clay). Kedua jenis tanah tersebut menjadi lokasi penanaman kelapa dan mempunyai tantangan dalam pengelolaannya.
Pertama, lahan gambut cukup mudah bagi masyarakat untuk di tanami pohon kelapa. Akan tetapi, kelemahannya kulit ari yang berfungsi untuk menghasil minyak kurang unggul. Efek, dari pada isi kelapa kurang tebal (tipis). Sehingga, berdampak hasil santan yang di hasilkan lebih sedikit jika di produksi. Ketahanan umur pohonnya bisa di prediksikan berkisar 25 tahun atau bisa kurang dari itu. Dampaknya, sangat sering masyarakat sekitar menanami kembali bibit maupun benih pohon kelapa yang baru. Namun, karena letak geografisnya di daratan. Jarak, yang begitu jauh dari jangkauan air laut. Sehingga, pohon kelapa tersebut tidak gampang kering maupun mati. Hal ini karena di wilayah Kecamatan Kateman dan Pulau Burung di atas berada di pesisir, sewaktu-waktu di musim tertentu akan mengalami banjir rob pasang air dalam.
Kedua, tanah liat bisa menghasilkan minyak lebih unggul, isi kelapa tebal sehingga berdampak hasil santan yang di hasilkan lebih banyak jika di produksi. Sebagaimana, telah di paparkan di atas ketika di musim kemarau tanah liat juga mengalami kekeringan dengan intensitas tinggi daripada lahan gambut. Selain itu, keunggulan tanah liat apabila di tanami dengan intensitas air yang seimbang tidak di banjiri air asin. Maka, bisa di prediksi ketahanan umur pohonnya 60 tahun atau bisa lebih dari itu. Efeknya, punggung pohonnya tidak mengalami ketinggian. Sehingga, berdampak pohon kelapa tersebut tidak gampang tumbang di tiup angin kencang maupun mati akibat di aliri air asin.
Pengelolaan kebun kelapa untuk mengatasi hal tersebut, beberapa cara dilakukan oleh petani. Hal utama yang dilakukan adalah pemberian pupuk tanaman secara berkala kepada pohon kelapa. Misalnya, bisa menggunakan pupuk organik maupun pupuk sintetis seperti pupuk terusi (CuS04) dan urea.  Lahan gambut dan tanah liat wajib senantiasa bersih dari tumbuh-tumbuhan lainnnya. Mengingat, bila keadaannya di biarkan menjadi semak-belukar. Maka, itu akan mengurangi pertumbuhan pohon kelapa tersebut untuk berkembang dan lain sebagainya.
Hal terakhir dan terpenting adalah menjaga irigasi lahan agar selalu mengalami keseimbangan air. Tanpa, mengalami kekeringan di musim kemarau maupun kebanjiran di musim hujan datang. Serta, menyediakan tanggul atau tembok perkebunan agar lahan maupun tanah yang di tanami pohon kelapa tidak mengalami kebanjiran ketika di musim air pasang besar datang.
<figure id="attachment_228010" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-228010" style="width: 736px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/IMG-20230918-WA0040.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-228010" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/IMG-20230918-WA0040.jpeg" alt="" width="736" height="733" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/IMG-20230918-WA0040.jpeg 736w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/IMG-20230918-WA0040-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/IMG-20230918-WA0040-150x150.jpeg 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 736px) 100vw, 736px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-228010" class="wp-caption-text">Ilustrasi lahan gambut dan tanah liat bisa di tanami oleh tanaman lain seperti; buah-buahan, sayur-sayuran dan lain-lain. Foto : Dok. Pribadi Penulis</figcaption></figure>
Selain kelapa sebagai komoditas utama di Inhil, petani menanam jenis komoditas lain tidak hanya pohon kelapa.  Singkatnya, juga bisa menjadi lumbung pertanian lainnya dengan tidak mengesampingkan terus menjaga keseimbangan alam di dalamnya. Menjaga lahan maupun tanah agar tidak terbakar. Serta, merawat kekayaan hewani daratan maupun lautan agar terus terjaga ruang hidupnya.
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Artikel ini pernah diterbitkan di <a href="https://www.inhilklik.com/news/detail/42354/manajemen-pertanian-kelapa-di-indragiri-hilir-untuk-ketahanan-pangan-indonesia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Inhil Klik</a>

Manajemen Pertanian Kelapa di Indragiri Hilir untuk Ketahanan Pangan Indonesia

<h3></h3>
<h3></h3>
<h4>Why do we need to look at suboptimal lands?</h4>
Indonesia’s population has increased by <a href="https://www.bps.go.id/publication/download.html?nrbvfeve=MjEzOTk1Yzg4MTQyOGZlZjIwYTE4MjI2&amp;xzmn=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnBzLmdvLmlkL3B1YmxpY2F0aW9uLzIwMjEvMDEvMjEvMjEzOTk1Yzg4MTQyOGZlZjIwYTE4MjI2L3BvdHJldC1zZW5zdXMtcGVuZHVkdWstMjAyMC1tZW51anUtc2F0dS1kYXRhLWtlcGVuZHVkdWthbi1pbmRvbmVzaWEuaHRtbA%3D%3D&amp;twoadfnoarfeauf=MjAyMS0xMC0wNiAyMDoyNDo1Nw%3D%3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">32.56 million people</a> over a decade with an average population growth rate of 3.26% per year. The increasing human population creates a predicament regarding the availability of land because the existing lands must be utilized for the increasing housing needs. Meanwhile, lands are also vital for food needs and agricultural development.
Indonesia is experiencing a speed <a href="https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/An_Introduction_to_Sustainable_Agriculture_Practice_on_Suboptimal_Land/13364690" target="_blank" rel="noopener">loss of agricultural land</a> around 140,000 – 187,000 hectares per year, due to the increase in residential and industrial areas. The gap between food demand, food production, and land availability need to be resolved.
There is a hope to create new agricultural lands from such areas which people rarely glimpse, namely the suboptimal land. Suboptimal land, often known as <a href="https://uho.ac.id/prodi/ilmutanah/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/05/PERAN-ILMU-TANAH-DALAM-PENGELOLAAN-LAHAN-TERDEGRADASI-DI-WILAYAH-PEDESAAN-DAN-PULAU-PULAU-KECIL-UNTUK-MENDUKUNG-SISTEM-PERTANIAN-BERKELANJUTAN.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">marginal land</a> or idle land, is low-quality land that lacks economic value and refers to land that is not used due to poor natural conditions, but is capable of producing crops, including agricultural production.
<h4>Characteristics of suboptimal land and its potential</h4>
Suboptimal land is rarely used as land for agriculture because it is considered to have<a href="https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/An_Introduction_to_Sustainable_Agriculture_Practice_on_Suboptimal_Land/13364690" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> low productivity</a> – it is often infertile, marginal, low potential, poor in resources, degraded and difficult to cultivate for productive agricultural land.
However, limited and decreasing fertile land forces us to develop innovations in meeting future food needs by utilizing suboptimal land. Around <a href="http://ejurnal.litbang.pertanian.go.id/index.php/jsl/article/view/6429/5724" target="_blank" rel="noopener">157.2 million ha of land</a> in Indonesia is suboptimal, consisting of 123.1 million ha of dry land and 34.1 million ha of wetlands, including peatlands.
The sustainable use of abandoned or degraded land can be a solution to secure food supplies. This is because the harvest produced on suboptimal land will increase the availability and accessibility of food, especially for the surrounding area.
<h4>The answer to local and global food security</h4>
Imagine if population growth is not balanced with an increase in food supply due to limited land availability. A country with too much dependence on imports to meet its food needs might disrupt its stability.
The solution to this problem is by utilizing suboptimal land. Suboptimal land can strengthen the construction of <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/id/resources/suboptimal-land-series-part-3-sustainable-use-of-peatland-to-improve-locally-sourced-food-production/">local food barns</a> – which can overcome three main issues: inequality in food production centers, long and ineffective food distribution, and farmers’ welfare. In addition, local food barns can meet food security in an unexpected disaster such as the current pandemic.
Strengthening the use of these marginal lands which are accessible to locals to produce food commodity production can increase the availability, consumption, and sales of food commodities and help improve community nutrition.
To maintain food security by making use of suboptimal land, we can apply “think globally, act locally” to picture broadly and take action locally adapted to regional conditions.
Thinking globally is important when the market cannot adequately serve the (global) community’s food needs due to the interruption of physical access caused by disaster or disruption of economic access due to price spikes, or like during this pandemic. Then, we can take action locally by increasing local food productivity by utilizing suboptimal land used as gardens or fields as an alternative that is always ready to be harvested.
<h4>Turning suboptimal land into food productive</h4>
Several studies have identified effective ways to convert suboptimal land into productive lands, such as the suitability of wetlands for growing chilies and rubber corn intercropping. At the same time, agriculture on dry land is suitable for rainfed crops that depend on rainfall.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/id/resources/suboptimal-land-series-part-3-sustainable-use-of-peatland-to-improve-locally-sourced-food-production/">Agriculture on suboptimal land</a> can be done well by paying attention to suitable soil characteristics, effective water management, and appropriate planting methods to optimally produce various commodities, including secondary crops, vegetables, and fruits.
With the support of knowledge and technology, we can experiment on which method is the most effective for <a href="https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Can_We_Practice_Sustainable_Agriculture_on_Suboptimal_Land_/13364789" target="_blank" rel="noopener">regulating the land</a>. We can combine traditional techniques and modern technology in overcoming agricultural constraints on suboptimal land.
<h4>Sustainable use of suboptimal land for food security</h4>
The success of suboptimal land in agricultural development can be seen in farm practices in South Sumatra Province. Around 15% or 1.4 million ha of land in South Sumatra Province are dominated by <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/id/resources/inland-swamp-agriculture-opportunities-and-challenges/">swamp and peatland</a>, and 89.7% of the wetlands are plant rice, accounting for 73.7% of the total harvested area. Wetland cultivation has contributed to local food security by delivering the expected results and sustainability.
As an alternative to economic revitalization and meeting the community’s food needs, farmers in South Sumatra also use <a href="https://brg.go.id/metode-bertani-di-lahan-gambut-adalah-bertani-tanpa-membakar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">peatlands</a> to cultivate secondary crops and horticulture such as rice, corn, cassava, beans, and various other vegetables. Plantation practices on peatlands are carried out in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner.
Therefore, the suboptimal land has <a href="https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/134598-EN-improvement-of-suboptimal-land-productiv.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">potency</a> significant to be used as a strategic choice for developing agricultural production areas in the future and as a source of supporting national food security. Especially to compensate for the shrinking of arable land and increased production for food security and agribusiness development.
Turning suboptimal land into fertile land does <a href="https://www.weadapt.org/knowledge-base/climate-food-security-and-agriculture/sustainable-agriculture-practice-on-suboptimal-land" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not mean</a> compromising other ecosystems. Further and continuous analysis is needed to identify what kind of agricultural practices are sustainable, taking humans and the environment into account.

Can Unconventional Land be the Hope to Support Our Food Security?

Sunday, October 16th, 2022 &#8211; Tay Juhana Foundation (TJF) held the final event of #tellyoutstory 2.0, &#8220;Take Your Action, Be Our Hero,&#8221; an annual event organized by TJF to commemorate World Food Day on Sunday, 16th of October 2022. With the theme of &#8220;Secure Our Food from Crisis,&#8221; this event aimed to invite Indonesian youth to share their stories about the food crisis through audiovisual forms. This year, we had our friend as a collaborator,  Niskala Studio, supported by Yayasan Emas Hitam Indonesia, Pongo Ranger Community, ISEC Indonesia, and AIESEC in Hasanuddin University.
The event was opened with remarks from Prema Ananda, a Co-Founder of Niskala Studio. Prema congratulated all the finalists and believed this event could give more knowledge and experience to the participants in campaigning the food issues through audiovisuals. 
The event then continued with the screening of the documentary film &#8220;Sumber Makmur&#8221; and a short talk show with the movie&#8217;s director and cinematographer, Medy Mahasena. This 17:38 minute-long documentary film told the story of urban farming carried out by Banjar residents in the suburbs of Denpasar since March 2020. The pandemic has impacted nearly all aspects and areas, including food sources in Banjar. Still, they took action to turn the abandoned land into an organic vegetable garden. 
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/sumber-makmur.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-227767" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/sumber-makmur-1024x464.png" alt="" width="1024" height="464" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/sumber-makmur-1024x464.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/sumber-makmur-300x136.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/sumber-makmur-768x348.png 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/sumber-makmur.png 1364w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
The film, set in Denpasar, Bali, took 3-6 months to complete. Medy shared his story in the process of making the film that could not be separated from several obstacles such as weather and other things that happened unexpectedly. For Medy, working on this film was a memorable experience. Medy Mahasena added that the documentary &#8220;Sumber Makmur&#8221; wanted to convey that we, as an urban society, can safeguard our food security with small and simple steps. He hoped this documentary could inspire people to build many other simple movements to maintain food security.
The talk show was also filled with an interactive session with the participants. Participants delivered their views and messages captured through the documentary and shared their experiences in making campaign videos. In this session, Medy shared various tips related to technical matters in making a documentary film with participants. Medy believed that all the knowledge from this Event could be helpful for the participants and the movement of campaigning against the food crisis would continue even after the event ended.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-97.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-227769" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-97-1024x403.png" alt="" width="1024" height="403" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-97-1024x403.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-97-300x118.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-97-768x302.png 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-97-1536x604.png 1536w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-97.png 1826w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
The event then closed with the announcement of the Tell Your Story video competition&#8217;s 1st &amp; 2nd place winners; they were Shafa Fakhira in first place and Aslin Ovita D in second place. TJF also provided a favorite winner, who will be announced a week afterwards.

#tellyourstory 2.0 Final Event:  They Took Their Action to Secure Our Food from Crisis!

A food crisis is not a new issue. Food has been an inevitable primary need for people. Various things that happen, whether climate change or economic change, can threaten our need for food sources. Therefore, this crisis is an issue that we have to tackle together.
This is the topic that was also delivered by Yahya Shafiyuddin in event of #tellyourstory 2022 with the theme “Secure Our Food from Crisis”, a Workshop by Tay Juhana Foundation to invite youths to contribute to voice out food crisis issue. Yahya is a Food System &amp; Sustainability Researcher at Tay Juhana Foundation who is currently pursuing his doctoral study at the Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Science.
The workshop which was held on Saturday, October 1st, 2022, invited 3 speakers to deliver different perspectives in packing audio-visual educative content about the food crisis issue. In the workshop, Yahya mainly explained the world food crisis, the factors, and the solutions that we can do together.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/yahyatysq.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-227761" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/yahyatysq-1024x492.png" alt="" width="1024" height="492" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/yahyatysq-1024x492.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/yahyatysq-300x144.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/yahyatysq-768x369.png 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/yahyatysq-1536x737.png 1536w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/yahyatysq-2048x983.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Yahya explained that the food which we can easily access perhaps will be harder to get or even disappear. This could happen because of several factors, such as climate change, natural disasters, or world economic change that impact export policy from one country to another. In another part of the world, hunger has even been happening and could possibly increase or spread to another part of the world. Yahya also mentioned some cases of food crises in the world, such as in Somalia and Pakistan. This thing sure is a big threat to our food needs and humanity.
But, behind the threatening food crisis, surely there is a solution that we can do.
Yahya was quoting Ir. Jaka Widada, M.P., Ph.D., a professor of Universitas Gadjah Mada said, 
“The symptoms that cause food crises, especially in Indonesia, should be watched out for. Therefore, efforts are needed to develop varieties that are adaptive to extreme weather, produce fertilizers at affordable prices and are environmentally friendly, and avoid wasteful behavior. In addition, it is important to focus on the regeneration of farmers. With the Internet of Things (IoT), farming can become a lucrative profession for future generations.”
Yahya then explained that there is still hope for the threat of a food crisis if we can find alternatives and change our consumption patterns.
In fact, one out of three food produced by humans is lost or wasted in the process. This could happen due to poor storage facilities, lack of access to technology and markets, poor diet, and overbuying habits. Therefore, improvements must be made by two parties, both producers and consumers.
From the producer side, producers can plan production according to market demand, improve technology, market innovation, and carry out better food packaging. Meanwhile, consumers must also use and store leftovers properly, plan food menus with portions that suit their needs, and have a new perception of food so that there is no excessive consumption pattern.
At the end of his presentation, Yahya closed it with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi &#8220;There&#8217;s enough on this planet for everyone&#8217;s need but not for everyone&#8217;s greed.&#8221; This again emphasized a message that by caring for each other and being aware of our food consumption and production needs, it is very possible to overcome the current and potential food crisis.

Tell Your Story 2022 Workshop Session: A Brief Story of World&#8217;s Food Crisis

TJF celebrates World Food Day 2022 by collaborating to share stories through a media campaign we call #tellyourstory 2.0 with the theme of &#8220;Securing Our Food from Crisis.&#8221;
After we got the 5 finalists who proposed their unique idea about food security, they were directed to the workshop titled  “Campaign for secure our food from a crisis using video from your phone&#8221; held on Saturday morning on the 1st of October 2022.
This Workshop has 3 sessions with 3 different speakers and backgrounds who will guide the finalists to understand more about food security, specifically, to gain awareness about the food crisis.
The session opened with the presentation of one of TJF&#8217;s researchers, Yahya Hilmi, addressing how nowadays world food conditions and how we as a global society and food consumers can prevent food crises that threaten us.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-227741" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-90-1024x487.png" alt="" width="1024" height="487" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-90-1024x487.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-90-300x143.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-90-768x366.png 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-90-1536x731.png 1536w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-90-2048x975.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />TJF Researcher, Yahya Hilmi talked about Nowadays Food Condition
Jump to the next session, we meet with Kadek Suardika, a farmer from Bali who shares his perspective about the food crisis from the side of a food producer who has a mission to develop local food security in his neighborhood. The storytelling session from Kadek has approached the finalist heart because of his passion and impactful sustainable farming.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/kadek.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-227747" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/kadek-1024x541.png" alt="" width="1024" height="541" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/kadek-1024x541.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/kadek-300x159.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/kadek-768x406.png 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/kadek-1536x812.png 1536w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/kadek-2048x1082.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>Kadek Suardika shared about his farming experience
The two sessions were very engaging, but we should take a break before moving to the last session. TJF committee preparing the warming-up games for the finalist: &#8220;If you can wrap up your week as a food name, what would it be?&#8221;. Not only the finalist but the third speaker who is already on the stage also gets involved to answer this warming-up game. The atmosphere gets warmer with the laughter of the forum member during this session.
After getting open to each other in the warming-up games session, we move to the more technical session by Niskala Studio who sharing about their experience in producing documentary videos. Wayan Martino and Medy Mahasena explanation about the process of making a video, starting from pre-production, production, and post-production was very detailed and triggered the finalist&#8217;s enthusiasm till the end of the presentation. This session had much feedback from the finalists because they are curious about the preparation they made to produce the video as the result of this workshop and competition.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-227749" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-179-1024x576.png" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-179-1024x576.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-179-300x169.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-179-768x432.png 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-179.png 1366w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Niskala Studio Session
The session was wrapped up by the moderator with a reflection session where each finalist can share what they feel and what they get from this workshop. It&#8217;s already lunchtime (13.00 WIB) when the moderator closes the forum and encourages the finalists to prepare for the next phase of this series of events: Ideation Week (6-12 October 2022). We can&#8217;t wait to see the story about food security that will be made by our amazing finalist.

Bring Food Security to Video Documentaries: a Workshop as a part of #tellyourstory 2022

Tentang #TellYourStory
Q: Apa itu #tellyourstory?
A: Sebuah acara tahunan yang diselenggarakan oleh Tay Juhana Foundation yang diselenggarakan untuk memperingati hari pangan dunia. Tema #tellyourstory di tahun ini adalah “Secure Our Food from Crisis”. 
&nbsp;
Q: Apa saja agenda #tellyourstory tahun ini?
A: Workshop dan kompetisi yang akan menghasilkan output berupa video dokumenter sesuai dengan tema yaitu “Secure Our Food from Crisis”. 
&nbsp;
Tentang Pendaftaran
Q: Apakah saya bisa mendaftarkan diri secara individu? 
A: Tentu bisa.
&nbsp;
Q: Bagaimana cara untuk menjadi peserta workshop dan kompetisi video?
A: Calon peserta hanya perlu mengisi formulir yg terlampir di<a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZYfXycoa33jZCnSQxe1OgveE8dnOtljT" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> guideline</a> (tanpa mengirim video di awal pendaftaran). 
&nbsp;
Q: Apakah semua calon peserta yang sudah mengisi formulir akan mengikuti rangkaian workshop dan kompetisi?
A: Sayangnya tidak. Dari seluruh calon peserta yang telah mengirim formulir. Panitia akan menyeleksi kembali berdasarkan jawaban peserta sehingga akan terpilih sebanyak 5-7 individu/tim yang akan mengikuti rangkaian workshop dan kompetisi (yang nantinya disebut sebagai finalis).
&nbsp;
Q: Apa saja penilaian yang dilihat oleh panitia agar saya bisa terpilih menjadi finalis?
A: Penilaian akan dilihat berdasarkan jawabanmu dalam mengisi pertanyaan berbentuk esai mengenai pandanganmu soal food security, food crisis, serta video apa yang ingin kamu buat saat mengikuti workshop dan kompetisi. 
&nbsp;
Q: Kapan pengumuman finalis terpilih?
A: Finalis terpilih akan diumumkan pada tanggal 29 September 2022.
&nbsp;
Q: Jadi saya hanya perlu mengirim ide tentang video yang akan saya buat mengenai tema (food crisis) saja?
A: Benar.
&nbsp;
Q: Bentuk video seperti apa yang diharapkan oleh panitia? Apakah bebas?
A: Output video yang diharapkan dari event ini adalah video pendek berbentuk dokumenter. Peserta diharapkan dapat mengembangkan ide sesuai dengan bentuk video tersebut.
&nbsp;
Tentang Workshop dan Kompetisi
Q: Setelah menjadi finalis, apakah peserta langsung diarahkan untuk membuat video dokumenter?
A: Benar. Para finalis akan mengikuti rangkaian webinar terlebih dahulu agar lebih mendalami isu mengenai food security dan food crisis, kemudian peserta akan mendapatkan fasilitator yang bisa mengarahkan setiap finalis untuk membuat video dokumenter.
&nbsp;
Q: Apakah video dokumenter yang dibuat perlu memakai kamera khusus?
A: Tidak. Dalam event ini, panitia ingin mengajak peserta untuk membuat video dokumenter dengan memanfaatkan kamera handphone.
&nbsp;
Q: Apakah maksud Ideation Week?
A: Ideation week adalah kegiatan dimana setiap finalis akan diberikan waktu untuk mengeksekusi ide-idenya ke dalam bentuk video. Dalam tahap ini, finalis akan mendapatkan pendampingan khusus oleh fasilitator yang berpengalaman dalam produksi video.
&nbsp;
Q: Apakah ada waktu khusus yang diperlukan finalis untuk menghadiri Ideation Week? Bagaimana jika finalis berhalangan hadir?
A: Tidak ada. Waktu mentoring akan dipilih berdasarkan kesepakatan finalis dan fasilitator. Namun, perlu dicatat dengan baik bahwa Ideation Week adalah kesempatan paling besar dimana para finalis dapat belajar banyak secara teknis mengenai pembuatan video yang menarik. Peserta diharapkan mampu manfaatkan waktu Ideation Week ini sebaik mungkin.
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Q: Apa peran fasilitator selama Ideation Week?
A: Fasilitator hanya berperan dalam mengarahkan finalis agar tetap membuat video sesuai tema: securing our food from crisis, serta memberikan arahan teknis yang dibutuhkan peserta (tips mengambil gambar, editing, dsb). Untuk segala proses teknis produksi video dari pra-produksi hingga pasca-produksi akan dilakukan oleh finalis itu sendiri. 
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Q: Bagaimana jika saya tidak bisa mengikuti rangkaian acara hingga akhir?
A: Finalis yang tidak dapat mengikuti acara hingga akhir akan didiskualifikasi dan tidak akan mendapatkan paket merch serta sertifikat finalis dari panitia.
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Q: Bagaimana jika saya tidak dapat menyelesaikan video sesuai waktu yang telah ditentukan?
A: Sebelum submit formulir, calon peserta diharapkan sudah memiliki pandangan mengenai video yang akan diproduksi dan mampu direalisasikan serta bagaimana cara untuk memproduksinya. Sehingga selama kegiatan Ideaton Week yang berlangsung selama 10 hari, peserta tinggal mengeksekusi ide video tersebut.
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Q: Apakah Juara 1-3 berbeda penilaiannya dengan juara favorit?
A: Betul. Juara 1-3 akan dinilai berdasarkan beberapa indikator yang telah ditentukan oleh dewan juri. Sedangkan juara favorit akan dinilai berdasarkan hasil engagement (like dan comment) saat masa publikasi video di sosial media.
&nbsp;
Q: Apakah satu finalis bisa mendapatkan dua predikat pemenang?
A: Tidak bisa. Juara favorit akan ditentukan setelah penentuan juara 1-3, sehingga tidak akan ada finalis yang mendapatkan dua predikat pemenang.
&nbsp;
Q: Apakah acara ini berbayar?
A: Tidak. Acara ini tidak berbayar alias gratis.
&nbsp;
Q: Baik. Saya mengerti. Bagaimana cara mendaftar?
A: Silahkan membaca <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DsnnYhFCuU_PS7DmYmynxhGA100ZXjUt/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">guideline di sini</a> untuk mengetahui detail acara workhsop &amp; kompetisi serta link pengisian formulir.
Kami tunggu partisipasimu!

FAQ #TellYourStory 2022

How to join this event?
Read <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DsnnYhFCuU_PS7DmYmynxhGA100ZXjUt/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Guideline here</a>
You can also read the <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/news/faq-tellyourstory-2022/">Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)</a> here (in Bahasa) to quickly find out what the most asked question is during the application period.
We are waiting for your participation. See you at the event!

Let&#8217;s Take Your Action and Be Our Hero by Joining #TellYourStory 2022

Artikel ini pernah diterbitkan di <a href="https://kmplhkranita.org/peran-lahan-gambut-dalam-memenuhi-kebutuhan-pangan-lokal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kmplhkranita.org</a>
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Apa itu lahan gambut? Secara teknis dapat diartikan sebagai bahan organik dari serasah tanaman yang terus mengendap dan tergenang di rawa atau cekungan air tawar. Situasi ini berlangsung selama ribuan tahun dan lambat laun serasah yang tidak terdekomposisi ini membentuk tanah gambut. Kondisi alaminya selalu basah dan lembab sehingga tidak mudah terbakar. Hal ini menjadikan gambut sebagai lahan suboptimal (kurang subur) karena selalu tergenang dan memiliki tingkat kemasaman yang tinggi. Tanahnya seperti spons dengan fungsi penting untuk menyimpan air serta menyerap karbon.
Lahan gambut hanya menyumbang 8% dari luas daratan Indonesia tetapi menyimpan biomassa lebih dari 30% dari seluruh hutannya, dan 9,4% karbon dari penyimpan karbon dunia. Meski demikian, ia memiliki ekosistem yang rapuh. Banyak gambut tropis yang dikeringkan agar lahannya bisa dijadikan perkebunan. Selama musim kemarau, sistem drainase yang buruk menghilangkan fungsi penyimpanan air yang menyebabkan tanah menjadi kering sehingga mudah terbakar. Oleh karena itu, banyak orang menghubungkan pemanfaatan lahan gambut dengan perusakan lahan dan kebakaran hutan besar-besaran.
Tidak dapat dipungkiri bahwa bercocok tanam di lahan mineral memiliki produktivitas yang lebih tinggi dan risiko yang lebih kecil dibandingkan dengan lahan gambut. Namun, dengan semakin berkurangnya lahan garapan dan meningkatnya pertumbuhan penduduk, tekanan untuk memenuhi kebutuhan pangan nasional tidak bisa hanya mengandalkan pertanian di lahan subur saja.
Lahan gambut telah digunakan untuk produksi pangan selama ratusan tahun. Sejak abad ke-18 suku Bugis dari Sulawesi Selatan, Suku Banjar dari Kalimantan Selatan, suku Dayak dari Kalimantan Tengah, dan Suku Melayu dari Provinsi Riau telah memanfaatkan lahan gambut secara tradisional untuk persawahan, perkebunan kelapa, dan perkebunan karet. Pemanfaatan lahan gambut secara tradisional cenderung lebih berkelanjutan karena petani hanya memanfaatkan sebagian kecil lahan yang dipengaruhi oleh pasang surut air sungai.
Di awal 1990-an, keberhasilan pertanian tradisional tersebut menginspirasi pemerintah untuk menginisiasi pembangunan pertanian skala besar di Kalimantan Tengah. Melalui Instruksi Presiden RI No. 82 Tahun 1995, pemerintah mulai mengkonversi satu juta hektar lahan gambut untuk pertanian yang dikenal dengan “Mega Rice Project (MRP)”. Namun proyek ini berakhir dengan kegagalan masif yang mengakibatkan kehancuran gambut, kebakaran, asap, dan emisi karbon terbesar sepanjang sejarah Indonesia.
Sejak saat itu, pertanian di lahan gambut banyak menuai kecaman. Ditambah dengan tekanan lembaga internasional seperti UNFCCC serta maraknya kebakaran hutan dan lahan. Akan tetapi bagaimana dengan jutaan warga yang tinggal di wilayah-wilayah yang didominasi lahan gambut? Ke manakah mereka harus menggantungkan sumber penghidupan serta kebutuhan pangannya? Penggunaan lahan gambut untuk pertanian dan perkebunan sepatutnya diperbolehkan dengan syarat-syarat tertentu agar tidak terjadi degradasi dan kebakaran.
Tentunya perlu diingat bahwa tidak semua lahan gambut cocok untuk pertanian. Di Indonesia sendiri dari 13,4 juta hektar, hanya sekitar 6 juta hektar yang dapat dijadikan area agrikultur. Pengelolaannya pun harus dengan perencanaan yang mendalam dan transparan agar tidak mengulangi kegagalan proyek sebelumnya. Ada banyak aspek yang diperlukan untuk memungkinkan praktik budidaya seperti kondisi lahan, sistem pengairan, pupuk, bibit adaptif, teknologi, dan investasi. Gambut dangkal dengan kedalaman kurang dari satu meter dapat ditanami berbagai komoditas seperti tanaman pangan (padi, jagung, ubi kayu, ubi jalar, dll), sayuran (cabai, terong, tomat, mentimun, kacang-kacangan, dll), dan tanaman perkebunan (kelapa, karet, sawit, kopi, sagu).
Upaya pemberdayaan pertanian di lahan gambut tanpa bakar telah dilakukan dari waktu ke waktu untuk membantu masyarakat lokal menghasilkan pangan sendiri. Dengan persiapan yang matang, praktik ini bisa menjadi salah satu solusi untuk mendukung produksi pangan. Sebagai contoh, usaha tani kedelai menunjukkan hasil yang menjanjikan di Kabupaten Mempawah dan Kubu Raya, Kalimantan Barat. Komoditas lain seperti buah naga, nanas, dan kemiri juga banyak ditanam di lahan gambut di Kabupaten Pulang Pisau dan Gunung Mas di Kalimantan Tengah. Selain itu, pertanian padi di lahan gambut dianggap sebagai alternatif utama untuk merehabilitasi lahan gambut yang terdegradasi dengan memastikan kelestarian lingkungannya.
Contoh lain dapat ditemukan di Kabupaten Indragiri Hilir, Provinsi Riau. Lahan gambut telah dimanfaatkan untuk industri kelapa selama lebih dari 30 tahun dengan penerapan “Trio Tata Air” atau TTA. Meskipun salah satu komponen TTA adalah jaringan kanal, fungsi utamanya adalah untuk mengatur suplai dan tinggi muka air, bukan untuk mengeringkan. Dengan jumlah air yang tepat, tanaman dapat bertumbuh sekaligus menjaga kelembaban tanah sehingga tidak terjadi kebakaran.
<figure id="attachment_227163" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-227163" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/DSCF8452-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-227163 size-large" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/DSCF8452-1024x1024.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="1024" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/DSCF8452-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/DSCF8452-300x300.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/DSCF8452-150x150.jpg 150w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/DSCF8452-768x768.jpg 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/DSCF8452-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/DSCF8452-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/DSCF8452-700x700.jpg 700w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-227163" class="wp-caption-text">Kanal pertanian kelapa di lahan gambut, Indragiri Hilir, Riau. Foto: TJF</figcaption></figure>
Pandemi COVID-19 telah menunjukkan kerentanan sistem pangan kita. Pembangunan sentra pangan lokal, termasuk di kawasan lahan gambut, dapat mengatasi tiga masalah utama: ketimpangan sentra produksi pangan, distribusi pangan yang panjang, dan kesejahteraan petani. Sebagai negara kepulauan, sebagian besar sentra produksi pangan dan distribusinya masih terkonsentrasi di Pulau Jawa. Distribusi pangan membutuhkan waktu lebih lama untuk menjangkau ribuan daerah lain di tanah air. Rantai pasok yang tidak efektif dapat menyebabkan kelebihan pasokan di satu area dan kekurangan di area lain.
Mengembangkan produksi pangan lokal akan meningkatkan lapangan kerja. Ini juga berarti memperpendek rantai pasokan makanan untuk memenuhi kebutuhan lokal. Pemerintah daerah dan masyarakat harus memperkuat swasembada pangan untuk meningkatkan ketahanan terhadap kejadian yang tidak terduga seperti bencana, epidemi, atau pun pengurangan impor pangan.

Peran Lahan Gambut dalam Memenuhi Kebutuhan Pangan Lokal

&#8220;The future of our nation depends on our ability to produce food and fiber to sustain the world.&#8221; – Phil Bredesen.
Have you ever thought about the origin of the food source on your lunch plate?
Well, you might think it was from the food cabinet or the fridge in your kitchen.
Let&#8217;s take a step backward; before you cook the ingredients from your kitchen altogether, where did you get your food materials? Some of you might buy them from the market, and the others might plant them themselves.
Whether you buy or plant the food materials, you might not realize that they come from a very unique kind of land.
Various types of land provide us with materials to eat, not only the fertile lands. It can be from unconventional kinds of lands; one of them is a peatland.
Peatlands are one of the most exposed suboptimal land types with uniqueness and the most misunderstood. Peat is basically defined as soil formed by organic matter from remains of dead and decaying plant material. Indonesia has a total area of around 14,8 million hectares, or approximately 3.5% of the global peatland area.
Knowing the vast number of peatlands in Indonesia, where so many lands are degraded and agricultural lands are decreasing, we need to work on the peatland, the land that is often forgotten.
This type of land can be optimized to provide us with many of our daily products, such as food, crafts, and make-up materials. They can significantly produce the foodstuffs that we consume every day. Many crops can be cultivated on peatlands, while it also becomes the source of livelihood for the surrounding community.
Sadly, not so many people know about it.
To commemorate World Peatlands Day on 2nd of June, 7 friends have helped us to promote the food materials they know can be cultivated on the peatland through TJF Challenge &#8220;Peatland to Our Plate.&#8221; They have published a food-making video that includes a minimum of one of the food ingredients or crops that are able to grow on peatlands. In the endeavor to familiarize peatland agriculture, this challenge has been an excellent start to reveal peatland&#8217;s contribution in serving the food on our plate.
7 participants sent the reel videos about cooking from vegetables/fruit grows from peatlands.
After joining the challenge…<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-227713 size-medium aligncenter" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased1-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased1-300x300.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased1-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased1-150x150.jpg 150w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased1-768x768.jpg 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased1-700x700.jpg 700w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased1.jpg 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a>The reason they joining the challenge…<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-227715 size-medium" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased-300x300.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased-150x150.jpg 150w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased-768x768.jpg 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased-700x700.jpg 700w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased.jpg 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a>TJF team has selected three most informative and creative videos: Akbar Fernando Ndabung who made a Daluman Ice from Coconut, Inti Putri Madinah cooked Sukabumi Teci/Ciwang from Sagoo and Brigita Felicity Nopilo made an Indonesian Grilled Carp with Candlenut.
Congratulations to the winners and all participants for your endeavor to campaign the food materials from peatland agriculture which could be a way for us to safeguard our food security!
What do they say about TJF Challenge…
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-227711" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased2-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="800" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased2-300x300.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased2-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased2-150x150.jpg 150w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased2-768x768.jpg 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased2-700x700.jpg 700w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Participants-knowledge-about-peatland-increased2.jpg 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></a>

Can We Feast from Peatland Agriculture? &#8211; TJF Challenge #PeatParty

Last year, we met Joni, a young farmer-to-be. Even though he grew up in the city, his heart was left in his village when everything was green. His fate has brought him back to his village to learn about agriculture as his parent&#8217;s last wish. At the end of the day, Joni has inspired people to help him grow food on his (suboptimal) land.
Today, on 2 February 2022, some friends just sent him a gift, it was a rolling camera film. It played back Joni&#8217;s memory when he learned about farming on the peatland for the first time. So he called his friends, and they replay their nostalgic pictures and retell their excitement on the journey to become farmers last year.
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<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/btc-2-80-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-227665" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/btc-2-80-1-1024x532.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="532" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/btc-2-80-1-1024x532.jpg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/btc-2-80-1-300x156.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/btc-2-80-1-768x399.jpg 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/btc-2-80-1.jpg 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
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To commemorate International Wetlands Day, TJF held an online event from 3 February until 9 February 2022, called the #bringthecaption challenge. As the theme for this year was &#8220;Wetlands Action for People and Nature,&#8221; we brought this challenge to encourage our friends to act, both for people and nature, through the story and campaign of a marvelous young farmer.
Four pictures from the camera film needed a story. This challenge was meant to encourage our friends to write the caption based on the images to sound their voice about wetlands action. Joni rewarded $10/150K OVO/Gopay vouchers for three friends, and here are the voices they wish to be heard by people:
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/winner-2-80-2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-227667 alignnone" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/winner-2-80-2.jpg" alt="" width="283" height="191" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/winner-2-80-2.jpg 734w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/winner-2-80-2-300x202.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 283px) 100vw, 283px" /></a> <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/winner-3-80-2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-227669 alignnone" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/winner-3-80-2.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="201" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/winner-3-80-2.jpg 782w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/winner-3-80-2-300x241.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/winner-3-80-2-768x618.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a> <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/winner-4-80-2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-227671 alignnone" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/winner-4-80-2.jpg" alt="" width="219" height="219" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/winner-4-80-2.jpg 739w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/winner-4-80-2-300x300.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/winner-4-80-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/winner-4-80-2-700x700.jpg 700w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 219px) 100vw, 219px" /></a>
We all do hope these narratives will be heard by the world to encourage people to take action for our wetlands and food security.
Stay tuned on TJF’s social media to keep you updated with exciting news and challenges!

Wetlands Day #bringthecaption Challenge: Retell the Nostalgic Pictures with Joni

On 13-17 December 2021, one of our staff, Ihsan, attended training on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). The European Union defines SEA as a systematic process for evaluating the environmental implications of a proposed policy, plan, or programme.
One of TJF mission is advocating sustainable agriculture to provide food continuously for humanity. SEA can help assist sustainable development on agricultural sector. Usually, using that Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) only on specific project, while SEA provide broad range on environmental analysis in regional or landscape level.
From avocation and policy, we clearly recommended prioritised programs and kept at a strategic level, avoiding temptation to analyse potential impacts of individual interventions in detail. We can offer a solution for climate resilient agriculture and low-carbon development.
Along with 40 other trainees from various institutions, we learnt step by step how to make SEA; even though it is on general knowledge because of time limitations. However, we received a lot of insight for sustainable development.
<figure id="attachment_227597" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-227597" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/21-12-2021-Artikel-KLHS-Ihsan-Figure-2.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-227597" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/21-12-2021-Artikel-KLHS-Ihsan-Figure-2-1024x528.png" alt="" width="1024" height="528" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/21-12-2021-Artikel-KLHS-Ihsan-Figure-2-1024x528.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/21-12-2021-Artikel-KLHS-Ihsan-Figure-2-300x155.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/21-12-2021-Artikel-KLHS-Ihsan-Figure-2-768x396.png 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/21-12-2021-Artikel-KLHS-Ihsan-Figure-2.png 1366w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-227597" class="wp-caption-text">Figure 2. The trainee on zoom meeting from various backgrounds and locations.</figcaption></figure>
Hence, with this newer knowledge and skill, it will help future research on TJF. And because SEA is strategic option and for long-term progress, analysis of environmental and socio-economic is important. We use ecosystem service approach for this case.

How Strategic Environmental Assessment Support Our Vision?

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<h6 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">Today, ‘you are what you eat’ means more.</h6>
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Not only do the food you choose to eat affect your health, they also drive Earth’s health. It has an impact on the way agri-food systems work. In this year’s World Food Day (WFD), we ask you to be our heroes, to take part in defining the path of a better agri-food system that provides better food for humanity.
You can be our agri-food heroes, by telling stories that making known of individual, group, idea, or work that can inspire us in addressing agri-food challenges. These stories can expose best practices to improve the system, leading to our capacity improvement to be more resilient and adaptive.
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<h4 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-large">Witness our final event</h4>
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After a month of extension for the preliminary round, we had chosen the six finalists for our #tellyourstory competition.
They were scored the highest in the three judging criteria of Voice and Power that gauge to what extent the audience can hear and feel the message to change the agri-food system; of Experience and Engagement that measure how the submission can help the audience feel connected and engaged; and of Inspire for Impact that observe the potential impact of the story to inspire the audience.
Watch the record of our final event below and unfold the winner together!
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1st winner: RANITA UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. A group of agents of change from UIN Jakarta who campaigns to young people to contribute to a better agri-food System. Representing youth, RANITA brings the idea on how agri-food systems can be enhanced in a traditional way by the collaboration of youth spirit and cultural heritage.
2nd winner: Habibie Fauzan. A vigorous student who tells the story about the agriculture powerups. Walking through the history on how technology has changed agriculture, Habibie believes in the potential offered by technology that enable human to bring betterment of agriculture.
3rd winner: Filly Muharani. An agri-food enthusiast who campaigns local food consumption as one of the methods to contribute to a better the agri-food system. Filly shows the vision of the development of rural areas through the enhancement of a better platform in purchasing local products.
Honorable Mention: Re-peat. This youth-led group provides a collective pushing for a peatland paradigm shift through collaboration, education, and a process of re-imagining. Their creative story involves our human senses to describe and relay how peat might ‘feel’ with all the things happened to them.
We feel very grateful to all who submitted their storytelling videos to us. You have taken the part in defining the path of a better agri-food system that provides better food for humanity.  In this age where agriculture and food system needs to be more robust yet adaptive, it is urgent to take action. This storytelling competition is a heartfelt campaign to celebrate farmers, scientist, and everyone who have worked to better food for humanity. A story can inspire and start a change, and it is everyone’s task to support.
This series of event is organized by Tay Juhana Foundation and is supported by Thought for Food.
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Finding Our Heroes in Improving the Agri-Food System

After a month of extension for the preliminary round, we have now proudly announced the six finalists for our #tellyourstory competition.
The chosen finalists were scored the highest in the three judging criteria of Voice and Power that gauge to what extent the audience can hear and feel the message to change the agri-food system; of Experience and Engagement that measure how the submission can help the audience feel connected and engaged; and of Inspire for Impact that observe the potential impact of the story to inspire the audience.
Congratulations to our finalists below, who will be presented in the final event of our Global Digital Storytelling Competition this weekend.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/wfdfinal-small.gif"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-227592" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/wfdfinal-small.gif" alt="" width="900" height="506" /></a>
Some festivities are prepared for our final event. While it is wholly a virtual one, the fun and impact are promised. Two key people will open the event to share their perspective on the importance of everyone’s role to bring betterment to the global agri-food system. Our awesome judging panel will be introduced before the start of the core event where we can watch together the submitted videos of all finalists. For the final, there will be a short Q&amp;A between the judging panel and finalists. 
While the judges discuss to decide the winners, everyone will watch a surprise performance by a youth community as our guest star. Afterward, we can then witness the winners announcement who will receive a total prize of 1000 US$.
Last but not least, we feel very grateful to all who submitted their storytelling videos to us. You have taken the part in defining the path of a better agri-food system that provides better food for humanity. You can continue to expose best practices to improve the system, leading to our capacity to be more resilient and adaptive, all through your stories. 
This is what we believe is our power, just like the slogan of ‘take your action, be our hero’. We have the capacity to change the world. Youths are the one who will direct the course of nations in coming years. In this age where agriculture and food system needs to be more robust yet adaptive, it is urgent to take action. Hopefully, the final of this competition can help you looking for inspiration in making impact.

Let’s Witness the Best Story to Inspire Agri-food System Improvement!

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that the agriculture sector is accounted for from <a href="https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs141p2_002437.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">10 to 12 percent</a> of anthropogenic global emissions. Indonesia, known as a maritime and agricultural country, also has a contribution to this emission especially on peatland agriculture. The practice was blamed for the source of high greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. 
However, it is debatable, some scientists believe the source of emission, others have found proof the agricultural sector also sequesters carbon in the atmosphere. Since 2020, Tay Juhana Foundation (TJF) has tried to provide scientific evidence about sustainable agricultural practices that low GHG emissions. To provide comprehensive results, we have collaborated with experts from IPB University. On 6 to 12 November 2021, TJF and the experts visited our study site on peatland coconut plantation in Pulau Burung District, Riau Province. 
On the first day, we employ discussion about initial research finding (figure 1). We found, the emission from peatland soil is same as in the mineral soil. What make it different is the vegetation, as productivity increase it will increase carbon emission from vegetation respiration. Not from soil oxidation of peat soil as we believe previously. 
The next following days, we visited carbon measurement sites. We conducted CO2 flux measurement for six month to measure actual emission from soil. From this expert visit, we obtained two scientific findings.
First, a stable water table level produces a balanced condition for coconut to optimal growth in peatland utilization. In other areas, high deviation of water table from dry and wet season damage the peat soil and lower productivity. Also the transition peat age, from intermediate to sapric (from organic decomposition to true form of soil) questions other experts about the peat oxidation source of emission; because sapric soil is already mature soil and dont have bacteria to initiate oxidation. so the key land management belongs to peatland water management.
Second, the weeding activities (removing unwanted plants below coconut canopy) is by manual (cutting the weed) and not using herbicide and fire. As a result, the decomposed material from weeds has become fertilizer material for coconut. and from the soil layer, it creates an organic layer above peat soil (figure 2).
<figure id="attachment_227603" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-227603" style="width: 768px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/14-12-2021-expert-visit-to-PB-Figure-2.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-227603" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/14-12-2021-expert-visit-to-PB-Figure-2-768x1024.jpeg" alt="" width="768" height="1024" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/14-12-2021-expert-visit-to-PB-Figure-2-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/14-12-2021-expert-visit-to-PB-Figure-2-225x300.jpeg 225w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/14-12-2021-expert-visit-to-PB-Figure-2-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/14-12-2021-expert-visit-to-PB-Figure-2.jpeg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-227603" class="wp-caption-text">Figure 2. The profil of the peat soil in research study. The black layer is organic layer from weed decomposition and become natural fertilizer to coconut.</figcaption></figure>

Exploring collaboration through expert visit to peatland’s study site

For two weeks, the world’s attention was directed toward Glasgow, UK, where the world leaders, scientists, and experts pledge to address humanity’s biggest challenge &#8211; the climate crisis. Amongst the many aspects we approach to have a better pathway in minimizing climate change impact, peatlands restoration and management became more relevant as ever. 
At the UNFCCC COP26, the Peatland Pavilion provides a platform to exchange knowledge and experience of action on peatland policy, practice, research and innovation. In this pavilion, we reflect the value of peatlands as carbon storage, hotspots for biodiversity and cultural value, along with their damaged state, as large sources of greenhouse gas emissions.
Throughout the two weeks, many organizations and individuals have shared their lessons-learned, concerns and opportunities on bringing betterment in peatlands restoration and management. Fortunately, it also includes youth, who are oftentimes being sidelined. One of the sessions was ‘Peatlands for the Present and Future: A Youth Call for Action’, a hybrid event organized by Re-Peat where TJF participated as panelists.
The session was carried out for around 100 minutes on 11 November 2021 which covers a performance piece of a peatland storytelling, a sensory experience (especially for those attending offline in Glasgow, a video showcase made by youth of peatlands around the world, and a panel discussion along with Q&amp;A from both offline and online audiences.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/WhatsApp-Image-2021-11-11-at-15.39.07-1.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-227551 size-large aligncenter" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/WhatsApp-Image-2021-11-11-at-15.39.07-1-1024x703.jpeg" alt="" width="1024" height="703" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/WhatsApp-Image-2021-11-11-at-15.39.07-1-1024x703.jpeg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/WhatsApp-Image-2021-11-11-at-15.39.07-1-300x206.jpeg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/WhatsApp-Image-2021-11-11-at-15.39.07-1-768x527.jpeg 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/WhatsApp-Image-2021-11-11-at-15.39.07-1.jpeg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
The panel was composed of young peatland advocates from different peatland landscapes. While Noyara from TJF brought the view of Indonesia peatlands, we also had Mwesigye Robert and Ologe Daniel who work in Ugandan peatlands, also Angelica Manrique with her experience in Peruvian peatlands. The panelists had a wide range of works from research, community program, to government advocacy. Interestingly, they all expressed the importance of youth’s role in their approaches.
Youth have the skill and capacity to do many things. From initiating landscape mapping and research to support peatland restoration effort, extending networks to bring more awareness on peatland issues, to engaging people in power through advocacy for better and just peatland management. 
At the end of session, we learned a lot from youth efforts in peat landscapes around the world. Although we acknowledged that it’s still a long way for youth to be included in strategic decision-making, we also agreed that this kind of networking is an initial step for a systemic change. Starting from us, youth, to carry the message that the world needs to restore and sustainably manage its peatlands.
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Peatlands need you, you need peatlands: A call to support peatland actions

In November 2021, TJF presented their research in the International Conference on Environmental Resources Management in Global Region (ICERM). The study discussed ways that can be applied to mainstream the sustainable use of suboptimal lands to support food security in Indonesia.
The presentation started with an intriguing question, like, do you know what other countries are competing for other than oil or gold? The answer is, in fact, the thing that many of us often take for granted. It is: food.
The picture at the start of this blog is the global land grabbing map. For those who are not familiar, land grabbing means a phenomenon where a country, usually a rich one, acquires lands in developing countries to produce food and other commodities to meet their domestic demand. In this map, we can see countries like South Korea, China, and Saudi Arabia are grabbing lands in many parts of the world, including in Indonesia. This happened because some countries are lacking agricultural lands to the point they have to grab land somewhere else to meet their domestic demands.
One of the bottlenecks that drive global food competition is decreasing arable land. It also happens in Indonesia. According to a study, the country needs at least 10 million hectares of crops to achieve food self-sufficiency in 2045. Honestly, it is challenging to attain considering the alarming rate of land conversion for housing and infrastructure, especially in arable land areas. While the conversion rate has reached 96,500 ha/year, the government can only generate new arable lands of 20,000-30,000 ha/year.  Other than strictly controlling the land conversion, this staggering gap can also be met by sustainably utilizing the suboptimal lands.
However, sustainable cultivation of suboptimal land has been largely neglected in the policy context and the national food security plan. The major bottlenecks include no agricultural work plan that specifically prioritizes sustainable practice in suboptimal land. Inadequate fiscal instrument like incentive and capital assistance. Overlapping land status and permits along with different sectorial agendas in utilizing the land area. Also, ineffective empowerment programs for farmers.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/icerm1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-227583" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/icerm1.png" alt="" width="420" height="235" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/icerm1.png 420w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/icerm1-300x168.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px" /></a>
There are four main determining sectors to effectively influence the decision-making process: policies and regulations, investment, land-use planning, and farmers’ development. The mainstreaming effort should be implemented to incorporate the suboptimal lands into the development agenda. TJF is looking forward in engaging relevant partners to support the mainstreaming strategies and advocate the policy options provided in this study.
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Minimizing Land Grabbing by Mainstreaming Suboptimal Lands Use

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<h4 style="text-align: left;">Today, &#8216;you are what you eat&#8217; means more.</h4>
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Not only do the food you choose to eat affect your health, they also drive Earth&#8217;s health. It has an impact on the way agri-food systems work. In this year&#8217;s World Food Day (WFD), we ask you to be our heroes, to take part in defining the path of a better agri-food system that provides better food for humanity. This digital storytelling competition is a heartfelt campaign to celebrate farmers, scientist, and everyone who have worked smarter to provide better food for humanity.
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<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-227506" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/slogan-2.gif" alt="" width="1080" height="1080" />
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">You can be our agri-food heroes, by getting involved in our series of event. </h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Check the how-to below to get closer to the heart of our #tellyourstory event!</h4>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">Submit your storytelling videos!<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/reminder-3.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft wp-image-227508" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/reminder-3-150x150.png" alt="" width="200" height="200" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/reminder-3-150x150.png 150w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/reminder-3-300x300.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/reminder-3-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/reminder-3-768x768.png 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/reminder-3-700x700.png 700w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/reminder-3.png 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" /></a></h2>
Join the competition in 5 easy steps: 1) Create a 3-5 minute video that meets <a style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/tellyourstory/">the requirements,</a> 2) Upload your video to YouTube and copy your video link, 3) Go to <a style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; background-color: #ffffff; color: #3366ff;" href="https://forms.gle/yyQV8J2iU9EC4rcw7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tiny.cc/tellyours-submit</a> where you can paste your video link and fill out the submission form, 4) Read on for contest <a style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; background-color: #ffffff; color: #3366ff;" href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/tellyourstory/">rules and terms</a> and click Submit, 5) Wait for the final announcement! 
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<h2 style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/text-4.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-227510" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/text-4-150x150.png" alt="" width="200" height="200" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/text-4-150x150.png 150w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/text-4-300x300.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/text-4-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/text-4-768x768.png 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/text-4-700x700.png 700w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/text-4.png 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" /></a>Spread the news!</h2>
Another way to be our heroes is by engaging more people on the discourse. You can use the facts &amp; narration we also use here to celebrate your agri-food heroes. You can use our free-accessed illustration and narration in this <a style="color: #3366ff;" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m0eC6tSmcbaKeDu1cvcxe66nzJbmsuGm/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">toolkit</a>. Who knows you can inspire people to be a hero in their own ways.
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<h2 style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/text-3.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft wp-image-227512" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/text-3-150x150.png" alt="" width="200" height="200" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/text-3-150x150.png 150w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/text-3-300x300.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/text-3-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/text-3-768x768.png 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/text-3-700x700.png 700w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/text-3.png 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" /></a>Join the main event!</h2>
The chosen finalists will get to tell their stories in a final live-streamed event in front of judges and viewers all over the world. Stay tuned to find out the final event in November and be a part of the history of exposing best practices to improve our agri-food system. Follow us on <a style="color: #3366ff;" href="https://www.instagram.com/tayjuhanafoundation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a> for regular updates about this competition and more! 
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">Go to our page <a style="color: #3366ff;" href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/tellyourstory/">here</a> to find out more details to be our agri-food heroes by #tellyourstory!</h4>

[Extended Submission] You are Invited! Share Your Story to Improve Our Agri-food System

In simple terms, climate change is the change of climate on earth into a harmful state to humans; it is interlinked to global warming. Due to this real threat to our future, in 2015, 191 countries plus the European Union joined the Paris Agreement, which agreed to limit the temperature increase only 1.5 degrees. Even more, it will reach global carbon neutral in 2050.
We as people who live on earth also have a responsibility to contribute in combating climate change. Personally, my work is related to improving climate change resilience such as restoring degraded forest or elaborating sustainable agriculture. However, climate change is a global issue and needs a global network to work on it.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/WhatsApp-Image-2021-11-01-at-11.08.14-1.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-227542" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/WhatsApp-Image-2021-11-01-at-11.08.14-1.jpeg" alt="" width="1024" height="640" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/WhatsApp-Image-2021-11-01-at-11.08.14-1.jpeg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/WhatsApp-Image-2021-11-01-at-11.08.14-1-300x188.jpeg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/WhatsApp-Image-2021-11-01-at-11.08.14-1-768x480.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
To improve my climate change awareness network, I joined Climate Reality Project, an educational worldwide grassroots organization that trained selected people who are really concerned and involved in climate change projects. The output is trainees become Climate Reality Leaders, along with other more than 40,000 people in 154 countries.
This year, the program was interactive online program, which took place on 16 to 24 October 2021. I was pleased to have known more about climate change impact and mingle with others in small group discussion.
After this, along with carbon research that we conducted, large impact on combating climate change will be initiated. Especially how we as a foundation advocate more sustainable agricultural practice on peatland to achieve carbon neutral and prosper the community.

What can we do to combat climate change?

It is always fascinating to know that someone who lives far away in a different part of the globe managed to read the TJF publication. This made the Scripps community invite TJF and Blue Forests to present their research at the Ecology Webinar in the University of California. The presentation discussed the Coastal Field School (CFS) contribution to enable the mangrove ecosystem and aquaculture farmers to thrive. The farmers have been living in the coastal suboptimal land areas for generations. They are in the forefront of the climate crisis and the rising sea surface.<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ucla1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-227578" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ucla1.png" alt="" width="512" height="288" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ucla1.png 512w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ucla1-300x169.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></a>
Mangrove ecosystem is essential to address this challenge. Indonesia is home to more than 20% of the world’s mangrove forest. The vast ecosystem reserves one third of global coastal carbon stocks. However, it faces an unprecedented threat from aquaculture sector&#8217;s extensive development that drives aggressive mangrove conversion into ponds as happened in Pangkep, South Sulawesi Province and Demak, Central Java Province. The coastal communities who largely engaged in small-scale aquaculture become highly vulnerable to the rising seawater level along with risk of losing their livelihoods.
We highlighted the empowerment program that has created a positive impact on farmers communities in both regions using an approach called CFS. It is found that CFS has increased the participants’ knowledge and skill, and changed their behaviour in pond management to a more ecologically sound way. Moreover, the CFS alumni also reported that they can improve their pond productivity, while reducing production cost since they have learned to produce the farm inputs using local organic resources.
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Sharing Session at Scripps Institution: Coastal Field School for Mangrove Conservation

This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.sixdegreesnews.org/archives/30724/can-unconventional-land-be-the-hope-to-support-our-food-security" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sixdegrees</a>.
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Why do we need to look at suboptimal lands?
Indonesia’s population has increased by <a href="https://www.bps.go.id/publication/download.html?nrbvfeve=MjEzOTk1Yzg4MTQyOGZlZjIwYTE4MjI2&amp;xzmn=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnBzLmdvLmlkL3B1YmxpY2F0aW9uLzIwMjEvMDEvMjEvMjEzOTk1Yzg4MTQyOGZlZjIwYTE4MjI2L3BvdHJldC1zZW5zdXMtcGVuZHVkdWstMjAyMC1tZW51anUtc2F0dS1kYXRhLWtlcGVuZHVkdWthbi1pbmRvbmVzaWEuaHRtbA%3D%3D&amp;twoadfnoarfeauf=MjAyMS0xMC0wNiAyMDoyNDo1Nw%3D%3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">32.56 million people</a> over a decade with an average population growth rate of 3.26% per year. The increasing human population creates a predicament regarding the availability of land because the existing lands must be utilized for the increasing housing needs. Meanwhile, lands are also vital for food needs and agricultural development.
Indonesia is experiencing a speed <a href="https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/An_Introduction_to_Sustainable_Agriculture_Practice_on_Suboptimal_Land/13364690" target="_blank" rel="noopener">loss of agricultural land</a> around 140,000 – 187,000 hectares per year, due to the increase in residential and industrial areas. The gap between food demand, food production, and land availability need to be resolved.
There is a hope to create new agricultural lands from such areas which people rarely glimpse, namely the suboptimal land. Suboptimal land, often known as <a href="https://uho.ac.id/prodi/ilmutanah/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/05/PERAN-ILMU-TANAH-DALAM-PENGELOLAAN-LAHAN-TERDEGRADASI-DI-WILAYAH-PEDESAAN-DAN-PULAU-PULAU-KECIL-UNTUK-MENDUKUNG-SISTEM-PERTANIAN-BERKELANJUTAN.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">marginal land</a> or idle land, is low-quality land that lacks economic value and refers to land that is not used due to poor natural conditions, but is capable of producing crops, including agricultural production.
Characteristics of suboptimal land and its potential
Suboptimal land is rarely used as land for agriculture because it is considered to have<a href="https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/An_Introduction_to_Sustainable_Agriculture_Practice_on_Suboptimal_Land/13364690" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> low productivity</a> – it is often infertile, marginal, low potential, poor in resources, degraded and difficult to cultivate for productive agricultural land.
However, limited and decreasing fertile land forces us to develop innovations in meeting future food needs by utilizing suboptimal land. Around <a href="http://ejurnal.litbang.pertanian.go.id/index.php/jsl/article/view/6429/5724" target="_blank" rel="noopener">157.2 million ha of land</a> in Indonesia is suboptimal, consisting of 123.1 million ha of dry land and 34.1 million ha of wetlands, including peatlands.
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote has-text-align-right"><a href="https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/An_Introduction_to_Sustainable_Agriculture_Practice_on_Suboptimal_Land/13364690" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Suboptimal land</a> can contribute to improving the state of food security and increasing agricultural productivity.</blockquote>
The sustainable use of abandoned or degraded land can be a solution to secure food supplies. This is because the harvest produced on suboptimal land will increase the availability and accessibility of food, especially for the surrounding area.
The answer to local and global food security
Imagine if population growth is not balanced with an increase in food supply due to limited land availability. A country with too much dependence on imports to meet its food needs might disrupt its stability.
The solution to this problem is by utilizing suboptimal land. Suboptimal land can strengthen the construction of <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/id/resources/suboptimal-land-series-part-3-sustainable-use-of-peatland-to-improve-locally-sourced-food-production/">local food barns</a> – which can overcome three main issues: inequality in food production centers, long and ineffective food distribution, and farmers’ welfare. In addition, local food barns can meet food security in an unexpected disaster such as the current pandemic.
Strengthening the use of these marginal lands which are accessible to locals to produce food commodity production can increase the availability, consumption, and sales of food commodities and help improve community nutrition.
To maintain food security by making use of suboptimal land, we can apply “think globally, act locally” to picture broadly and take action locally adapted to regional conditions.
Thinking globally is important when the market cannot adequately serve the (global) community’s food needs due to the interruption of physical access caused by disaster or disruption of economic access due to price spikes, or like during this pandemic. Then, we can take action locally by increasing local food productivity by utilizing suboptimal land used as gardens or fields as an alternative that is always ready to be harvested.
Turning suboptimal land into food productive
Several studies have identified effective ways to convert suboptimal land into productive lands, such as the suitability of wetlands for growing chilies and rubber corn intercropping. At the same time, agriculture on dry land is suitable for rainfed crops that depend on rainfall.
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote has-text-align-right">In Indonesia, suboptimal peatlands have been a source of food and livelihood for generations.</blockquote>
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/id/resources/suboptimal-land-series-part-3-sustainable-use-of-peatland-to-improve-locally-sourced-food-production/">Agriculture on suboptimal land</a> can be done well by paying attention to suitable soil characteristics, effective water management, and appropriate planting methods to optimally produce various commodities, including secondary crops, vegetables, and fruits.
With the support of knowledge and technology, we can experiment on which method is the most effective for <a href="https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Can_We_Practice_Sustainable_Agriculture_on_Suboptimal_Land_/13364789" target="_blank" rel="noopener">regulating the land</a>. We can combine traditional techniques and modern technology in overcoming agricultural constraints on suboptimal land.
Sustainable use of suboptimal land for food security
The success of suboptimal land in agricultural development can be seen in farm practices in South Sumatra Province. Around 15% or 1.4 million ha of land in South Sumatra Province are dominated by <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/id/resources/inland-swamp-agriculture-opportunities-and-challenges/">swamp and peatland</a>, and 89.7% of the wetlands are plant rice, accounting for 73.7% of the total harvested area. Wetland cultivation has contributed to local food security by delivering the expected results and sustainability.
As an alternative to economic revitalization and meeting the community’s food needs, farmers in South Sumatra also use <a href="https://brg.go.id/metode-bertani-di-lahan-gambut-adalah-bertani-tanpa-membakar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">peatlands</a> to cultivate secondary crops and horticulture such as rice, corn, cassava, beans, and various other vegetables. Plantation practices on peatlands are carried out in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner.
Therefore, the suboptimal land has <a href="https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/134598-EN-improvement-of-suboptimal-land-productiv.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">potency</a> significant to be used as a strategic choice for developing agricultural production areas in the future and as a source of supporting national food security. Especially to compensate for the shrinking of arable land and increased production for food security and agribusiness development.
Turning suboptimal land into fertile land does <a href="https://www.weadapt.org/knowledge-base/climate-food-security-and-agriculture/sustainable-agriculture-practice-on-suboptimal-land" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not mean</a> compromising other ecosystems. Further and continuous analysis is needed to identify what kind of agricultural practices are sustainable, taking humans and the environment into account.
Feny Nuroktaviani is a student at the University of Al Azhar, Indonesia. This submission is part of her internship programme at the <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation</a>.

This article was originally published on <a href="https://kumparan.com/fenyoktaviani99/haruskah-sekuritisasi-pangan-di-indonesia-1wbqllRe3YE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kumparan</a>.
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Pandemi telah memperburuk kerawanan pangan yang bahkan sebelum Virus Corona muncul sudah di kondisi mengkhawatirkan. Pasalnya ketersediaan akses pangan dan konsumsi masyarakat menjadi menurun, bukan hal yang tidak mungkin dapat memicu krisis pangan disertai peningkatan harga pangan yang parah.
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Secara umum krisis pangan didefinisikan sebagai kondisi di mana kelangkaan pangan dialami oleh sebagian besar masyarakat di suatu wilayah yang disebabkan oleh kesulitan distribusi pangan, dampak perubahan iklim, bencana alam dan lingkungan, hingga konflik sosial. Untuk menepis situasi-situasi tersebut, ketahanan pangan pun harus terus diupayakan agar terhindar dari krisis pangan yang menghantui.
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Hingga saat ini, 1 dari 10 penduduk dunia kurang memiliki akses terhadap pangan yang cukup. Hal ini disebabkan oleh ketersediaan pangan terbatas hingga harga pangan yang tinggi. Jika terus seperti ini, isu pangan dapat menjadi isu keamanan nasional karena menyangkut keamanan manusia dari ketersediaan pangan.
Indonesia dikenal sebagai negara agraris yang memiliki banyak lahan subur. Namun, di balik itu semua ternyata negara ini hanya memiliki 26,3 juta ha tanah yang subur dan terkonsentrasi di Pulau Jawa. Bukan menjadi rahasia bahwa Pulau Jawa menjadi sentra produksi pangan di Indonesia. Sisa lahan lainnya yang kurang subur dan marginal atau bisa disebut lahan sub-optimal mendominasi lahan di Indonesia, yang luasnya hampir mencapai 150 juta ha. Kondisi tersebut menjadi salah satu penyebab Indonesia masih mengalami kesulitan dalam menyediakan ketahanan pangan, terutama di daerah-daerah.
Banyak faktor yang mengancam ketahanan dan ketersediaan pangan, termasuk di antaranya perubahan iklim yang berdampak mempengaruhi masa panen tanaman. Bagaimana tidak, perubahan iklim meningkatkan frekuensi dan cuaca ekstrem yang dapat mengganggu tanaman dan mengubah musim panen dan membuat pasokan pangan tidak stabil.
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<div class="TextBoxweb__StyledTextBox-sc-18x3wcq-0 bKesRR">Belum lagi Indonesia yang masih sering impor kebutuhan pokok karena adanya kelangkaan pangan. Faktor penyebabnya beragam dari terbatasnya kapasitas sistem pangan dalam menjaga rantai pasok dari hulu ke hilir, hingga perlunya resiliensi produsen pertanian terhadap perubahan iklim. Sebagai contoh, kelangkaan bawang putih di Indonesia disebabkan oleh sedikitnya produsen yang memproduksi benih bawang putih sehingga petani tidak bisa mengembangbiakkan bawang putih. Lingkaran kausal negatif ini berakibat rendahnya benih dan bawang putih itu sendiri di pasaran. Banyak produsen dan petani yang terseok mengingat butuh biaya yang mahal mencapai Rp 50-60 juta per hektarnya untuk memproduksi bawang putih. Padahal kebutuhan Indonesia terhadap bawang putih mencapai 500 ribu ton per tahun.</div>
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Contoh lain, kelangkaan kedelai sebagai bahan baku tahu dan tempe yang dikenal sebagai makanan asli tradisional Indonesia. Nyatanya, di tahun 2020 Indonesia mengimpor kedelai lebih dari 90% untuk produksi tahu dan tempe. Tingginya biaya produksi menyebabkan harga kedelai lokal tidak mampu bersaing dengan kedelai impor yang lebih murah.
Krisis pangan menjadi erat hubungannya dengan kemiskinan. Di saat yang sama, menurunnya sumber daya manusia pada pertanian turut mempengaruhi ketahanan pangan. Pada Maret 2021 jumlah penduduk miskin di Indonesia mencapai 10,14% dengan penduduk miskin perkotaan 7,89% dan pedesaan 13,10%, di mana garis kemiskinan makanan mencapai 73,96%. Bukan suatu kebetulan banyak publikasi menunjukkan 22 juta penduduk Indonesia mengalami kelaparan. Ketidakmampuan dalam memenuhi kebutuhan pangan menyebabkan rentannya krisis pangan dalam keluarga miskin. Ketahanan pangan seharusnya menjadi kunci untuk mengurangi penduduk miskin.
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Dalam konteks jangka panjang, regenerasi petani yang menurun turut menyebabkan penurunan ketahanan pangan. Tahun 2017 profesi petani menurun menjadi 34% dan rata-rata penurunannya setiap tahun mencapai 3%. Menurut Kepala Pusat Penelitian Kependudukan LIPI, menurunnya minat di sektor pertanian disebabkan oleh ketersediaan lahan, biaya pertanian hingga pendapatan yang tidak menentu. Jika minat profesi petani turun, lalu bagaimana nasib ketahanan pangan kita yang masih mengandalkan petani.
Penjelasan di atas menunjukkan isu pangan dapat mengancam keamanan dan kedaulatan suatu negara terutama jika menyebabkan konflik yang tidak diinginkan. Jika kita menilik lebih jauh dengan melihat ketersediaan pangan yang tidak aman, isu pangan sudah seharusnya menjadi perhatian kita karena keamanan pangan menyangkut keamanan manusia dan negara. Melihat situasi saat ini, pemerintah perlu meningkatkan ketahanan pangan dengan memproduksi di dalam negeri.
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Untuk memenuhi kebutuhan pangan penduduknya, Indonesia memerlukan ketersediaan pangan dalam jumlah yang mencukupi dan tersebar di pelosok daerahnya, sehingga memenuhi kecukupan konsumsi maupun stok nasional. Pemerintah perlu men-”sekuritisasi” isu pangan di mana sekuritisasi dapat diartikan sebagai proses mengagendakan sebuah isu menjadi isu keamanan. Ini berarti, isu yang awalnya bersifat non-politik yang tidak menimbulkan debat publik dan negara, berubah menjadi isu politik yang mendesak adanya kebijakan publik dan membutuhkan keputusan pemerintah sebagai bentuk tata pemerintahan bersama, yang kemudian menjadi isu keamanan ketika ancamannya nyata dan mempunyai ukuran darurat.
Dari permasalahan yang sudah disinggung di atas, pemerintah dapat mensekuritisasi pangan untuk menciptakan dan memperbaiki ketahanan pangan. Belakangan ini, pemerintah menerjemahkan sekuritisasi pangan dalam bentuk bagaimana agar pangan kita terlindungi dari pestisida yang berlebihan. Padahal, sekuritisasi seharusnya mencakup semua aspek pangan yang perlu dipastikan keamanannya. Sesuai amanah UU Pangan, sudah menjadi tugas dan tanggung jawab pemerintah untuk menjamin pangan kita aman di segala aspek.
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<div class="sc-5mlv5q-0 hZqCOq">Sebagai langkah awal, sekuritisasi pangan bisa mengambil strategi membangun sektor pertanian dan pedesaan tangguh pangan. Selain untuk menaikkan produksi pangan di daerah, perencanaan strategi tersebut akan berkontribusi untuk pengentasan kemiskinan dan persiapan sistem pertanian yang dapat menarik minat orang untuk berinovasi dalam bidang pertanian. Dari contoh tersebut, memang jalan sekuritisasi pangan ke depan masih panjang. Namun pada akhirnya, diharapkan meningkatkan produksi dan kemudian ketahanan pangan dalam negeri.</div>
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<a style="font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/IMG-20210808-WA0072-avatar.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-227451 alignleft" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/IMG-20210808-WA0072-avatar.jpg" alt="" width="100" height="100" /></a>Feny Nuroktaviani mahasiswi jurusan Hubungan Internasional di Universitas Al Azhar Indonesia. Tertarik dengan isu Lingkungan dan sosial masyarakat. Saat ini sedang menjalani program magang di Tay Juhana Foundation.
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Haruskah Sekuritisasi Pangan di Indonesia?

You might wonder why we do not have a global farmer’s day. Instead, every nation celebrates its farmers in different ways and times of the year. In Indonesia, we celebrate Hari Tani Nasional or National Farmer Day every 24 September. This date was set by the first president, Soekarno, in the Decree of President Number 169 of 1963. The exact date also coincides with the ratification of Law Number 5 of 1960 concerning Basic Agrarian Regulations (UUPA 1960).
UUPA was formulated to replace the colonial agrarian law with a national one that can benefit many people, with its content aiming national agrarian law as a tool to bring prosperity and justice to the state and farmers, as foundations for unity and simplicity in land law, and as foundations for managing land rights for all Indonesian people
Unfortunately, not all of our farmers nowadays experience prosperity and justice. Although the governments show that the farmer’s trade rate (or NTP, Nilai Tukar Petani) are dominantly rising each year from 2015 to 2021, the field facts show differently. The mentioned indicator is unable to capture different fates of sub-sectors in our agri-food system. 
The situation above is only one side of challenges that needs to be addressed to improve the prosperity and justice for farmers. At the same time, many stakeholders also have taken action and made more effort to bring betterment. To make everyone more familiar with our agri-food homework, TJF conducted <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUC0MlGP-Ip/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a social media challenge</a> that encouraged people to learn relevant terminology to support our farmer’s works. In this challenge, we again ask Joni to help the people finding the answers. 
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/haritani-2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-227479" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/haritani-2.jpg" alt="" width="512" height="512" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/haritani-2.jpg 512w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/haritani-2-300x300.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/haritani-2-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></a> 
After 3-days open submission, we received more than 65 answers from different participants &#8211; where most of them are Indonesian youth. Coincides with one of our hidden words above, youth is very relevant in celebrating National Farmers Day. Within the puzzle above, we have ‘regenerasi tani’ or ‘farmers regeneration’ which is the issue that we are also currently fighting for. 
Escorting the land reform process and improving the farmers’ access to resources are vital, also to safeguard the fate of the next generation of farmers who will continue to be the backbone of our agri-food system. After all, it is our homework too to define the path of a better future for all.

Involving the Next Generation to Commemorate the National Farmer Day

This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.sixdegreesnews.org/archives/30565/key-indonesian-government-food-programme-neglects-indigenous-communities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sixdegrees</a>.
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<article class="post-article js-post-gallery grid__item main float--left lap-and-up-two-thirds">Since the 1990s, Food Estate has been one of the Indonesian government’s key programs to strengthen food security in Indonesia. This program is described as a large-scale integrated food, plantation, and livestock production area. The commodities maintenance and processing system is linked to the state-owned agriculture industry. This whole scheme is expected to boost the nation’s food production.Under the Government National Strategic Agenda, the most recent Food Estate’s development took hundreds to million hectares (ha) of land to build. To date, the program has been implemented in Central Kalimantan (770,000 ha), Papua (2 million ha), and North Sumatra (32,000 ha).
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote has-text-align-right">Overlapping land use issues emerged as some of the lands for food estate were initially intended for different purposes such as Protected Forests and Indigenous Forests.</blockquote>
The latter brought adverse consequences to indigenous people as they are often forced to leave the lands that have become part of their lives and culture for multi-generations. This poses a threat to marginalized indigenous people in their homeland.
The Case of Pandumaan-Sipituhuta Indigenous Forests
According to <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228320337_Indigenous_People_and_Customary_Land_Ownership_Under_Domestic_REDD_Frameworks_A_Case_Study_of_Indonesia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The UN Report</a> on World’s Indigenous People, only few countries involve indigenous peoples in the policy-making process related to lands and forest policies. Indonesia has ratified the International Labour Organisation (ILO) No. 169 Convention that protects the rights of indigenous and tribal people, the practice is still far from the ideal. The upcoming Food Estate in North Sumatra can be an example where the program sparked large protests due to human rights violations and negligence to the rights over the lands and natural resources of the indigenous Sumatrans in Pandumaan-Sipituhuta villages.
For centuries, the tribe have been relying on extracting resin from frankincense trees as their primary source of livelihood. Conserving the frankincense forests is also part of their culture and customary law inherited from their ancestors. However, in 1992, the government granted a concession permit that largely grabbed the customary forest area to a company called Toba Pulp Lestari Ltd. (TPL). This put the indigenous people in constant threats and violations to give up their lands.
After decades-long advocacy, in 2015 the local and national government issued a decree that acknowledged that 5,172 hectares of Indigenous Forest status and removed the company concession in that area.
When the community thought they could finally live in peace, another surprising news came up a year later. The Ministry of Environment issued a new decree that decided the Pandumaan-Sipituhuta Indigenous Forests shrunk to only ​​2,393 hectares. The rest of the forest area would be allocated as part of the Food Estate program in North Sumatra. Despite the huge protests and backlash, the government insisted that the decisions were legally made in accordance with the existing regulations.
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote has-text-align-right">The current Indonesian forestry law does not specifically regulate the status of Indigenous Forest.</blockquote>
According to Law No.41/1999, forest status is divided into two categories: Private Forest and State Forest. Indigenous Forest is defined as the part of the latter category, to which it authorizes the government to utilize the forest for the sake of the state interest.
A call for a fairer approach
It is deplorable that the government did not take an inclusive approach such as Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) principles to work with the indigenous people. According to the UN-REDD, FPIC is a process that allows indigenous peoples or local communities to exercise their fundamental rights in agreeing or disagreeing with an activity, project or policy that will be implemented in the community’s living space and has the potential to impact the land, territories, resources, and community livelihoods. FPIC includes respecting, protecting, fulfilling and enforcing the rights of indigenous peoples to their natural resources.
While the government enforces the controversial Food Estate program to strengthen food security, they seem to forget that the indigenous community itself is an important actor to achieve the intended goal.
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote has-text-align-right">With more than 2,000 indigenous communities living In Indonesia, it is a discouraging fact that the government has not yet embedded FPIC principles into the national regulations and development agenda.</blockquote>
The case of Pandumaan-Sipatuhuta is yet another reminder that intensifies the urge to call for a fairer approach in working with the indigenous people.
<a href="https://www.iied.org/indigenous-peoples-food-systems-hold-key-feeding-humanity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Studies found that traditional food system are among the key drivers that maintain the global food system.</a> Indigenous knowledge that is derived from centuries of accumulated wisdom can contribute to the conservation of genetic resources of nutritious and pest-resistant crop varieties (cultivars or landraces), and in <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/i3144e/I3144e03.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">providing practical and effective strategies for sustaining crops, fish, wildlife, forest ecosystems, agroecosystems and other essential habitats</a>. Therefore it is crucial to involve them in the government effort pertaining to food security such as the Food Estate.
Participatory development, including by using FPIC, is a form of good governance. Community involvement in decision-making, especially in the management of natural resources, will encourage the birth of policy products that are concerned with economic growth and preserve the environment and the fundamental rights of the community. By doing so, the Food Estate establishment can be expected to not only achieve its purposes to boost production, but also to respect the customary hold which the indigenous community depends on for their livelihood.
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Feny Nuroktaviani is a student at the University of Al Azhar, Indonesia and is currently part of an internship programme at the <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tay Juhana Foundation.</a>
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The Negligence of Indigenous Community under the Food Estate Development in Indonesia

This article was originally published on <a href="https://geotimes.id/opini/menilik-kabar-proyek-food-estate-sebagai-reformasi-pangan/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">geotimes.id</a>.
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Pandemi Covid-19 menjadi momen bagi kita untuk “mereformasi sistem pangan.” Bagaimana tidak, impor pangan yang tinggi mengancam ketahanan pangan kita akibat gangguan suplai pangan baik itu domestik dan lokal, serta akibat upaya negara produsen menahan pangan untuk diekspor. Pemerintah telah berupaya menangani isu ini dengan program food estate di Kalimantan Tengah sejak pertengahan tahun 2020. Namun, sejauh mana food estate ini efektif dalam mengatasi isu pangan kita?
Sebelumnya, pemerintah telah mengusahakan beberapa program food estate. Proyek pertama dimulai tahun 1996, pemerintah membuat <a href="https://ejournal.kemsos.go.id/index.php/Sosioinforma/article/view/2332" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Proyek Lahan Gambut (PLG)</a> Sejuta Hektar untuk menanam padi di lahan gambut dataran rendah di Pulau Kalimantan. <a href="http://www.environmentandsociety.org/arcadia/carbon-bomb-indonesias-failed-mega-rice-project" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Proyek ini dianggap gagal</a> karena kurang matangnya koordinasi yang malah membuat lahan menjadi rusak dan tidak produktif. Kini kondisi lahannya 80% menjadi lahan marginal terdegradasi – lahan <a href="https://geotimes.id/lomba/gambut-oh-gambut-bank-karbon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gambut</a> yang kering menjadi mudah terbakar.
Pemerintah selanjutnya membuat kembali proyek lumbung pangan di Merauke dan Ketapang, dalam mengupayakan konsumsi masyarakat dengan menjaga daya beli dan program mengurangi kemiskinan. Pada tahun 2011, <a href="https://ejournal.kemsos.go.id/index.php/Sosioinforma/article/view/2332" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Merauke Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE)</a> dibangun dengan luas lahan 1.282.833 hektar di kabupaten Merauke, Papua. Namun, <a href="https://ejatlas.org/conflict/mifee" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">MIFEE juga mengalami kegagalan</a> karena relokasi dan eksploitasi menyebabkan konflik antara penduduk setempat dan transmigran. Selain itu konflik juga terjadi akibat pembebasan lahan produksi pangan intensif (dan koersif), 95% lahan malah dialokasikan untuk industri kayu dan perkebunan kelapa sawit. Lahan yang belum dikelola menjadi lahan tidur.
Beriringan dengan MIFEE, tahun 2012 juga dibentuk program kerja <a href="https://ejournal.kemsos.go.id/index.php/Sosioinforma/article/view/2332" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Ketapang Food Estate</a> dengan lahan seluas 886.969 hektar. Pembukaan lahan yang merusak tanah dan hutan juga siklus tanam yang tidak sesuai menyebabkan kegagalan food estate di Ketapang.
Beberapa program food estate tersebut menunjukkan kegagalan pemerintah dalam program food estate. Hal ini penyebab kritik muncul ketika pemerintah berencana membangun kembali food estate untuk ketahanan pangan saat pandemi Covid-19 ini. Banyak pihak menilai pemerintah tidak belajar dari kegagalan masa lalu.
Pada sisi lain, program food estate pemerintah tahun 2020 tampaknya telah memberikan sebuah harapan untuk mengatasi ancaman krisis pangan saat pandemi. Program food estate di Kalimantan Tengah, sudah menjalani panen padi pertamanya pada awal tahun 2021 <a href="https://www.republika.co.id/berita/qolz6j396/emfood-estate-emkalteng-panen-padi-produktivitas-56-ton-per-ha" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">sebanyak 5-6 ton per hektar</a>. Namun, kita juga tidak bisa menutup mata dengan potensi kegagalan yang ada di food estate yang baru seumur jagung ini.
Kegagalan panen di beberapa kecamatan di Kalimantan Tengah disebabkan oleh faktor pola tanam dan perbedaan varietas padi, juga faktor alam seperti hujan dan angin kencang. <a href="https://www.google.com/amp/s/koran.tempo.co/amp/ekonomi-dan-bisnis/462342/hasil-panen-proyek-food-estate-di-bawah-target" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Hujan angin merobohkan padi yang kemudian terinjak-injak alat dan mesin pertanian</a> sehingga padi rusak dan tidak bisa dipanen. Ini yang merugikan petani dengan penurunan panen menjadi 3-4 ton per hektar.
Untuk saat ini, usaha panen akan terus berlanjut, terlebih program food estate direncanakan setidaknya sampai tahun 2024 dengan harapan hasil panen dapat memenuhi pasokan pangan di wilayah produksi dan dapat didistribusikan ke seluruh wilayah di Indonesia.
Keberhasilan panen tidak menjadikan kepuasan dari program food estate, karena bukan merupakan satu-satunya parameter sebuah food estate efektif atau tidak. Saat ini pun kita belum mendengar kisah sukses food estate tersebut dalam kontribusinya di suplai bahan pangan. Bisa jadi sukses panen hanya di sebagian kecil lahan yang dikelola. Ditilik dari parameter ini, program food estate mungkin belum dapat disebut efektif untuk mereformasi sistem pangan kita.
Terlebih <a href="https://newgelora.thejakartapost.com/academia/2020/08/05/food-not-rice-security.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">proyek lumbung pangan</a> terkadang masih didasarkan pada persepsi bahwa ketahanan pangan didefinisikan sebagai swasembada beras. Padahal, proyek food estate yang berfokus pada produksi beras justru dapat menghambat pencapaian ketahanan pangan. Jika terjadi gagal panen maka tidak ada harapan mendapatkan panen dari tanaman lainnya.
Pihak yang kontra terhadap proyek lumbung pangan beralasan bahwa proyek ini dapat memberikan dampak buruk terhadap lingkungan yang tidak memperhatikan keberlanjutan. Masyarakat setempat juga <a href="https://www.google.com/amp/s/kalteng.antaranews.com/amp/berita/410754/perpedayak-dukung-program-food-estate-dan-tolak-transmigrasi-ke-kalteng" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">menolak masuknya transmigrasi</a> yang dapat mengancam dan menyisihkan peran dan keberadaan penduduk lokal yang berpotensi terjadi konflik sosial. Selain itu, banyak yang masih dibayangi <a href="https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.sampit.prokal.co/read/news/21393-kenapa-ini-masyarakat-lokal-tolak-transmigrasi-baru-di-kalteng" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">trauma dengan kegagalan proyek lahan gambut 1996</a>.
<a href="https://www.kompas.id/baca/nusantara/2020/06/14/koalisi-masyarakat-sipil-tolak-program-food-estate-di-kalteng?status=sukses_login&amp;status_login=login&amp;isVerified=false" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Masyarakat sipil dan gabungan lembaga</a> seperti Walhi, Greenpeace Indonesia, JPIC Kalimantan, Pantau Gambut, dan lembaga terkait lainya berkoalisi untuk menyatakan sikap tolak proyek food estate. Lembaga-lembaga ini menjadi software atau komponen bergerak yang dapat memberi input untuk keberlangsungan dan keberlanjutan lumbung pangan. Di sisi lain, pelibatan petani lokal dapat mengembalikan kepercayaan masyarakat terhadap program pemerintah. Masyarakat ini harus dilibatkan sebagai bagian dari ‘Orgware’ untuk rekayasa sosial atau gerakan dalam mempengaruhi perubahan sosial.
Begitupun penurunan panen harus dievaluasi oleh pihak-pihak terkait dan dicarikan solusinya untuk diterapkan pada periode tanam berikutnya, dengan menimbang faktor-faktor lokal ini. Mungkin dengan meningkatkan produksi per hektarnya, ketimbang memaksakan panen setahun tiga kali. Bagaimanapun, prinsip food estate untuk reformasi pangan adalah sebuah inisiasi baik yang harus terus kita kawal agar tidak terulang kegagalan seperti pendahulunya. Selama pemerintah bisa merespon bibit-bibit kegagalan yang ada di depan mata, belumlah terlambat untuk menjadikan food estate sebagai harapan reformasi pangan.
<div class="tdb-author-descr"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/IMG-20210808-WA0072-avatar.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-227451 alignleft" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/IMG-20210808-WA0072-avatar.jpg" alt="" width="100" height="100" /></a>Feny Nuroktaviani mahasiswi jurusan Hubungan Internasional di Universitas Al Azhar Indonesia. Tertarik dengan isu Lingkungan dan sosial masyarakat. Saat ini sedang menjalani program magang di Tay Juhana Foundation.</div>

Menilik Kabar Proyek Food Estate sebagai Reformasi Pangan

“Forest management is the matter of people who manage the forest,” a statement from Pak Agus as the moderator to close the parallel session on day-1 of the conference. He also praised the passionate presenter that gave attention to every research presentation.
That was a piece of news from the INAFOR Conference 2021, which was convened on 7-8 September 2021. INAFOR is an acronym for International Conference of Indonesia Forestry Researchers. This event is a platform for sharing research results and generating a network of scientists around the world. The Tay Juhana Foundation (TJF), which has a research program on a daily basis, tries to involve a discussion on this world forum.
Nurul Ihsan Fawzi, a principal researcher in TJF, is responsible for presenting the newest research about alleviating the risk of fires in peatland through a water management system and community engagement in Pulau Burung District, Riau Province. The study was a collaboration between TJF, a researcher from the Indonesian Agency for Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysics (BMKG), the community in Pulau Burung District, and Sambu Group who managed the water management system for coconut plantation.
He presented the research on 7 September 2021 with total participants in a parallel session of up to 50 people. “I feel this conference is lively, compared to the previous conference that I attended. Because the participants are curious with many questions and discussion,” said Nurul after finishing the conference on the evening of 8 September 2021. Nurul was not alone; he was with hundreds of participants on Stream 2 &#8211; managing forest and natural resources, meeting sustainable and friendly use.
Although our presentation was not the best presenter, this conference could make sustainable peatland use more visible and applicable in the near future. As we know, ecosystem degradation haunts peatland, especially unsustainable practices. A case in Pulau Burung is exemplary; a native water management trinity system brings prosperity to the community as the mutual symbiosis between humans and nature.

INAFOR Conference 2021: Brings Sustainable Peatland Use for Prosperity

This article was originally published on <a href="https://kumparan.com/nurul-ihsan-fawzi-1629572225912729051/mencegah-perubahan-iklim-melalui-konservasi-lahan-gambut-1wOngGwjKKV/full" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kumparan</a>.
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Penelitian terbaru yang terbit di jurnal <a class="LabelLinkweb__StyledLink-fupmuj-0 kZWIkp components__StyledLink-sc-171r1ki-0 dUURkp" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-021-00785-2" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-key="2856661">Nature Geoscience</a> mengungkap konservasi hutan gambut dapat mengurangi laju perubahan iklim. Deshmukh dan 16 peneliti lainnya menemukan dengan menjaga hutan gambut mampu mencegah emisi karbon dioksida sampai 24 ton CO2 per hektar per tahun. Jumlah ini setara dengan emisi yang dikeluarkan dari <a class="LabelLinkweb__StyledLink-fupmuj-0 kZWIkp components__StyledLink-sc-171r1ki-0 dUURkp" href="https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passenger-vehicle#:~:text=typical%20passenger%20vehicle%3F-,A%20typical%20passenger%20vehicle%20emits%20about%204.6%20metric%20tons%20of,8%2C887%20grams%20of%20CO2." target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-key="2856666">5 mobil penumpang</a>. Luas lahan gambut di Indonesia mencapai 15 juta hektar, berapa banyak emisi karbon yang dapat dicegah melalui konservasi lahan gambut?
Lahan gambut merupakan tipe lahan yang terbentuk dari akumulasi material organik yang mengendap. Kondisi anaerob membuat bahan organik tidak membusuk hingga perlahan membentuk lapisan tanah hingga ketebalan lebih dari 10 meter. Setiap tahun, hanya <a class="LabelLinkweb__StyledLink-fupmuj-0 kZWIkp components__StyledLink-sc-171r1ki-0 dUURkp" style="font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229532688_A_record_of_Late_Pleistocene_and_Holocene_carbon_accumulation_and_climate_change_from_an_equatorial_peat_bog_Kalimantan_Indonesia_Implications_for_past_present_and_future_carbon_dynamics" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-key="2856676">1 milimeter</a> tanah gambut yang terbentuk, atau untuk mencapai ketebalan 1 meter dibutuhkan waktu sampai 1000 tahun. Sifat alami gambut yang terbentuk dari material organik dengan kandungan karbon tinggi, <a class="LabelLinkweb__StyledLink-fupmuj-0 kZWIkp components__StyledLink-sc-171r1ki-0 dUURkp" style="font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Determination-of-the-amount-of-carbon-stored-in-Jaenicke-Rieley/e3177e4d5b09d12de1f134cca82257499f3e49ce" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-key="2856681">stok karbon di lahan gambut</a> lebih banyak daripada jenis hutan tropis lainnya.
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<div class="Viewweb__StyledView-sc-1ajfkkc-0 vucrN Spaceweb__SpacedWrapper-sc-1jr359o-0 lpyBg">Ilustrasi bagaimana lahan gambut terbentuk dari endapan material organik. Sumber: TJF.
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Konservasi lahan gambut pada dasarnya adalah mengelola tata air agar lahan tidak kering. Secara alamiah, gambut mampu mempertahankan stok karbon karena kondisi terendam dan anaerob. Pemanfaatan lahan gambut seringkali membuang air di gambut agar dapat ditanami. Dampaknya, daerah dengan lahan gambut seperti Riau dan Kalimantan Barat selalu dihantui kebakaran hutan dan lahan saat musim kemarau tiba. Jika ditilik dari gambut yang terbentuk dari material organik, analogi lahan gambut yang kering seperti kayu bakar yang rentan terhadap api.Pelaksanaan konservasi lahan gambut itu tidak mudah, untuk itu pemerintah mendirikan Badan Restorasi Gambut (BRG) di tahun 2016. BRG, yang saat ini berubah menjadi Badan Restorasi Gambut dan Mangrove (BRGM) bertugas untuk merestorasi lahan gambut yang terdegradasi agar tidak semakin rusak dan memperparah perubahan iklim. Salah satu pendekatan yang dilakukan oleh BRGM adalah dengan rewetting, atau dengan membuat gambut kering menjadi basah lagi. Rewetting dengan <a class="LabelLinkweb__StyledLink-fupmuj-0 kZWIkp components__StyledLink-sc-171r1ki-0 dUURkp" style="font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0341816213002531" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-key="2856708">sekat kanal</a> membuat kebakaran semakin rendah karena gambut tetap basah dan terendam air.
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Praktik konsersevasi lahan gambut di lapangan dapat dilakukan dengan menjaga hutan tetap alami atau pertanian yang berkelanjutan di lahan gambut fungsi budidaya. Tidak dapat dipungkiri lagi bahwa saat ini jutaan hutan gambut telah terkonversi untuk mendukung ketersediaan pangan dan kemakmuran ekonomi bagi manusia. Dalam rentang 1990 sampai 2015, lebih dari <a class="LabelLinkweb__StyledLink-fupmuj-0 kZWIkp components__StyledLink-sc-171r1ki-0 dUURkp" style="font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989415300470" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-key="2856717">tiga juta hektar</a> lahan gambut di Sumatra dan kalimantan telah terkonversi menjadi perkebunan kelapa sawit. Namun, hal tersebut bukan menjadi justifikasi dalam pemanfaatan yang dapat merusak gambut. Masih ingat di benak kita bagaimana Proyek Sejuta Hektar Lahan Gambut yang gagal di Provinsi Kalimantan Tengah. Sampai saat ini pun bekas area proyek menjadi terdegradasi dan menjadi sumber masalah karena selalu terbakar hampir setiap tahun.
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Pentingnya sistem tata air di gambut dalam praktik pemanfaatan gambut mampu mengurangi laju emisi karbon yang dikeluarkan. <a class="LabelLinkweb__StyledLink-fupmuj-0 kZWIkp components__StyledLink-sc-171r1ki-0 dUURkp" style="font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706118315635" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-key="2856732">Evans dkk</a> dalam penelitiannya menyebut, “meningkatkan tinggi muka air hingga 40 cm mampu mengurangi emisi sebesar 25-30 persen.” Hal senada juga disebutkan oleh <a class="LabelLinkweb__StyledLink-fupmuj-0 kZWIkp components__StyledLink-sc-171r1ki-0 dUURkp" style="font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.e3s-conferences.org/articles/e3sconf/abs/2020/60/e3sconf_icst2020_02019/e3sconf_icst2020_02019.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-key="2856737">Fawzi dkk</a>, dengan studi kasus di perkebunan kelapa dengan sistem tata air yang baik, mampu mencegah 80 persen emisi karbon yang lepas ke atmosfer jika dibandingkan dengan perkebunan lainnya di lahan gambut.
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<figure class="Helper__StyledFigure-sc-1s2o4g0-6 iVaAoi" data-key="2856743"><figcaption class="Helper__MediaCaption-sc-1s2o4g0-9 exJAai" data-key="2856747">Sistem tata air yang terintegrasi dalam pemanfaatan gambut di Pulau Burung, Kabupaten Indragiri Hilir, yang dikenal dengan &#8220;trio tata air&#8221; mampu mengurangi emisi karbon di lahan gambut sampai dengan 80 persen jika dibandingkan dengan pertanian serupa di gambut. Sumber: TJF.
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Dengan kata lain, peranan lahan gambut untuk mencegah perubahan iklim ini sangat penting. Konservasi lahan gambut dan pemanfaatannya yang berkelanjutan mampu memberikan benefit bagi manusia dengan tetap menjaga kualitas lingkungan. Menjadi tugas kita bersama, bukan hanya BRGM, untuk tetap melestarikan lahan gambut agar tidak terjadi kebakaran dan emisi karbon dapat diminimalkan. Tentu saja ini untuk lingkungan dan masa depan kita yang lebih baik.
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Nurul Ihsan Fawzi adalah peneliti di Tay Juhana Foundation yang kini sedang melakukan riset karbon di satu kecamatan di pesisir timur Riau.
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Mencegah Perubahan Iklim Melalui Konservasi Lahan Gambut

Working at the Tay Juhana Foundation has exposed me to various science-related activities such as conducting research, writing academic publications, as well as presenting the research findings to a wide range of local and global audiences. Science indeed plays a crucial role in improving the way we produce food to helping us identify the best solution to adapt to the climate crisis. Nevertheless, relying on science alone is not enough to foster the change we want to see.
In fact, many environmental aspects such as land use, farmers development, and agriculture sustainability are largely determined by the implementation of existing governance and policies. For example, the decision-makers in some countries may decide whether a particular area will be utilized for crop lands, conservation, or infrastructure, based on a list of considerations that are normally dominated by political and economic influence rather than a scientific basis.
Therefore it is important for us to equip ourselves with proper knowledge on the policy-making process and skills to embed the research findings into the policy recommendation. To that end, I decided to participate in a highly competitive program called <a href="https://thinkpolicy.id/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Think Policy Bootcamp (TPB)</a>. It offered 3-months long online classes that trained Indonesia&#8217;s young professionals in finding solutions in the public sector using analytical, strategic, and empathetic perspectives. Not only providing highly qualified mentors from various sectors, TPB also consisted of eighteen courses that are thoroughly designed including framework for problems identification, evidence-based policy, behavioral approach, stakeholders negotiation, storytelling, and data visualization. These courses have helped me to see things with new perspectives and design better strategies in engaging the policy-makers.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/thinkpol2.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-227536" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/thinkpol2.png" alt="" width="512" height="259" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/thinkpol2.png 512w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/thinkpol2-300x152.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></a>
Other than attending the classes, the participants were also divided into several groups to work on a capstone project that will be presented at the end of the program. My group decided to take the case of land conflict in the Pandumaan-Sipituhuta indigenous forest in South Sumatra. The overlapping location of the government&#8217;s Food Estate project and the indigenous community&#8217;s land has sparked years of dispute. Using the new knowledge we gained, my team managed to propose a sound policy recommendation that involved the needed fiscal instrument, regulatory approach, and behavioral change. To my surprise, the presentation we made was selected to be the best capstone project. I look forward to gaining further knowledge and network to advocate a more effective and fairer public policy.
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Ika Zahara Qurani is in charge as our Head of Knowledge Management at TJF. She has extensive experience working with environmental NGOs to support various conservation and empowerment projects.

Think Policy Bootcamp: When Science Meets Policy

In June 2021, TJF celebrated World Peat Day by holding a series of events called the Peat Party. One of the activities in this event was a challenge that encouraged participants to share stories and news about agriculture, especially on peatlands. In this challenge, three winners were selected whose writings were published in Geotimes that supported this event.
The first winner in this challenge, Alifah, had the opportunity to have a light discussion at TJF Live Talks organized by TJF. The TJF Live Talks were entitled “Gambut Kita Kini? Antara Asa dan Siaga” which was inspired by Alifah’s writing entitled “Menumbuhkan Asa Melalui Restorasi Gambut Indonesia.” Ihsan, who was also one of the judges in the previous Citizen Journalism event, moderated this discussion.
The discussion was opened by Ihsan by introducing TJF and Alifah. Alifah is a student at an official school under the Institute of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, namely the Politeknik Ahli Usaha Perikanan. Alifah said that she was very interested in environmental issues, and even felt the destructive effects of forest fires in her area.
Alifah says that peat has various benefits in her writing, such as supporting life by providing oxygen. Most importantly, peat functions as the most significant carbon store that can help mitigate climate change. Unfortunately, due to a lack of awareness in using peatlands in a sustainable manner, it causes a series of adverse effects such as forest fires. Alifah said she felt sad because of the people who unsustainably use the peatlands but only regretted it when the peatlands had been damaged or had a harmful effect.
At the end of the discussion, Alifah encourages the general public to always spread awareness about the use of peatlands in a good way, either through writing, vlogs or campaigns that can spread this awareness to others.

TJF Live Talks: Gambut Kita Kini? Antara Asa dan Siaga

This article was originally published on <a href="https://geotimes.id/lomba/gambut-oh-gambut-bank-karbon/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">geotimes.id</a>.
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Bumi sudah semakin tua. Pernyataan ini memiliki makna yang sangat luas, bukan hanya dalm artian umur Bumi yang sudah entah berapa tahun, tapi juga keterbatasan dalam penggunaan sumber dayanya. Lahan dan tanah untuk pertanian adalah salah satu contoh bagian Bumi yang sekarang sudah sangat sulit untuk dimiliki. Hal ini terjadi  bukan karena secara harfiah tidak ada lahan atau tanah, tetapi kebanyakan sudah digunakan untuk membangun pabrik dan bentuk industri lainnya yang sayangnya tidak hanya memakai, tapi mereka juga merusak lahan tempat mereka berdiri dan juga sekitarnya. Hal inilah yang kemudian membuat lahan gambut kemudian menjadi pilihan yang harus diambil untuk dijadikan lahan pertanian.
Lahan gambut merupakan lahan basah yang terbentuk dari endapan organisme selama ribuan tahun. Dalam prosesnya, lahan gambut ini bercampur dengan banyak endapan. Lahan gambut ini menyimpan banyak karbon, dan lebih banyak daripada yang diserap oleh hutan. Dengan adanya lahan gambut, pemanasan global masih dapat direduksi.
Lahan gambut agak sedikit berbeda dengan lahan subur biasa, untuk itu metode pengolahan dan penggunaannya juga berbeda. Fakta bahwa lahan gambut mengandung dua kali lipat karbon lebih banyak dibanding hutan mineral menjadi pertimbangan besar dalam pengolahannya. Pengolahan gambut yang tidak sesuai kaedah akan merusak keberadaaan gambut itu sendiri dan bisa dibayangkan jika gambut itu terganggu (mengering) maka ia akan mengeluarkan karbon yang bisa sangat berbahaya.
Salah satu penyebab utama terganggunya ekosistem gambut adalah kebakaran atau pembakaran hutan. Hal ini sangat sering terjadi di Indonesia, mirisnya lagi hal ini sudah menjadi sebuah kejadian rutin dengan frekuensi seperti mengunjungi keluarga dikampung.  Mengutip dari transkrip pembicaraan Asrul Dwi dalam Podcast Gambut Bakisah, ia menyebutkan bahwa <a href="https://kbr.id/nasional/10-2020/merunut_sejarah_gambut/103594.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">karbon didalam gambut terlepas keudara karena kebakaran setara dengan 33 miliar emisi mobil dalam setahun</a>.
Pengolahan gambut sudah membudaya sejak dahulu. Sekitar pertengahan abad ke-19, <a href="https://money.kompas.com/read/2016/08/16/151055726/ini.cerita.sejarah.pemanfaatan.lahan.gambut.di.asia.tenggara.versi.ilmuwan.jepang?page=all" target="_blank" rel="noopener">masyarakat disekitar daratan Malaya telah melakukan budidaya dan pemanfaatan lahan gambut dengan membuat kanal-kanal sehingga drainase gambut terjaga dengan baik</a>. Beberapa tahun berikutnya,banyak suku-suku di Indonesia kemudian mengikuti metode drainase yang berhasil memanfaatkan lahan gambut dengan baik tanpa merusak lahan gambut itu sendiri. Dimulai dari metode pembuatan kanal-kanal, kemudian cara baru dalam mengolah lahan gambut mulai berkembang dan mereka bisa memanfaatkan lahan gambut untuk menanam lebih banyak lagi tanaman. Sebuah awal yang baik dalam pemanfaatan lahan sub-optimal.
Waktu terus berjalan, gambut yang sebelumnya bukanlah pilihan utama untuk agrikultur kemudian mendapat perhatian lebih. Lahan-lahan optimal yang jumlahnya semakin menipis membuat pilihan kemudian jatuh kepada lahan gambut sebagai alternatif. Lahan gambut yang sejatinya merupakan lahan sub-optimal membutuhkan perlakuan yang berbeda dengan lahan optimal. Banyak studi yang telah berhasil menemukan cara mengelola lahan gambut agar menjadi lahan layak pakai.
Keberhasilan dalam mengolah lahan gambut ini mendapat perhatian dari pemerintah lalu kemudian menindaklanjuti dukungan tersebut dengan mengeluarkan program serta kebijakan untuk mengolah lahan gambut. Asrul Dwi dalam transkrip episode Podcast Gambut Bakisah juga menyebutkan bahwa program dari pemerintah inilah yang kemudian menjadi awal dari kemerosotan lahan gambut di Indonesia. Pemerintah membuat program serta kebijakan yang membuat gambut itu terpisah dari penjaga alaminya yaitu masyarakat. Kebijakan pengolahan lahan gambut mempengaruhi kehidupan disekitarnya. Banyak masyarakat yang kehilangan mata pencaharian mereka sebagai dampak berantai dari kebijakan itu, belum lagi ekosistem yang terpengaruh oleh kebijakan tersebut sehingga pada akhirnya program itu menjadi terhambat. “<a href="https://kbr.id/nasional/10-2020/merunut_sejarah_gambut/103594.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hal itu bisa dicegah dengan melibatkan masyarakat untuk berdialog…</a>” lanjut Asrul.
Melihat realita hari ini, masih banyak pekerjaan rumah yang harus dilakukan agar keberlangsungan lahan gambut tetap terjaga dengan baik. Tindakan yang kurang bijaksana akan semakin memperburuk kondisi lahan gambut, khususnya di Indonesia. Pengolahan dan pemanfaatan lahan yang sesuai dengan kaedah serta tetap mengutamakan keberlangsungan menjadi sebuah hal yang sangat penting dalam mengambil tindakan agar lahan gambut tetap bisa menyokong kehidupan kita hari ini, esok, dan seterusnya.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Gambut-oh-Gambut-Bank-Karbon-2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-227410 alignleft" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Gambut-oh-Gambut-Bank-Karbon-2.jpg" alt="" width="121" height="162" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Gambut-oh-Gambut-Bank-Karbon-2.jpg 367w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Gambut-oh-Gambut-Bank-Karbon-2-225x300.jpg 225w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 121px) 100vw, 121px" /></a>
Wildan Aria Nugraha merupakan pemenang ketiga dalam TJF Challenge Citizen Journalism yang merupakan bagian dari acara Peat Party, diselenggarakan oleh Tay Juhana Foundation dan didukung oleh Geotimes. Acara ini dipersembahkan untuk memperingati Hari Gambut Sedunia yang jatuh pada setiap tanggal 2 Juni.

Gambut oh Gambut : Bank Karbon

This article was originally published on <a href="https://geotimes.id/lomba/menumbuhkan-asa-melalui-restorasi-gambut-indonesia/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">geotimes.id</a>.
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<a href="https://www.cifor.org/knowledge/publication/6476" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gambut</a> adalah jenis tanah organik yang terbentuk dari vegetasi yang terurai dan terendam air selama berabad-lamanya dan rumah bagi lebih dari 30% cadangan karbon dunia yang tersimpan ditanah. Berdasarkan data <a href="https://fwi.or.id/publikasi/peran-penting-gambut-dalam-mengurangi-laju-perubahan-iklim/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Forest Watch Indonesia</a>, luas lahan gambut di Indonesia sekitar 19,3 juta ha (10% dari total luas daratan). <a href="https://fwi.or.id/publikasi/peran-penting-gambut-dalam-mengurangi-laju-perubahan-iklim/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Diperkirakan </a>lahan gambut di Indonesia mengandung 22,5-43,5 gigaton karbon setara emisi 17-33 miliar mobil dalam 1 tahun. Namun, lahan gambut di Indonesia mengalami ancaman perubahan fungsi lahan. Pembangunan industri perkebunan kelapa sawit dan kasus ilegal logging menjadi <a href="https://fwi.or.id/publikasi/peran-penting-gambut-dalam-mengurangi-laju-perubahan-iklim/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">penyebab</a> utama perubahan fungsi lahan gambut.
<figure id="attachment_227401" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-227401" style="width: 715px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/dfsf.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-227401 size-full" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/dfsf.jpg" alt="" width="715" height="333" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/dfsf.jpg 715w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/dfsf-300x140.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 715px) 100vw, 715px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-227401" class="wp-caption-text">Gambar 1 Persebaran Perkebunan Kelapa Sawit Sejak 1995-2015</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837717301552" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Austin</a> melakukan penelitian tentang perubahan konversi lahan gambut menjadi kelapa sawit tahun 1995-2000 dan tahun 2010-2015. Deforestasi lahan gambut akibat kelapa sawit di Sumatera menjadi yang paling besar sekitar 669 kha (84,9%) periode 1995-2000 dan periode 2010-2015 hanya 107 kha (18,3%). Di Kalimantan terjadi peningkatan dari 107 kha (13,6%) periode 1995-2000 menjadi 407 kha (69,6%) periode 2010-2015. Sedangkan, di Papua hanya 2% perubahan alih fungsi gambut menjadi kelapa sawit periode 2010-2015. Akan tetapi, sekalipun Papua mendapatkan proporsi terkecil, peningkatan deforestasi cukup besar yaitu meningkat lima kali lipat, dari 12 kha periode 1995-2000 mejadi 71 kha periode 2010-2015 atau sekitar 66%.
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<figure id="attachment_227403" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-227403" style="width: 625px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Implementasi-Keuangan-Berkelanjutan-dapat-Menyelamatkan-Hutan-Gambut-di-Indonesia.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-227403" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Implementasi-Keuangan-Berkelanjutan-dapat-Menyelamatkan-Hutan-Gambut-di-Indonesia.jpg" alt="" width="625" height="978" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Implementasi-Keuangan-Berkelanjutan-dapat-Menyelamatkan-Hutan-Gambut-di-Indonesia.jpg 625w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Implementasi-Keuangan-Berkelanjutan-dapat-Menyelamatkan-Hutan-Gambut-di-Indonesia-192x300.jpg 192w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-227403" class="wp-caption-text">Gambar 2 Proporsi Perubahan Alih Fungsi Lahan Gambut di Sumatera, Kalimantan dan Papua</figcaption></figure>
Sejatinya, produk kelapa sawit (CPO dan turunnya) bukanlah produk “haram”. Yang menjadi permasalahan adalah cara memproduksi sawit di lahan gambut dengan cara merusak ekosistem lahan gambut. Salah satu pemicu kebakaran hutan gambut adalah <a href="https://theconversation.com/riset-tunjukkan-cara-baru-penyelamatan-lahan-gambut-yang-bisa-menguntungkan-masyarakat-sekaligus-mencegah-kebakaran-hutan-142844" target="_blank" rel="noopener">keringnya</a> lahan tersebut yang disebabkan pengeringan lahan gambut untuk budidaya (pertanian dan perkebunan). Konsesi dan masyarakat lokal sering melakukannya untuk mendapatkan cara yang cepat dan minim biaya. Seperti <a href="https://tirto.id/perusahaan-sawit-terbukti-bakar-lahan-gambut-kalbar-didenda-rp238-m-fUo1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PT Prana Indah Gemilang (PIG) </a>yang terbukti membakar lahan gambut dan didenda Rp238 miliar. Angka yang kecil dibandingkan total kerugian akibat kebakaran mencapai <a href="https://bisnis.tempo.co/read/1235545/kerugian-ekonomi-akibat-kebakaran-hutan-capai-ratusan-triliun/full%26view%3Dok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rp221 triliun.</a>
Menjadi masuk akal ketika Parlemen Uni Eropa mengeluarkan kebijakan larangan perdagangan produk CPO yang berasal dari Indonesia. Parlemen Uni Eropa memiliki landasan yang jelas sebagai bentuk implementasi <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjZ6d6PgZnxAhWo7XMBHSBzDR8QFjADegQIChAD&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Figj.or.id%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F04%2FCPO-Indonesia-ditolak-Uni-Eropa_Palm-Oil-Issues.pdf&amp;usg=AOvVaw0vl8qIi6bi4-J7U2y8hXE1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">penggunaan renewable energy</a> yang tertuang dalam<a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-8-2017-0392_EN.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> “Report on the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the</a> <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-8-2017-0392_EN.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Council on the Promotion of the use of Energy from Renewable Source”</a>. Serta, produk CPO dianggap menciptakan deforestasi, degradasi habitat satwa, korupsi, memperkerjakan anak hingga pelanggaran hak asasi manusia (HAM).
Namun, peran penting yang banyak dilupakan dibalik deforestasi gambut akibat perubahan alih fungsi lahan gambut adalah lembaga keuangan khususnya perbankan. Lembaga keuangan perbankan seharusnya ikut bertanggung jawab karena menjadi sumber dari operasional perkebunan sawit. Dalam laporan <a href="https://forestsandfinance.org/bank-policies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Forest &amp; Finance</a> yang melakukan penilaian kualitas dan ketahanan pembiayaan dan investasi pada lembaga keuangan yang memiliki dampak langsung pada deforestasi hutan. Dengan menggunakan table kriteria penilaian, dimana 10 poin diberikan jika lembaga keuangan berkomitment dengan tegas dan begitu sebaliknya. Skor dari 35 kriteria ditambahkan menjadi skala 0 sampai 10. Dari setidaknya 54 lembaga keuangan yang dinilai, terdapat 4 bank di Indonesia didalamnya. Yaitu Bank Central Asia, Bank Mandiri, Bank Negera Indonesia, dan Bank Rakyat Indonesia. Keempat perbankan yang berasal dari Indonesia tersebut memiliki nilai kumulatif dibawah 5. Dan dikategorikan belum mengedepankan unsur ESG (environment, social dan governance). Seperi contohnya dalam kategori environment, Bank Central Asia, Bank Mandiri, Bank Negera Indonesia, dan Bank Rakyat Indonesia secara berturut-turut mendapatkan 0.85, 5.95, 1.7, 6.79 untuk sektor perkebunan kelapa sawit.
Hingga saat ini, pemerintah telah melalukan berbagai upaya untuk menjaga ekosistem lahan gambut tetap lestari namun juga tidak mengesampingkan aspek sosial ekonomi masyarakat lokal disekitar lahan gambut. Seperti, pembentukan Badan Restorasi Gambut, POJK Nomor 51/POJK.03/2017 tentang penerapan keuangan berkelanjutan bagi lembaga jasa keuangan, emiten dan perusahaan publik hingga moratorium Inpres Nomor 8 tahun 2018 tentang perbaikan tata kelola sawit. Namun, data-data diatas menjadi bukti implementasi beberapa peraturan dan kebijakan pemerintah belum maksimal.
Terdapat kelemahan dari peraturan dan kebijakan pemerintah dalam mendukung pelestarian lahan gambut adalah lemahnya pengawasan dan penindakan implementasi keuangan berkelanjutan. Padahal, penerapan keuangan berkelanjutan bisa mejadi potensi
yang besar karena terdapat kesadaran kolektif dimasyarakat. Dampaknya perekonomian nasional bisa tumbuh tanpa adanya deforestasi lahan gambut. Hal ini memberikan gambaran bahwa komitmen yang terbentuk antar stakeholder untuk mengembangkan pembiayaan berorientasi lingkungan hanya terealisasikan diatas kertas.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Implementasi-Keuangan-Berkelanjutan-dapat-Menyelamatkan-Hutan-Gambut-di-Indonesia-2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-227405 alignleft" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Implementasi-Keuangan-Berkelanjutan-dapat-Menyelamatkan-Hutan-Gambut-di-Indonesia-2.jpg" alt="" width="100" height="152" /></a>
Mahfud Roid Fatoni merupakan pemenang kedua dalam TJF Challenge Citizen Journalism yang merupakan bagian dari acara Peat Party, diselenggarakan oleh Tay Juhana Foundation dan didukung oleh Geotimes. Acara ini dipersembahkan untuk memperingati Hari Gambut Sedunia yang jatuh pada setiap tanggal 2 Juni.

Implementasi Keuangan Berkelanjutan dapat Menyelamatkan Hutan Gambut di  Indonesia

This article was originally published on <a href="https://geotimes.id/lomba/menumbuhkan-asa-melalui-restorasi-gambut-indonesia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">geotimes.id</a>.
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Lapisan tanah pada lahan gambut diketahui mampu <a href="https://indonesia.wetlands.org/id/pendekatan-kami/kekayaan-gambut/#read-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">menyimpan paling sedikit 550 gigaton karbon</a>. Jumlah ini terbilang dua kali lipat lebih banyak dibandingkan jumlah karbon yang tersimpan di hutan dunia. Indonesia sebagai negara tropis memberikan kontribusi besar terhadap luasan lahan gambut yang menempati peringat kedua terbesar dunia, <a href="https://katadata.co.id/timpublikasikatadata/infografik/5e9a519433cb1/luas-gambut-indonesia-terbesar-kedua-di-dunia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">luasan lahan gambut Indonesia mencapai 22.5 juta hektar (ha)</a>.
Dibalik keistimewaanya, perasaan gelisah tak kunjung redup tatkala rentetan berita kerap menyorot kondisi gambut yang luasannya semakin menyusut. Kabar mengenai peningkatan jumlah emisi karbon acap terdengar seiring dengan berkurangnya luasan lahan gambut Indonesia. Masih banyak orang yang belum mengetahui siapasih sebenernya si Gambut ini?
Kenali Dahulu, Apa Itu Gambut
Sebutan gambut merujuk pada tanah berwarna hitam yang menyimpan <a href="https://www.pantaugambut.id/pelajari/apa-itu-gambut" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kandungan material organik yang subur dan terbentuk dari akumulasi pembusukan</a> sisa pohon, rerumputan, lumut, dan jasad hewan yang membentuk timbunan dalam jangka waktu yang lama. Gambut merupakan struktur tanah yang mampu menyerap air pada saat musim penghujan dan menjadi sumber air tanah pada saat musim kemarau. Bagi individu yang tidak asing akan eksistensinya, gambut memiliki berbagai julukan laksana ‘surga karbon’, ‘emas karbon’, dan ‘emas hitam’.
Lahan Gambut dengan Beragam Kebaikannya
Manusia enggan menyadari substansi gambut sebagai pendukung kehidupan, bagi kebanyakan orang ekosistem gambut <a href="https://indonesia.wetlands.org/id/berita/paludikultur-memanfaatkan-lahan-gambut-agar-selalu-basah/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dinilai sebagai ekosistem yang memiliki produktivitas rendah, kurang menyokong nilai ekonomi, dan tidak bisa diupayakan</a>. Kenyataannya gambut memberikan berbagai ragam kebaikan sebagai penghasil sumber oksigen bagi makhluk hidup, pengatur fungsi regulasi air, penyimpanan karbon, sumber kehidupan masyarakat, rumah bagi keanekaragaman hayati satwa dan puspa, dan mitigasi bencana hidrometeorologi.
Pada penelitian <a href="https://www.cifor.org/knowledge/publication/4840/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sofyan Kurniqanto</a>, memaparkan pentingnya lahan gambut Indonesia yang berkontribusi penting bagi mitigasi perubahan iklim karena mereka menciptakan suatu sistem penyimpanan yang sumpurna untuk mengunci keberadaan karbondioksida di dalam tanah agar tidak lepas ke udara. Lahan gambut akan menjadi gudang karbon ketika dilindungi, namun menjadi sumber gas rumah kaca yang berbahaya ketika dihancurkan. Butuh waktu ribuan tahun untuk mendapatkan kembali karbon yang hilang akibat konversi lahan.
Suara Pilu yang Terdengar dari Lahan Gambut
Pilu yang dirasakan gambut lantaran kerap dipandang sebelah mata oleh manusia karena dianggap tidak berguna, menyebabkan kondisi lahan ini semakin kritis. Menyedihkan, ketika <a href="https://forestsnews.cifor.org/26501/hilangnya-lahan-gambut-mengemisi-karbon-senilai-2-800-tahun-dalam-sekejap-mata-riset?fnl=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prediksi para ilmuwan</a> menjelaskan keberadaan lahan gambut Indonesia kerap digunduli, dikeringkan, dikonversi, dan dibakar demi kepentingan pembukaan lahan untuk perkebunan sawit-akasia, pembangunan infrastruktur, dan pertanian.
Alih-alih ekspansi lahan gambut Indonesia yang semakin meluas, dianggap menghasilkan keuntungan ekonomi yang cukup besar. Sementara itu bahaya yang ditimbulkan apabila lahan gambut dilakukan pengeringan, maka karbondioksida yang telah tersimpan rapat akan lepas ke udara. Akibatnya tanah gambut yang kering akan rentan terbakar dan menyebabkan kebakaran yang sangat besar. Kebakaran hutan juga akan mengakibatkan serangkaian dampak terhadap hilangnya habitat dan spesies keanekaragaman hayati di dalamnya, timbul permasalahan kabut asap yang begitu gelap sehingga mengganggu kesehatan, terganggunya sektor perhubungan karena kabut yang menghalangi jarak pandang, kerugian finansial negara, serta semakin banyak karbondiosida yang akan dilepaskan ke udara.
Setiap tahunnya terdengar rentetan berita mengenai sumbangan kabut yang bertiup ke beberapa negara tetangga yang berasal dari daerah yang cukup rawan seperti Sumatera dan Kalimantan, sehingga menimbulkan isu yang menjadi sorotan dunia. Papua menjadi salah satu daerah yang masih diharapkan dengan kawasannya yang cukup baik. Kebakaran gambut adalah permasalahan krusial yang menjadi agenda tahunan saat terjadinya musim kemarau yang berkepanjangan.
Bantu Cari Jalan Keluar untuk Gambut Indonesia
Memulihkan kembali lahan gambut yang telah terdegradasi menjadi tanggung jawab semua komponen lapisan masyarakat. Hal yang dapat dilakukan untuk menanti gambut Indonesia yang lebih baik adalah dengan mengurangi deforestasi dan degradasi lahan gambut, merehabilitasi dan merestorasi lahan gambut, serta menanamkan wawasan pentingnya gambut kepada masyarakat sehingga masyarakat pun mendukung untuk menghindari penebangan, pengeringan, dan pembakaran sebagai modus pembukaan lahan.
Restorasi gambut dilakukan untuk mengembalikan area gambut yang memiliki fungsi ekologis bagi lingkungan terhadap kawasan yang terdegradasi. Badan Restorasi Gambut (BRG) dibentuk sebagai lembaga yang memiliki tanggung jawab terhadap upaya restorasi gambut di Indonesia.
Strategi restorasi gambut dilakukan dengan <a href="https://brg.go.id/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">menerapkan 3R</a> yaitu pembasahan kembali (rewetting) yang dapat dilakukan dengan metode sekat kanal (canal blocking), penimbunan kanal (canal backfilling), dan sumur bor (deep weels); penanaman kembali (revegetation) meliputi kegiatan persemaian (nursery), pembibitan (seedlings), penanaman (seedlings tranplantation), dan regenerasi alami (natural regeneration); serta revitalization of local livelihoods meliput kegiatan land-based: paludiculture (pohon sagu, galam, jeluteng, dll), water based (perikanan), dan env-service-based (ekowisata dan perdagangan karbon)
Pembahasan kembali lahan gambut dapat dilakukan melalui upaya pembangunan sumur bor (deep well), sekat kanal (canal blocking), dan penimbunan kanal (canal backfilling) yang bertujuan untuk mengurangi laju aliran keluar dan menaikkan kapasitas simpanan air di badan kanal dan sekitarnya. Manfaat metode ini dilakukan untuk membasahi keadaan lahan gambut yang sudah kering dengan cadangan air yang berasal dari tanah agar tetap lembab ketika musim kemarau dan digunakan sebagai sumber air ketika terjadi kebakaran lahan pada daerah tersebut. Kemudian terdapat tata kelola yang dikenal dengan kubah gambut sebagai usaha konservasi dan penyimpanan air. Taklupa dilakukan pemasangan alat pemantau tinggi muka air (TMA), karena dengan <a href="https://katadata.co.id/timpublikasikatadata/berita/5e9a51a58456a/ini-alasan-mengapa-restorasi-gambut-penting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">menjaga muka air memberikan banyak kekuntungan</a> yakni mengembalikan tumbuhnya vegetasi alami dan kelembaban lahan.
Memberikan masukan kepada pemangku kepentingan negara untuk membuat kebijakan dalam perizinan konversi lahan gambut dan memberikan edukasi, sosialisasi, serta partisipasi aktif masyarakat desa dan kader restorasi gambut adalah solusi untuk mengurangi permasalahan yang kerap menimpa gambut. Mari bergerak untuk turut memberikan solusi terhadap gambut Indonesia agar tetap menghijaukan bumi.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/sada.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-227398 alignleft" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/sada.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/sada.jpg 404w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/sada-300x300.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/sada-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>
Alifah Fitam Rakhma Sari merupakan pemenang pertama dalam TJF Challenge Citizen Journalism yang merupakan bagian dari acara Peat Party, diselenggarakan oleh Tay Juhana Foundation dan didukung oleh Geotimes. Acara ini dipersembahkan untuk memperingati Hari Gambut Sedunia yang jatuh pada setiap tanggal 2 Juni.

Menumbuhkan Asa Melalui Restorasi Gambut Indonesia

&#8220;What does the soul truly want is a story.&#8221; – Joseph Campbell.
A decade ago, people started using social media to disseminate information. As time goes by and technology becomes more sophisticated, people find it easier to find, analyze, and disseminate information until the term citizen journalism emerged. The presence of sites that provide a forum for people to write blogs makes the trend of citizen journalism develop along with increasing diverse issues, one of which is agricultural issues.
Agricultural issues in citizen journalism are very transient, ranging from the latest agricultural conditions, tips and tricks, and ways to grow crops to information about agricultural facts that are rarely known by the general public. In June 2021, TJF provided citizen journalists with the opportunity to share news and stories about peat farming around us. This event was held to celebrate World Peat Day, which commemorates every June 2nd.
Raising the #PeatTale campaign, which was part of the #PeatParty event, more than 20 citizen journalists sent their tales about peatland. Ihsan Fawzi (Tay Juhana Foundation) and David Krisna Alka (Geotimes) selected the three best tales published on the Geotimes, who was supported this event.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/WhatsApp-Image-2021-06-25-at-16.13.34.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-227389 size-medium" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/WhatsApp-Image-2021-06-25-at-16.13.34-300x300.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/WhatsApp-Image-2021-06-25-at-16.13.34-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/WhatsApp-Image-2021-06-25-at-16.13.34-1024x1024.jpeg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/WhatsApp-Image-2021-06-25-at-16.13.34-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/WhatsApp-Image-2021-06-25-at-16.13.34-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/WhatsApp-Image-2021-06-25-at-16.13.34-700x700.jpeg 700w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/WhatsApp-Image-2021-06-25-at-16.13.34.jpeg 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a>
The winners included Alifah Fitam Rakhma Sari with the title of &#8221; <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/blog/menumbuhkan-asa-melalui-restorasi-gambut-indonesia/">Menumbuhkan Asa Melalui Restorasi Gambut Indonesia</a>,&#8221; Mafhud Roid Fatoni with the title &#8220;<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/blog/implementasi-keuangan-berkelanjutan-dapat-menyelamatkan-hutan-gambut-di-indonesia/"> Implementasi Keuangan Berkelanjutan dapat Menyelamatkan Hutan Gambut di Indonesia</a>,&#8221; and Wildan Aria Nugraha with his work &#8221; <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/blog/gambut-oh-gambut-bank-karbon/">Gambut oh Gambut, Bank Karbon</a>.&#8221; These three Peat Tales can be accessed through the Geotimes and Tay Juhana Foundation websites.
We thank all of the fantastic citizen journalists for sharing their tales. For those who haven&#8217;t had a chance to be a winner, keep spreading the word! There will be other exciting events throughout the year related to food and agriculture issues organized by TJF.

#PeatTale Challenge: Citizen Journalists Share Their Stories

What words pop in your mind when you hear ‘peatlands’? This was the opening question of our Peat Talk, a webinar held for celebrating the second year of World Peatlands Day this year. On June 15th, TJF organized this webinar titled “Peatland and Sustainability: What About Them?” for all &#8211; including those familiar with peatlands and who don’t. We invited one of our researchers, Zara; Sara Thornton from Leicester University and Borneo Nature Foundation (BNF); and Rainer Heufers from Center of Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS).
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/webinar.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-227378 size-full" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/webinar.png" alt="#PEATPARTY Report: Exploring Peatlands and Sustainability" width="1366" height="768" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/webinar.png 1366w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/webinar-300x169.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/webinar-1024x576.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/webinar-768x432.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1366px) 100vw, 1366px" /></a>
The participants’ answers to the opening question vary from: ‘wetlands’, ‘carbon’, ‘fires’, ‘restoration’, ‘mosquitos’, ‘sustainability’, ‘blessing’, to ‘never heard before.’ To accommodate this wide range of basic knowledge on peatlands, our webinar discussed this unique ecosystem in terms of its opportunities and challenges for supporting sustainability in local, regional, even global scopes.
The webinar opened with an outlook of peatlands situation in different regions. Sadly, negative news about peatland is more often heard, for example, the peat forest fire in Kalimantan that happens almost annually, becoming a global issue. In reality, good stories come from peatlands. Peatlands can look different from tropical to temperate climate countries, with each unique feature, not only from the environment but from the human living in it. Sara shared a lot of documentation on her works in different peatland regions &#8211; both in Europe and Kalimantan (Asia) along with the abundance of their ecosystem services, from biodiversity, carbon storage, to livelihood sources for locals.
Continuing the discussion, Zara talked about her experience facing the challenge of changing people’s mindset about peatlands utilization, which indeed needs to be done extra carefully. Rainer gave his opinion that represents the part of the public who are unfamiliar with peatlands, making them unaware of the sustainability issue in its situation.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/kkk.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-227380" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/kkk.png" alt="#PEATPARTY Report: Exploring Peatlands and Sustainability" width="959" height="509" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/kkk.png 959w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/kkk-300x159.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/kkk-768x408.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 959px) 100vw, 959px" /></a>
The dialogue was fueled further by the participants’ questions who were curious about the cases on peatland regions management &#8211; ranging from agriculture, aquaculture, to tourism. In any case, sustainability is highlighted as a tricky aspect, since its definition is quite broad and all-encompassing. The human element definitely makes sustainability more complex. Combined with peatlands’ unique character,  there is no ‘one size fits’ all to address the sustainability challenge in peatlands. 
Nearing the end of this event, we organized a quiz to recap the discussion (congratulations to the winners). This event was then concluded with a simple takeaway: we can do so much more to support peatland ecosystems, at the very least changing the mindset that it’s not an ecosystem with challenges, but one full of opportunities!
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-227382" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/hjk.png" alt="" width="455" height="271" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/hjk.png 455w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/hjk-300x179.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 455px) 100vw, 455px" />

#PEATPARTY Report: Exploring Peatlands and Sustainability

Let’s start by defining ‘peat; using your own interpretation. As written in the community board of this 24-hours festival, some people describe peat as space without binaries, with flexible limits and blended perceptions. It is also the between-space where past, present, and future meet. Where rigidity is overwhelmed by creativity. An interdisciplinary reality where we celebrate the versatility of peatlands. This various exposition of peat is only expanding during the journey of this event.
On May 29th, a youth-led group called RE-PEAT organized ‘Peat Fest’ &#8211; the original and only 24-hour online festival completely dedicated to peat. On its second occasion, the event spans a whole day (midnight to midnight BST, British Summer Time) also to commemorate World Peatlands Day (June 2nd).
In line with their core, RE-PEAT wants people joining Peat Fest to exchange ideas, co-create knowledge and learn from each other. Noyara represented TJF to fill in one of the sessions. She discussed carbon balance in peatland using a study case researched by TJF team earlier this year.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/WhatsApp-Image-2021-05-29-at-12.04.16-PM.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-227355 size-full" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/WhatsApp-Image-2021-05-29-at-12.04.16-PM.jpeg" alt="" width="916" height="487" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/WhatsApp-Image-2021-05-29-at-12.04.16-PM.jpeg 916w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/WhatsApp-Image-2021-05-29-at-12.04.16-PM-300x159.jpeg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/WhatsApp-Image-2021-05-29-at-12.04.16-PM-768x408.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 916px) 100vw, 916px" /></a>
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/pasted-image-0-1-e1623814437599.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-227357 " src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/pasted-image-0-1-e1623814437599-1024x546.png" alt="" width="913" height="487" /></a>
Peatland is one of the largest terrestrial carbon storage, it stores 6x more carbon than upland tropical forests. Thus, peatland is originally is a carbon sink. However, under unfortunate circumstances, peatland can be a carbon source &#8211; especially when you heard peat fires on the news. The cause of this is often unsustainable utilization of peatland. Some agriculture practice is also responsible for this damage.
Still, there is hope! Peatland agriculture can be made sustainable, as found in our study case. A coconut plantation in Pulau Burung has more carbon sequestration than emission &#8211; making it carbon positive. While water management is a vital factor, there are other things to consider. It leads to alive and interactive discussion with the session participants. Peat Fest finished successfully with involvement of worldwide parties.
On another note, TJF will also have its Peat Party to celebrate this land. You can have some fun in the fruitful activities while supporting peatland uniqueness.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/pasted-image-0-2-e1623814647329.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-227359" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/pasted-image-0-2-e1623814647329.png" alt="" width="1331" height="163" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/pasted-image-0-2-e1623814647329.png 1331w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/pasted-image-0-2-e1623814647329-300x37.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/pasted-image-0-2-e1623814647329-1024x125.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/pasted-image-0-2-e1623814647329-768x94.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1331px) 100vw, 1331px" /></a>
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Peat-Fest 2021: Dive deep into the peat

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How well do you know about peatland? So far, there is no single formal definition of &#8216;peat&#8217; and &#8216;peatland,&#8217; with different interest groups using their own definitions. But, the basics define peat as soil that is formed by organic matter from remains of dead and decaying plant material. Indonesia has a total area of around 14,8 million hectares, or around 3.5% of global peatland area. 
Peatland is one of the most exposed suboptimal land types with its uniqueness yet also the most misunderstood. In recent decades, the buzz around peatland stems from land use management issues. Unclear and overlapping assignments cause a lack of clarity leads to unsustainable peatland management practices. 
As the soul of TJF is to optimize sustainable agriculture of  suboptimal lands (this includes peatlands!) for food security, it becomes our interest to shed more light on what happens with our peatlands to you. To commemorate the World Peatlands Day, TJF will throw a ‘Peat Party’ from 28 May until 22 June 2021. 
#PeatParty 
Click Image to Join the event!
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CPxKHbNt0-v/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-227336" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/tjfchallenge-80.jpg" alt="" width="1281" height="584" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/tjfchallenge-80.jpg 1281w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/tjfchallenge-80-300x137.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/tjfchallenge-80-1024x467.jpg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/tjfchallenge-80-768x350.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1281px) 100vw, 1281px" /></a>
<a href="http://tiny.cc/PeatSight" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-227345" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/new2-80.jpg" alt="" width="1281" height="584" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/new2-80.jpg 1281w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/new2-80-300x137.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/new2-80-1024x467.jpg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/new2-80-768x350.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1281px) 100vw, 1281px" /></a>
<a href="http://tiny.cc/PeatTalk" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-227347" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/new3-80.jpg" alt="" width="1281" height="583" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/new3-80.jpg 1281w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/new3-80-300x137.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/new3-80-1024x466.jpg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/new3-80-768x350.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1281px) 100vw, 1281px" /></a>
We hope you are excited to get ready knowing more peatland. Celebrating this land will be our effort to bring betterment in its management. 
Check out our IG for daily trivia! 
Happy World Peatland Day!
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Let’s Go Peat Party-ing!

The Live Talk entitled “Merawat Pangan di Tengah Krisis Iklim” was a discussion forum routinely organized by the Tay Juhana Foundation (TJF). This forum, which is open to the public, discussed on-field agriculture practices.
Ica Wulansari attended this discussion as a Social-Ecological Study Reviewer and Dipa, a young farmer who graduated from Gadjah Mada University (UGM). Ica Wulansari said that the climate crisis is real. The agricultural sector, which is highly dependent on nature, is heavily affected by the climate crisis. Which should be summer, but the rainfall is still fairly high. This affects agricultural practices so that the welfare of farmers is increasingly vacillating.
Dipa as a farmer who is directly involved in the field, confirmed this. According to him, today&#8217;s farmers have to rack their brains frequently to not fail in their harvest. Due to this, not a few farmers have switched professions. In fact, farmers are the spearhead of food security in Indonesia.
In line with the objectives of the TJF Live Talk, it is hoped that stakeholders such as the government can provide convenience to farmers, such as by providing subsidies because farmers are more vulnerable to crop failure. It also invites millennials to be interested in becoming farmers so that farmers in Indonesia experience regeneration.

TJF Live Talks: Merawat Pangan di Tengah Krisis Iklim

This article was originally published on <a href="https://geotimes.id/opini/lahan-suboptimal-dalam-disrupsi-pertanian/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">geotimes.id</a>.
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Sejarah menceritakan bahwa manusia telah hidup dan bertahan sejak lama di bumi ini. Manusia bertahan dengan banyak cara dengan memanfaatkan insting mereka. Berdasarkan catatan sejarah, keterbatasan pengetahuan manusia pada awal kehidupan dalam memanfaatkan material yang ada di bumi ini membuat mereka benar-benar bergantung kepada insting agar dapat bertahan hidup.
Salah satu insting paling tajam manusia yang membuat mereka bisa bertahan sampai hari ini adalah keinginan untuk makan dalam rangka menjaga keberlangsungan hidup. Berdasarkan insting ini, kemudian manusia mengembangkan banyak cara, mulai dari berburu, bertani, hingga menciptakan teknologi yang mempermudah proses pengolahan bahan mentah menjadi bahan siap makan. Hal ini terlihat dari <a href="https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/History_of_agriculture" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bukti arkeologis</a> yang menunjukkan tahap perkembangan dari satu generasi ke generasi selanjutnya selama lebih dari 10.000 tahun.
Pertanian merupakan salah satu cara yang dikembangkan oleh manusia dalam memastikan kerberlangsungan sumber makanan mereka. Melalui pertanian, kehidupan manusia mengalami perkembangan yang sangat pesat dan perlahan-lahan mulai <a href="http://museum.pertanian.go.id/berita/Mengenal-Peradaban-Pertanian-Masa-Lampau-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">menciptakan kebudayaan</a> dimana mereka untuk pertama kalinya bisa terhubung dengan manusia dari komunitas atau kelompok lain melalui perdagangan antar wilayah. Berdasarkan catatan ini, pertanian berkembang menjadi aspek penting dalam bidang ekonomi selama berabad-abad.
Catatan sejarah menggambarkan bagaimana Inggris mengalami peningkatan produktivitas pertanian pada abad ke-17 hingga ke-19. Tahapan ini dikenal luas sebagai <a style="font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.crestcapital.com/tax/history_of_agriculture" target="_blank" rel="noopener">British Agricultural Revolution</a> atau diterjemahkan secara literal menjadi Revolusi Pertanian Inggris. Revolusi ini kemudian mendunia karena para petani pada tahapan ini mengembangkan metode pertanian baru dalam mengolah lahan berawa atau berhutan dan menaman varietas tanaman baru.
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Pasca Revolusi Pertanian Inggris, teknologi pertanian semakin berkembang dengan pesat, salah satunya adalah pembaharuan yang terjadi pada bajak. Pada awalnya bajak ditarik oleh kuda dan diawal 1900-an mulai berkembang sampai akhirnya menggunakan mesin. Ada <a style="font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.scidev.net/asia-pacific/opinions/disruptive-technologies-transform-asian-agriculture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">empat inovasi</a> dalam pertanian yang tercatat sebagai inovasi penting di awal abad ke-20, yaitu: genetika, mekanisasi, pupuk, dan pestisida. Empat hal ini memungkinkan lahan yang semakin sedikit untuk memproduksi lebih banyak makanan, pakan, dan serat.nologi baru.
Perjalanan Revolusi Pertanian
Revolusi adalah hal yang tidak bisa dihindari dalam keberlangsungan pertumbuhan dan perkembangan. Revolusi menawarkan sebuah inovasi besar yang akan mendobrak stagnansi dari sebuah sistem – yang sering disebut sebagai disrupsi. Hal ini juga terjadi dalam pertanian, inovasi seperti bibit unggul dari varietas tanaman baru menawarkan potensi yang luar biasa. “Revolusi Hijau” di tahun 1960-an membuat negara-negara besar di Asia meningkatkan hasil panen dengan varietas padi dan gandum baru. Dampak nyata dari disrupsi inovasi ini adalah Asia memiliki ketahanan pangan untuk pembangunan ekonomi.
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Teknologi digital hari ini menjadi tumpuan banyak sektor, tidak terkecuali pertanian. Istilah “agtech” atau teknologi pertanian sebagai dampak Revolusi Industri mulai santer digaungkan sejak awal tahun 2000-an hingga hari ini. Penggunaan teknologi seperti drone, sensor, dan AI (Artificial Intelligence) adalah beberapa contoh dari disrupsi pertanian yang menarik di era ini.
Bentuk lain dari <a href="https://www.scidev.net/asia-pacific/opinions/disruptive-technologies-transform-asian-agriculture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">disrupsi pertanian</a> adalah bioteknologi, yaitu pengembangan varietas tanaman dengan menggunakan modifikasi genetik sebagai salah satu metodenya. Menurut data yang dihimpun dari berbagai sumber, pada tahun 2018 Asia menumbuhkan 11% tanaman bioteknologi dunia, sekitar 19 juta hektar di sembilan negara. Kemungkinan lain yang diharapkan akan memberikan dampak besar adalah penyuntingan gen dalam bioteknologi baru.
<a href="https://geotimes.id/opini/lahan-suboptimal-dalam-disrupsi-pertanian/#the-hidden-story-of-the-food-we-eat-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lahan Suboptimal</a> dan Disrupsi Pertanian
Sebuah sistem akan berjalan dengan baik jika didukung oleh semua elemennya. Dalam pertanian, konteks ini terkait dengan pertumbuhan penduduk, iklim, degradasi, serta alih fungsi lahan. Tren-tren tersebut merupakan tantangan yang harus dihadapi dalam memajukan pertanian. Contohnya adalah pada pemanfaatan lahan, harus disadari bahwa tidak semua lahan yang saat ini digunakan merupakan lahan subur. Disrupsi pertanian juga dapat berbentuk pengelolaan lahan kurang subur atau <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/resources/suboptimal-land-series-part-1-an-introduction-to-sustainable-agriculture-practice-on-suboptimal-land/">lahan suboptimal</a>, seperti lahan kering, lahan basah, dan rawa.
Lahan, sebagai salah satu sumber daya yang terus berkurang namun penting untuk menghasilkan makanan, semakin rusak dan terbatas. Lahan subur dimana kita bisa bercocok tanam semakin berkurang. Nyatanya, dengan ketersediaan lahan suboptimal, <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/resources/suboptimal-land-series-part-2-can-we-practice-sustainable-agriculture-on-suboptimal-land/">budidaya dengan prinsip keberlanjutan</a> dapat dimanfaatkan untuk produksi pangan. Tentunya dibutuhkan strategi untuk mendukung produksi tanaman pangan berkelanjutan di lahan suboptimal.
<a href="http://conference.unsri.ac.id/index.php/lahansuboptimal/article/view/2002" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Penerapan inovasi dan teknologi</a> seperti pemilihan komoditas, pupuk organik, perbaikan tanah, pengaturan tanam, konservasi tanah dan air, serta manajemen air dalam penggunaan lahan haruslah berdasarkan kepada pemikiran untuk meningkatkan produktivitas lahan suboptimal yang berkelanjutan.
Berangkat dari sejarah dan keberhasilan manusia di masa lalu dalam mempertahankan keberlangsungan hidup mereka, banyak hal yang bisa dipelajari khusunya dalam bidang pertanian. Pertanian memiliki peran penting sebagai penyedia pangan yang menjadi awal terbentuknya kebudayaan manusia. Banyak disrupsi, seperti revolusi dan penerapan teknologi, terjadi dalam perkembangan pertanian. Semuanya bertujuan untuk meningkatkan produksi demi terciptanya ketahanan pangan. Di era dimana lahan menjadi modal yang semakin terbatas, penerapan <a href="https://geotimes.id/opini/masa-depan-pada-pertanian/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">teknologi pertanian</a> juga terjadi dalam pengelolaan lahan suboptimal berkelanjutan. Diharapkan, disrupi ini dapat mendukung ketersediaan dan keamanan pangan regional, nasional, hingga global.
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Lahan Suboptimal dalam Disrupsi Pertanian

Water is fundamental in every aspect of life. Even a 4% deficiency of water in the human body can lead to dehydration, and a deficit of more than 15% can be fatal. Not only in the body, but water is also an essential factor in ensuring the availability of our food because water is a crucial aspect of agriculture and fisheries.
In agriculture, water is used to grow crops. Each type of land has different water management to optimize agricultural yields. Therefore, water management is needed. Safe and effective management of agriculture will have a positive effect on food production.
<a href="https://www.worldwaterday.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Water Day</a> is celebrated every 22 March, and this year’s theme is &#8220;Valuing Water,&#8221; which encourages conversations about the meaning of water in our lives. T-Talk &#8211; short for TJF Talk which has an objective as a forum for discussion and dissemination on sustainable agriculture for food security, was celebrating World Water Day by holding a discussion entitled &#8220;Air di Piring Kita: Tata Kelola Air untuk Produksi Pangan.&#8221; This discussion was bringing the theme &#8220;The significance of water and its management in food production&#8221; by presenting three speakers, namely Noyara Rahmasary (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/tayjuhanafoundation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TJF</a>), Dally C. Shafar (TFF Ambassador / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/biopsagrotekno/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BIOPS Agrotekno Indonesia</a>), and Lakshita Aliva Zein (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/banoo.id/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Banoo</a>).
The webinar was also supported by <a href="https://thoughtforfood.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thought for Food</a>, a pioneer of next-generation innovation and startup acceleration for food and agriculture, and was attended by more than 30 participants. Noya presented water management in suboptimal land, especially peatland. It was followed by Aliva, who discussed water management technology for aquaculture for good captured fish, ended by Dally, who discusses water technology for agriculture.
<figure id="attachment_227290" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-227290" style="width: 985px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/WhatsApp-Image-2021-04-06-at-9.39.31-AM-e1617676901501.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-227290 size-full" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/WhatsApp-Image-2021-04-06-at-9.39.31-AM-e1617676901501.jpeg" alt="" width="985" height="253" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/WhatsApp-Image-2021-04-06-at-9.39.31-AM-e1617676901501.jpeg 985w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/WhatsApp-Image-2021-04-06-at-9.39.31-AM-e1617676901501-300x77.jpeg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/WhatsApp-Image-2021-04-06-at-9.39.31-AM-e1617676901501-768x197.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 985px) 100vw, 985px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-227290" class="wp-caption-text">Survey on water for agriculture before (left) and after (right) the webinar</figcaption></figure>
The T-talk moderator, Dewi, showed changes in the participants&#8217; understanding of water at the beginning and the end of the webinar. When asked what comes to our mind about water in agriculture, the answer could be &#8220;irrigation,&#8221; &#8220;expensive,&#8221; or &#8220;it needs a lot.&#8221; However, at the end of the webinar, the participants agreed that water in agriculture is not about the &#8220;difficulty&#8221; but about the importance of water which can be maximized so that its benefits will reach our plates.
If you are curious or want to learn more about water management in agriculture, you can download the three speakers&#8217; material at the link below (click on the picture to download). You can also participate in safeguarding our food security by following other TJF&#8217;s programs on social.
<figure id="attachment_227298" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-227298" style="width: 225px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YOTydXtSzEuVlP0390RWSIwBY7T86USD/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-227298" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screenshot-58.png" alt="" width="225" height="126" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screenshot-58.png 1594w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screenshot-58-300x168.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screenshot-58-1024x573.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screenshot-58-768x430.png 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screenshot-58-1536x860.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-227298" class="wp-caption-text">TJF (click the picture to download)</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_227296" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-227296" style="width: 225px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/14dHWqH28IU559b98_0gV3PsbA4ZnKbQ_/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-227296" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screenshot-57.png" alt="" width="225" height="126" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screenshot-57.png 1500w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screenshot-57-300x168.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screenshot-57-1024x575.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screenshot-57-768x431.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-227296" class="wp-caption-text">Banoo (click the picture to download)</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_227294" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-227294" style="width: 225px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/14LFK2GParjFwHtk4iyTKutr2aUeyFcr2/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-227294" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screenshot-56.png" alt="" width="225" height="127" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screenshot-56.png 1454w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screenshot-56-300x169.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screenshot-56-1024x577.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screenshot-56-768x433.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-227294" class="wp-caption-text">BIOPS (click the picture to download)</figcaption></figure>
&#8220;Thousands have lived without love, not one without water&#8221; – WH Auden

T-Talk Webinar: Air di Piring Kita

March 2021 is a mark that our struggle to &#8220;coexist&#8221; with the COVID-19 pandemic has been going on for one year, and no doubt that we will continue to fight. In the most crucial matter in human life, namely food, what is the ongoing pandemic&#8217;s specific impact?
In February 2020, the media platform <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kontekstualcom/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kontekstual.com</a> raised the issue of conditions and projections for food security during the pandemic. Kontekstual is the International Study online media formed in 2018 using the language of Indonesia and Indonesian perspectives. One of the platforms used by Kontekstual is a podcast called Podcast Bebas Aktif. On this occasion, Podcast Bebas Aktif discussed food security in Southeast Asia by inviting the TJF Research Coordinator, Zara, as a guest speaker. Previously, Zara had also published a brief discussing the impact of COVID-19 on food security in Southeast Asia together with Shofwan Al Banna Choiruzzad.
<figure id="attachment_227278" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-227278" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/denny-aulia-X1Rowr3Jxk0-unsplash-scaled-e1617014146824.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-227278 size-full" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/denny-aulia-X1Rowr3Jxk0-unsplash-scaled-e1617014146824.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1676" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/denny-aulia-X1Rowr3Jxk0-unsplash-scaled-e1617014146824.jpg 2560w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/denny-aulia-X1Rowr3Jxk0-unsplash-scaled-e1617014146824-300x196.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/denny-aulia-X1Rowr3Jxk0-unsplash-scaled-e1617014146824-1024x670.jpg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/denny-aulia-X1Rowr3Jxk0-unsplash-scaled-e1617014146824-768x503.jpg 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/denny-aulia-X1Rowr3Jxk0-unsplash-scaled-e1617014146824-1536x1006.jpg 1536w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/denny-aulia-X1Rowr3Jxk0-unsplash-scaled-e1617014146824-2048x1341.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-227278" class="wp-caption-text">Traditional Market in Indonesia ©Denny Aulia/Unplash</figcaption></figure>
Discussion started with Zara introducing suboptimal land and its relationship to food security. Food security has become one of Southeast Asia&#8217;s most important issues, especially with the current pandemic conditions. This podcast continued by discussing how COVID-19 affects food security in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia, what has been done to overcome this issue, and what the state or society can offer to maintain food security.
This podcast can be accessed via <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/1peIRV7ooHFwjHMF1WQWkV" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Food Security in Southeast Asia</a>. The February 2021 TJF Brief can be accessed via <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/resources/covid-19-implication-to-food-security-in-southeast-asia/">COVID-19: Implication to Food Security in Southeast Asia</a>.

Kontekstual Podcast: Ketahanan Pangan di Asia Tenggara

&#8220;Women are NOT weak, suboptimal lands are NOT useless.&#8221; The story below proved it.
Saturday morning, the TJF team went to a village in Pulau Burung, Indragiri Hilir, to meet two wonder farmers. It was a warm morning as warm as their smile to welcome us. The warmest thing was the love that Defi showed to her mother.
&#8220;I want to make mom forever young and beautiful,&#8221; said Defi while hugging his mom tightly on the field of spinach. She is just a seven-year-old girl who has a passion no less than her farmer mother, Ribka. Ribka migrated from Medan to a village on Pulau Burung when she was young. She has no previous farming experience and did not know what to do with the peatland near her house. Then, she met an older woman who was very enthusiastic about cultivating the land. Ribka thought, &#8220;She can do it. I am way younger than her; why could not I do it.&#8221; Ribka raised Defi and her three other children with tears and strong muscles to revamp the (peat)land she borrowed from an acquaintance. Although it was hard at first, Ribka has now managed this land for five years.
<figure id="attachment_227232" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-227232" style="width: 1708px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/DSC01452-scaled-e1616489429792.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-227232 size-full" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/DSC01452-scaled-e1616489429792.jpg" alt="" width="1708" height="1433" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/DSC01452-scaled-e1616489429792.jpg 1708w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/DSC01452-scaled-e1616489429792-300x252.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/DSC01452-scaled-e1616489429792-1024x859.jpg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/DSC01452-scaled-e1616489429792-768x644.jpg 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/DSC01452-scaled-e1616489429792-1536x1289.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1708px) 100vw, 1708px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-227232" class="wp-caption-text">Ribka and Monita show their land to TJF team ©Tay Juhana Foundation</figcaption></figure>
&#8220;We start at 7 am and go back home at 7 pm,&#8221; said Ribka while showing her spinach on the ground. Not only spinach, but Ribka also planted water spinach and mustard greens with her farmer&#8217;s best friend, Monita. It was not easy indeed; Ribka and Monita sometimes have to face crop failures due to weather, such as drought and floods, not to mention the difficulty of finding seeds and government assistance.
However, Ribka and Monita&#8217;s fighting spirit, and Defi, who always encouraged her mother, were exemplary. Their efforts to plant crops in the land that people think is &#8220;impossible&#8221; have proven a better way for a better agriculture future. This spirit is what she has held firmly until now. Success does not depend on gender and age; passion and hope will always stay young. Together with her best friend, Monita, they prove that their spirit and hope will make suboptimal land a source of livelihood. Ribka and Monita are women at the forefront of our food security. Defi wouldn&#8217;t let age slow her mom down; they are strong and beautiful. They thank you for your two minutes of reading their story and support them with appreciation.
Happy International Women Day for all of the women in the whole world who are as strong and beautiful as they are! We wish this story could be an inspiration for us as they were inspired by another woman. They took the challenge and did it. Would we dare to #ChooseToChallenge and bring the change?

Women on the Field: Suboptimal Land Agriculture is Possible!

This article was originally published on <a title="sixdegreesnews" href="https://www.sixdegreesnews.org/archives/29913/impacts-of-covid-19-food-security-under-threat-in-indonesia" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">sixdegreesnews</a>.
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Studies coming out on the impact of covid-19 point that food security is under an immense threat and farmers are on the brink of loosing their livelihood. here is an example based on a survey in indonesia.
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Various policies have been implemented in all countries to prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as the policy of practicing physical distancing, enforcing lockdowns and export restrictions. The pandemic outbreak and the policies afterward have affected various aspects of life. One aspect that is also affected by these policies is the food security sector. In Indonesia, the direct and indirect impacts have been felt by the community and will continue if they are not addressed well. In particular, the export restriction policy practiced by many countries could “<a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/agriculture/brief/food-security-and-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hurt food security in importing countries</a>“, according to the World Bank.
<a href="http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/cfs/Docs1314/GSF/GSF_Version_3_EN.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Food security</a> could be achieved when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. The four pillars of food security are availability, access, utilization, and stability.
This is a dynamic risk and is currently being added to the impact of a pandemic outbreak with various policies that can further affect food security. In the FAO’s latest report, there is an additional 83 to 132 million people who will face food insecurity due to the pandemic. The indirect impact of COVID-19 is still to unfold.
According to an <a href="http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/1307458/icode/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">article</a> published by FAO on the Impacts of COVID-19 on food security and nutrition published in September 2020, there are significant disruptions to the food supply chain as the lockdown policy affects food availability, prices, and quality. The rapid phone survey conducted by the World Bank also shows that the widespread impact of Covid-19 has decreased many people’s incomes. The disruption of food availability and quality, inflation, and a decrease in many people’s income lead to food insecurity and malnutrition, especially in countries with low- and middle-income and developing countries.
Farmers are the first to face Food Insecurity threat
Meanwhile, in the agricultural productivity aspect, supply disruption and inflation has caused food production insecurity. As the spearhead of our food system, farmers are a group of people who are vulnerable to the impact of COVID-19. Based on a survey conducted in Indonesia by <a href="https://aip-prisma.or.id/data/public/uploaded_file/ruRG_26.11.20_PRISMA_The_Impact_of_COVID-19_to_Farmers_Survey_Summary.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Prisma</a>, a development partnership between the Government of Australia and the Government of Indonesia to accelerate poverty reduction through promoting inclusive economic growth found that 34% of respondents experienced decreasing demand during COVID-19, and 63% of respondents experienced a decrease in the selling price of farm produce. Both issues lead to decreased farmers’ household income. Furthermore, farmers would reallocate their budget, and about 30% of farmers stated that they would reduce their farming capital for the rainy season. The survey was conducted in Central Java, East Java, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, and West Papua.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/image-3.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-227189" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/image-3.png" alt="" width="501" height="331" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/image-3.png 624w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/image-3-300x198.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 501px) 100vw, 501px" /></a>
<figure id="attachment_227191" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-227191" style="width: 493px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/image-5.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-227191" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/image-5.png" alt="" width="493" height="372" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/image-5.png 679w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/image-5-300x227.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 493px) 100vw, 493px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-227191" class="wp-caption-text">Images © Prisma</figcaption></figure>
It’s a global food crisis
The World Bank, in a brief entitled “<a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/agriculture/brief/food-security-and-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Food Security and COVID-19</a>“, concluded several “hot spots” that are prone to be affected by food insecurity due to COVID-19, namely (1) vulnerable and conflict-affected countries that have difficulties in logistics and distribution even in normal circumstances, (2) Countries with multiple impacts crises such as extreme weather condition and pests, (3) low-income and vulnerable people, including 820 million people who have previously faced food shortages before COVID-19, and (4) countries with depreciating currencies and which experienced falling commodity prices.
In addition to the COVID, in Asia and Africa, <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/factsheet/2020/04/27/the-locust-crisis-the-world-banks-response" target="_blank" rel="noopener">locusts’ plague</a>, the worst in decades so far, is impacting food manufacture across 23 countries. Some of these countries, such as in Sub-Saharan ones, also experience exposure to the risk of rising domestic food prices due to the fact they are net food importers. The findings also show how the world should gather more support for smallholder farmers who often belong to the vulnerable groups due to COVID-19 yet they are key actors of our food system.
Indubitably, the things we face today must be urgently solved. All parties must be actively involved with the first realistic step: hand in hand to stop the spread of COVID-19. The plan of distributing vaccines will be a good step towards the sustainability of all aspects of life. Especially in food security, real efforts should be made to facilitate farmers’ access to agricultural capital as they are the spearhead of food security. The welfare of farmers will significantly affect the well-ordered course of food production to ensure food security. Simultaneously, the world can reinforce the economic sector around the world and avoid the risk of malnutrition caused by not being able to afford the right foods.

Impacts of COVID-19: Food security under threat in Indonesia

Joni is a young farmer-to-be who was born in Kalimantan, Indonesia. His parent sent him to Jakarta since he was a kid to live with his aunt and get a better education. On his 18th birthday, he got news from his aunt, which would change his whole life.
On the day when he was supposed to get happiness, he was shocked by the news of his parent&#8217;s death. Joni had to go back to Kalimantan, just to found out that his parents have left him with a testament that says Joni will inherit his parents&#8217; farmland, which specifies a wetland, only if Joni can solve the challenges.
These challenges mean nothing but to prepare Joni to manage the farmland well. The thing is&#8230;&#8230;.Joni has no idea about anything on the farmland; he doesn&#8217;t know what a wetland is. To honor his parents, he chose to stay in his hometown and claim his farmland. Joni would need your help to do this. What do you say?
That was the story about Joni. Today, Joni is farming on his land. That was all because of your help. Joni honors his parents through cultivating his land in sustainable ways.
&#8212;
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/wetlandchallenge3-80.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-227226 size-full" title="Help Joni to Find Treasure from His Parents! " src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/wetlandchallenge3-80.jpg" alt="" width="1080" height="1080" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/wetlandchallenge3-80.jpg 1080w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/wetlandchallenge3-80-300x300.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/wetlandchallenge3-80-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/wetlandchallenge3-80-150x150.jpg 150w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/wetlandchallenge3-80-768x768.jpg 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/wetlandchallenge3-80-700x700.jpg 700w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px" /></a>
To commemorate International Wetlands Day, we held an online event from 3 February until 9 February, consist of two activities: trivia and treasure hunt. The event brought up the story of Joni and the call to help him. As the account has been told above, nine of our friends who could help Joni were rewarded IDR 100k OVO/Gopay vouchers.
In the daily trivia, which was held from 3 until 8 February, 30 friends helped Joni a day. We created one trivia per day on TJF&#8217;s Instagram story as a warming-up so that our friends understand better about the wetland.
As for the treasure hunt, 50 kind friends were hand in hand with Joni to complete the quests and learn about wetlands. We prepared a link that leads them to the place where they were meant to solve the quests. Hence, we found our nine fastest friends who answered the inquiries correctly.
We thank our friends for the endeavor to help Joni. All of the participants were astonishing! The competition of hunters was so fast. The correct answer between hunters was only a fraction of a second away. How incredible!
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If you are not yet the nine fastest hunters, don&#8217;t be discouraged!
Joni will come with various other challenges this year!
Stay tuned on TJF&#8217;s social media to keep you updated with exciting news and challenges!

TJF Wetlands Day Challenge: Help Joni to Find Treasure from His Parents!

What&#8217;s up with the mangrove ecosystem in Indonesia? Is there any significant effect of mangrove deforestation on our daily lives?
This first TJF Live Talks in 2021 invited a lecturer from Semarang State University, Vina Nurul Husna, to discuss the changes in mangrove forests in Indonesia. This discussion was also one of TJF&#8217;s agendas in celebrating World Wetlands Day. Wetlands occur where water meets the soil, one of which is mangroves. Mangroves can be found in tropical and subtropical areas, especially tidal regions, often inundated with saltwater.
Moderated by Dwi, Vina explained that nearly one million hectares of ± 3 million hectares of mangrove forests in Indonesia had been deforested since 1800, of which 80% is used for aquaculture development. The early development of cultivation increased in the culture and economy of the community.
Aquaculture is an important sector to support food security and the national economy. The utilization of mangroves is an opportunity to both increase food security and the economy for local communities. Vina said that mangroves could also function as dams, where when on land there is an overflow of water or large waves of water, mangroves can serve to block the flow of the water so that flooding does not occur.
With its abundance of natural mangrove forests, Indonesia must be grateful for the many benefits that mangroves provide. Instead of converting mangrove forests, it is better to use them properly and sustainably. It is not grandiose if we hope that mangrove forests that are well utilized can bring great good to the earth&#8217;s future because of their significant role in climate change mitigation strategies. Apart from that, mangroves also provide benefits for local communities as a means of supporting their livelihoods.

TJF Live Talks: Ada Apa dengan Mangrove?

It was the first time T-talk was held interactively with the general public, presenting three speakers from TJF who brought discussions on sustainable agriculture on suboptimal land. Andika Julian brought up food insecurity and the food estate program as one of the solutions to securing food security, especially in Indonesia.
A presentation followed the discussion by Ihsan, who specifically discussed the use of peatlands for agricultural activities. It turns out that farming on peatlands is possible if it is done with the proper management, one of which is good water management. This certainly reduces dependence on fertile land, which is depleted. Noya discussed suboptimal land, which is often referred to as marginal land, degraded land, or infertile land. Although suboptimal land is defined as the land with low productivity and benefits, this land can be optimized through proper and sustainable cultivations.
<figure id="attachment_227265" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-227265" style="width: 1183px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Screenshot-41.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-227265 size-full" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Screenshot-41.png" alt="" width="1183" height="621" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Screenshot-41.png 1183w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Screenshot-41-300x157.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Screenshot-41-1024x538.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Screenshot-41-768x403.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1183px) 100vw, 1183px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-227265" class="wp-caption-text">© Tay Juhana Foundation</figcaption></figure>
As a moderator in the discussion, Zara gave the opportunity to attendants to provide questions, information, or input to the speakers. Several participants were involved in this interactive discussion, one of whom was Mr. Roberta from the Islamic University of Indragiri, who shared his experiences in suboptimal land research in Riau.
Although this T-talk is the last discussion in 2020, in the future, TJF will continue to hold conversations that the general public can also follow. TJF plans to regularly hold discussion forums on various social media platforms and conference call platforms. Hopefully, this discussion forum will have a real impact in sharing knowledge about suboptimal land and good agriculture management.

T-Talk: Kaleidoskop Pangan dan Pertanian Kita

The Jakarta Food Security Summit (JFSS) 2020 was held on 18-19 November 2020 with the theme National Economic Recovery to improve food security and nutrition, as well as to improve the welfare of farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and food processing actors. It was the fifth time that JFSS has been held since 2010. Unlike previous years, the Covid-19 pandemic forced the event to be held virtually. 
Current situation with our food sector
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) opened this series of events by encouraging and supporting the food sector and giving recognition to Indonesian food heroes. In his remarks, Jokowi stated that the growth of the food and agriculture sectors will continue to be developed due to the pandemic that occurred this year. We always rely heavily on the food sector to support people&#8217;s needs. Besides, increasing population also greatly affects the growth of these sectors.
In his remarks, Jokowi encouraged the food sector to develop in innovative ways to increase the efficiency of the production process, the level of food quality, affordable prices, next to improving the carrying capacity of environment and the welfare of farmers. Farmer corporations must become the basis for development by prioritizing added value at the on-farm and off-farm stages. To achieve farmers&#8217; welfare, development should also be based on modern technology to make it more efficient and productive.
Jokowi also directly asked Kamar Dagang dan Industri (KADIN) to increase the target of farmer involvement in the food program to 2 million farmers by 2023. This program is in the form of farmer assistance starting from nurseries, post-harvest, to financial literacy &#8211; all aim to improve farmers&#8217; welfare. He hoped that this inclusive collaborative business model can boost the food sector as a new economic power that opens up more jobs.
First steps taken and planning efforts
Chairman of KADIN, Rosan Roeslani, said that currently Kadin has assisted 1 million farmers and he is optimistic that the increase in farmer involvement can double by 2023. In addition, Kadin has also proposed a upstream-downstream partnership model called “Inclusive Closed Loop” that has been proven to increase farmer productivity and welfare. In this partnership scheme, farmers as the main character will be connected directly with various stakeholders.
Based on the Global Food Security Index (GFSI), Indonesia&#8217;s situation has improved from 2015 to 2019, which was previously ranked 75 to 62 currently out of 113 countries. Unfortunately, this increase is greatly influenced by increased imports, hence not reflecting the real situation within the country. Increased production of agricultural products must continue to be increased because this sector is very strategic for sustainable economic growth and long-term food security.
According to the Vice-Chairman of KADIN for Agribusiness, Food, and Forestry, Franky Oesman Widjaja, Indonesia has made a right decision by not stopping the operations of the agricultural, livestock, and industrial processing sectors when facing the pandemic situation. In a situation like this, of course, food security is needed. Besides dealing with the pandemic, food security is needed vitally to cope with the situation and to improve resilience toward population growth, climate change, and land conversion.
How to move forward
JFSS introduced us to a model called “Inclusive Closed Loop” that can increase food productivity and farmers&#8217; welfare. This partnership model is carried out starting from training, access to superior seeds and appropriate fertilizers, good agricultural practices. It also includes access to funding, and guarantees of purchasing products by companies that provide consistent assistance, knowledge of financial literacy and utilizing technology.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Screenshot-2.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-227006 size-full" title="Jakarta Food Security Summit 2020: Indonesia’s Effort to Elevate Economic Growth, Food Security, and Farmers’ Welfare" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Screenshot-2.png" alt="" width="963" height="545" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Screenshot-2.png 963w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Screenshot-2-300x170.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Screenshot-2-768x435.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 963px) 100vw, 963px" /></a>
According to Franky Oesman, the key to success in increasing food production is by creating a conducive ecosystem and business model, government support, farmer cooperatives and creating more food estates, building an integrated supply chain, multi-stakeholder cooperation with farmers.
On this occasion, Basuki Hadimuljono, the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing, reminded the importance of the water component in the success of the agricultural sector. Water might seem to only represent a small component in the agricultural cycle, but if there is no water then everything else is zero. Water availability and its management constitute up to 18% of the success of rice production. One way to ensure water factor in agriculture, water irrigation management is needed. The government has announced the construction of 16 dams and 45 dams are underway.
Meanwhile, Arif Satria, Chancellor of the Bogor Agricultural University, summarized three keywords for future agriculture, namely inclusive, precision, and sustainable. The future agriculture with increased productivity of agricultural products will contribute to the improvement of food security. From an economic perspective, this will also greatly affect the increase in economic rate by fulfilling the world food demand.

Jakarta Food Security Summit 2020: Indonesia’s Effort to Elevate Economic Growth, Food Security, and Farmers’ Welfare

T-Talk &#8211; short for TJF Talk &#8211; is a program that originates from an internal discussion of the TJF team to identify themes related to TJF dreams, conduct independent literary research and communicate those things. In different episodes, the six TJF team members presented various topics. In October 2020, a T-Talk entitled &#8220;About Suboptimal Land&#8221; was uploaded to the YouTube channel to share messages from the discussion with the public. It was followed by a T-Talk entitled &#8220;Our Agriculture Hero&#8221; in November, and for the first time, this discussion forum was broadcast live on the YouTube channel.
In this T-Talk series, each TJF team member shares a story about an agricultural hero who is admired for his extraordinary courage and achievements, especially in providing food for humanity. It started with Andika Julian, who told a story about agricultural extension workers who became important actors in the success of agricultural activities, but ironically, there are fewer agricultural extension workers. Followed by Ihsan, who told about the character of Cultivar in Green Revolution, Norman Borlaug, who produced new kinds of &#8220;dwarf&#8221; wheat that resisted rust, yielded well and had short stems.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Screenshot-36.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-227258" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Screenshot-36.png" alt="" width="1195" height="621" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Screenshot-36.png 1195w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Screenshot-36-300x156.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Screenshot-36-1024x532.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Screenshot-36-768x399.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1195px) 100vw, 1195px" /></a>
Noya told about Kang Arif, who gave farmers workshops differently; he did not speak in a room with a microphone and projector, but instead went directly to the field with farmers, created a YouTube channel, and campaigned for modern agriculture. The discussion was continued by Dewi, who chose Pak Soleh as her hero who practices sustainable agriculture for coffee commodity.
Zara brought a story from Gunung Kidul about Mrs. Suparijiyem, who was inspired by a social gathering of women and then created a community called Menur Women Farmers (MWF) and invited her friends to build a business where they grow vegetables and tubers. This discussion was closed by Dwi, who presented that all female farmers are heroines and brought a story about female farmers in Kokida who carry out the main agricultural activities together with their husbands who prepare the land.
The six heroes and heroines presented by the TJF team are the main actors in our food security. This discussion is dedicated to fighters at the forefront of food production. Without them, our food security will undoubtedly be threatened. They deserve high appreciation for ensuring food for every human being on earth.

T-Talk: Our Agriculture Hero

Still discussing about peatlands, this <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CHm6g7tplni/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">live talk</a> focused more on the relationship between peatlands and carbon. In contrast to other lands, peatlands are called unique as they are composed of piles of organic matter. Peatland and carbon are closely linked; it is in the nature of peatlands to store carbon. The carbon stored by soil and plants on peatlands can be ten times the carbon stored by soil and plants on mineral lands.
The area of ​​peatland itself only covers 3% of the total land area on earth. But the potential of peatlands can store carbon as much as 18-30% of existing carbon. That is why cultivating peatlands need to go along with careful consideration. The impact on the environment will be hazardous if large amounts of carbon are released into the air and impact the earth&#8217;s climate.
In Indonesia, there were peatland fires with a total area of ​​1.2 million hectares or 24 times Jakarta or half of West Java province in 2019 caused by nature and human-made. If we look at this, naturally, many carbon emissions exacerbate the greenhouse effect. Maintaining the sustainability of peatlands is very important for the people of the earth. Besides being able to be planted, peatlands can also absorb large amounts of carbon. But in reality, there are still irresponsible parties burning peatlands for conversion regardless of environmental factors that will come later on.

TJF Live Talks: Nanti Kita Cerita Tentang Karbon ini

Began with an elaboration on the definition of suboptimal land, this online discussion presented a TJF researcher, Nurul Ihsan Fauzi. Ihsan explained that in simple words, suboptimal land is less fertile land such as peatland. This <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CHfQ63CpFYw/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">live talk</a> focused on a discussion about the results of research on coconut plantations on peatlands.
Since so many lands were being used for modernization, there is a concern about whether food security is sufficient to meet human needs in the future. Therefore, peatlands began to be used for farming. Cultivating peatlands is like a double-edged sword; if appropriately handled, peatlands can be a solution for food security, but if they are not handled properly, they can cause negative impacts. Good management is needed so that the sword does not stab us.
<figure id="attachment_227241" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-227241" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/TIMO1676-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-227241 size-full" title="TJF Live Talks: Kebun Kelapa Raksasa di Gambut Kita" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/TIMO1676-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/TIMO1676-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/TIMO1676-300x200.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/TIMO1676-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/TIMO1676-768x512.jpg 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/TIMO1676-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/TIMO1676-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-227241" class="wp-caption-text">Coconut Plantation in Pulau Burung/©Tay Juhana Foundation</figcaption></figure>
It is not easy to <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/our-work/our-project/peatland-research/">manage peatlands</a>, but it is not impossible. Several factors that must be considered include environmental, social, and economic factors. All of these factors must go hand in hand in order to achieve sustainability, not only last for 1 or 2 years. This sustainable practice has been conducted in one of the coconut plantations on Burung Island. Apart from having a good impact on the surrounding community, this practice also does not damage the environment.
The most important thing to achieve the success of suboptimal land management, in this case, peatland, in a sustainable way is to pay attention to water management. Good water management and in accordance with government regulations can maintain soil moisture. Besides being able to maintain carbon emissions, humidity can also prevent forest fires, considering that peatlands are very susceptible to fire. This is proven by the coconut plantation on Burung Island, which has been around for about 50 years and is one of the largest producers of coconut products.

TJF Live Talks: Kebun Kelapa Raksasa di Gambut Kita

The live talk entitled &#8220;Kisah Kasih Padi dan Gambut&#8221; was the first TJF&#8217;s interactive discussion forum that was open to the public through the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CHXgEHcpVxD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram Live</a> platform. TJF Live Talks raises the discussion about agriculture practices on suboptimal land in a sustainable manner, one of which is agriculture on the peatlands.
Currently, there are many issues about peatlands, considering that the government continues to promote farming on peatlands to achieve food security. That was the background of TJF in holding this interactive discussion forum. TJF Live Talks began with an introduction to <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/">TJF</a> and its areas of focus. TJF Research Coordinator Ika Zahara, who presented this discussion, said that the idea of ​​developing the <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/kawal-lumbung-pangan/">food estate</a> on peatland is a good idea. That is primarily intending to achieve food security and in order to have diversified food diversification. Ironically, because the track record carried out by the government has not produced good results, this issue is being a matter of doubt for the wider community.
Farming on peatlands can be done as long as it is not on protected land and does not damage the peat ecology. Utilizing peatlands for agriculture has its challenges, such as high acid and water content, flammability, and many other factors that must be considered. The objectives of this TJF Live Talks include providing insight to people who are unfamiliar with peatlands, introducing terminology related to peatlands, and discussing the good and bad impacts that agricultural practices on peatlands can cause.

TJF Live Talks: Kisah Kasih Padi dan Gambut

Farmers are the primary actor of food security. Their work is essential to ensure the stable production of food that prevents the world from hunger and malnutrition. Alas, it is quite often we find the farmers are in vulnerable condition due to ecosystem degradation, unfair commodity trade, and low capacity development. To make the farmers more resilient and independent, empowerment programs are considered as one of the solutions to improve their capabilities.    
To put simply, empowered means having the capacity to make effective choices that result in desired outcomes. By being <a href="https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/7441" target="_blank" rel="noopener">empowered</a>, someone can expand their assets and capabilities to participate, negotiate, influence, control, and hold accountable institutions that affect their lives. Essentially, empowerment is <a href="https://www.oecd.org/derec/sweden/46146440.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a process and an outcome of participation</a>.
The above concept is the framework that becomes basic principles of many capacity development programs. In line with this notion, Coastal Field School (CFS) has been deployed to equip the fish-farmers groups with skills and knowledge to enhance their livelihood. Our collaborator, Blue Forests, have been implementing this approach in a number of sites including in Sulawesi and Central Java.  
The fish-farmers were gathered to enable group discussion, situation analysis, presentation, and collective action in building sustainable practice. CFS facilitates the fish-farmers to identify the problem they face and how to address them. The program duration typically lasts for one farming cycle or a year with a total number of meetings that might range from at least 12 up to 16 meetings. CFS consists of ten program principles which include: 
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Field as a learning practice,</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Facilitation instead of teaching, </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Learning by doing,</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Farmers as experts,</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Comparative experiments,</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Integrated curriculum, </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Team building, </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Agro-ecosystem analysis, </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Special topics, </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Participatory monitoring and evaluation. </li>
</ol>
These aspects are a form of comprehensive approach to implement a farmer empowerment program with the main aspiration to have tangible impact in empowering the targets.

Farmer Empowerment: What and Why

After a while, we finally have the initial findings from the research collaboration between TJF and 
Blue Forests Foundation. On 27-28 October 2020, we disseminated the results through participation 
in the 6 th International Conference on Tropical and Coastal Region Eco Development (ICTCRED) 2020 in the University of Diponegoro, Semarang. This conference is held virtually and is aimed to promote scientific findings within the scope of aquacultures, marine science, coastal management, fisheries, and the likes.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Zara1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-226887" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Zara1.png" alt="" width="1366" height="728" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Zara1.png 1366w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Zara1-300x160.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Zara1-1024x546.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Zara1-768x409.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1366px) 100vw, 1366px" /></a>
In TJF and Blue Forests collaboration, we did field research, interviewed the farmers, and analyzed 
the data within our study area, that is in Bedono Village in Demak Regency. The village is located in Demak’s coastal area where the mangrove ecosystem thrives and people’s main livelihood is aquaculture practice. However, in the past years, the mangroves and aquaculture ponds have become degraded. To address the challenge, an approach named coastal field school or CFS is implemented under the Building with Nature (BwN) project.
Our objective is to understand how CFS can affect the fish farmers to improve their capacity to have 
sustainable aquaculture practice. In ICTCRED, we show the findings that the CFS participants’ 
knowledge of sustainable aquaculture management has significantly improved hence they are able 
to gain a shellfish productivity rate by nearly 30%. Not only improving productivity leads to the 
increasing income of the households, fish farmers who participate in CFS were also more aware of 
the practices that give a minimum negative impact on the environment. Further, TJF and Blue 
Forests are planning to continue the partnership through the advocacy of sustainable wetland 
management.

From Field to Conference Screen: Empowering Fish Farmers for A More Sustainable Aquaculture

Swampland is among suboptimal land types commonly found in coastal areas in Demak. It has 
become the source of livelihood and has a vital ecosystem service, especially the mangrove forests 
that naturally grow along the shoreline. Over decades, the local communities have been massively 
practicing seafood cultivation. Unfortunately, many of them had irresponsibly cleared the mangrove 
forests to build the fish ponds. In the 1980s, the mangrove almost disappeared as it had been largely 
converted into ponds that made the coast severely degraded.
Not only mangrove that disappeared, the farmers’ ponds were also faded away due to intense rob 
flood and erosion. It is also hard to cultivate commodities like milkfish, shrimp, and shellfish since 
there’s no mangrove that provides a healthy nursery and quality nutrient. Seeing this condition, Blue 
Forests, along with other organizations, have been implementing ecosystem restoration and 
aquaculture farmers’ empowerment under the Building with Nature (BwN) project during 2015- 
2020.
The program has a series of activities where one of them was conducting Coastal Field Schools (CFS) 
in multiple villages in Demak such as Bedono, Timbulsloko, and Tambakbulusan. CFS facilitates the 
farmers to identify the problem they face and how to address them. CFS served as an empowerment 
tool that helped the farmers to observe what kinds of aquaculture products that are viable for their 
local condition, how to sustainably cultivate them, and produce higher yields which positively affect 
their income. The application of field school has been widely used and successfully increased ponds 
productivity and profitability through technical advice and training.
Recognizing this program could help the farmers to sustainably transform their unproductive 
wetland into productive one, TJF is working with Blue Forests to disseminate their research results 
and program impact to wider audiences. A heavily damaged mangrove and ponds area like Bedono 
village is selected to be our research focus because it is necessary to encourage farmers to maintain 
their ponds and convince them that there are possible ways to manage the ponds to be productive 
again. So that the farmers could secure the food resource. It will also prevent them from clearing the 
mangrove forest in the different areas to build another pond. Expectedly, the mangrove and coastal 
region outside the degraded land would remain intact.

How Coastal Field School Can Empower Fish-Farmer to Attain Sustainable Aquaculture

On 13-14 October 2020, TJF’s research team had the opportunity to present our research at the International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture (ICoSA 2020). The ICoSA 2020 is an international event organized virtually by Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta. This conference provides a platform to enable information exchange about sustainable agriculture in Indonesia. 
Two of our research were presented in this conference. The first research is titled “An integrated water resource management for sustainable peatland management on coconut agriculture in Indonesia.” The research shows the successful approach used by more than 30-years old coconut plantation in managing sustainable agriculture in peatland area in Riau Province. To examine sustainability, we used five parameters which represent the three aspects of sustainability (environmental, social, and economical). Our findings show that the implemented integrated water management in the coconut plantation area has a significant impact on minimizing subsidence and carbon loss, while maintaining coconut productivity and supporting regional development.
Meanwhile, the second research is titled “Lesson learned from the development of sustainable rice farming in peatland.” This research about rice farming shows that it is possible to practice rice farming in peatland in sustainable ways. Definitely, with several considerations and applications that concern the water management system, next to the analysis of selected ameliorants and crop varieties. This research can support the development of food estates in the peatland area due to Covid-19 pandemic. You can access our presentation <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/resources/integrated-water-resource-management-for-sustainable-peatland-management-on-coconut-agriculture/">here</a> for first research and <a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/resources/rice-farming-in-peatland-lesson-learned-from-indragiri-hilir/">here</a> for second research. 
<figure id="attachment_226854" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-226854" style="width: 1037px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Best-Presenter-ICOSA-2020.jpeg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-226854" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Best-Presenter-ICOSA-2020.jpeg" alt="" width="1037" height="581" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Best-Presenter-ICOSA-2020.jpeg 1037w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Best-Presenter-ICOSA-2020-300x168.jpeg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Best-Presenter-ICOSA-2020-1024x574.jpeg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Best-Presenter-ICOSA-2020-768x430.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1037px) 100vw, 1037px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-226854" class="wp-caption-text">Ika Zahara Qurani (TJF Researcher) is selected as Best Presenter at ICOSA 2020</figcaption></figure>
ICOSA 2020 ended with a parallel session that gave us more knowledge about food and agriculture. For, example, one research showed the various antibrowning agents in fresh cut apple cv manalagi. At the end of the conference, the organizer committee announced their selection of best presenters where our rice research presentation was given the award. As grateful as we are to receive the award, we aspire that our research can contribute to development of sustainable agriculture in Indonesia.

Sustainable Agriculture in Peatland: Dissemination of Our Findings in International Conference

This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3105794/coronavirus-can-make-hunger-crisis-worse-indonesia-and-world-need" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South China Morning Post</a>.
Indonesia was ranked 70th out of 117 qualifying countries by the Global Hunger Index in 2019, and the pandemic threatens to make this worse. Increasing food production and quality with a sustainable approach requires immediate action led by research and innovation in the agricultural sector.
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The latest findings of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) show more than 800 million people worldwide are going hungry, 90 per cent of them in developing countries. This involves food availability and affordability as well as undernutrition, inadequate vitamins or minerals, obesity and diet-related disease. Hunger is an easy parameter to characterise food insecurity and the indirectly malnourished.
Indonesia was ranked 70th out of 117 qualifying countries by the Global Hunger Index in 2019. The ranking indicates the country’s severe hunger problem which has led to a high number of cases of stunted growth, mostly caused by insufficient nutrients in a child’s diet. It is strongly related to poor economic conditions, and Covid-19 is making the situation more complicated.
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Indonesia has implemented a policy that helps poor people with small amounts of cash aid, and it aims to increase the ability to obtain food or purchase basic necessities. However, the programme does not solve the problem in the long term, since the aid only serves as a temporary safety net during the pandemic. At the end of 2019, Indonesia was reported to have 22 million starving people. This number is expected to increase after the Covid-19 pandemic, as unemployment numbers could rise to more than 12 million people.
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The issue of providing food is affected by many factors, including ecology. There is limited land for new agricultural development. Today, half of all habitable land on Earth is used for agriculture. In Java alone, thousands of hectares of cropland area have converted for use in housing or industrial development. With little possibility to expand, increasing food production per hectare is the best option.
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Finding a way of increasing food production and quality with a sustainable approach requires immediate action from various stakeholders. This action should begin with research and innovation in the agriculture sector. The combination of investment in intensive research, collaboration and technology development has caused a green revolution. Creating a variety of species that can thrive on suboptimal land, use water efficiently and have higher yields will be useful for food production.
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<div class="generic-article__body article-details-type--p content--p" data-v-79472f39="" data-v-575b4fd5="">Sustainable and nutrition-sensitive agriculture is a long-term solution to tackling hunger locally and globally. Sustainability principles involve water management, commodity market provision and efficient food distribution and diversification. If these are properly implemented, reducing malnourishment is possible without sacrificing the environment.</div>
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Coronavirus Can Make Hunger Crisis Worse: Indonesia and the World Need Swift Action

The fourth T-Talk was held on October 9, 2020. Six TJF members presented different topics with one key theme: Suboptimal Land, the main issue on which TJF focuses on. 
This T-Talk edition opened by Julian with food sovereignty, which can be supported by sustainably utilizing suboptimal land. Noya brought up how leveraging sustainable suboptimal land cultivation can bring us to a healthier diet and give the example of the practice in Indonesia&#8217;s local communities. Still talking about communities, Dewi presented a case study of how suboptimal land can affect the surrounding community welfare in Yala Swamp. The presentation continued by Zara with her main topic about how technology can be applied to boost suboptimal land cultivation in some countries. Ihsan ended this T-Talks session with an explanation about Suboptimal Land&#8217;s role in supply chain issues.
From some of the descriptions discussed by our team, this edition of T-Talk pictured various perspectives related to suboptimal land, the importance of cultivation on this land, and other aspects that can be observed from the case studies of suboptimal land cultivation which has ever practiced before. 
Watch the full video of this T-Talk <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7UmVYgB3aA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here.</a>

T-Talk: Suboptimal Lands

We should get prepared to shift our view on agriculture development due to climate change. The changing rainfall patterns tend to prolong the dry season. Hence, the adaptation of agriculture practice to climate change is essential to make sure sustainable food production. Moreover, it is not only climate change that can hamper food production in the agricultural sector. We also have the loss of agriculture lands to the built-up area, next to hectares of farmland loss &#8211; being degraded &#8211; due to unsustainable use and management. To cope with these problems, farmers are required to use appropriate technologies and have better land management. 
The concern above was the talk of the opening plenary session during the 1st International Conference on Sustainable Tropical Land Management. Indonesian Centre for Agricultural Land Resources Research and Development, which is under the Ministry Agriculture of Indonesia, held this conference on 16-18 September 2020.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/poster-circular-2_page-0001-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-226743" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/poster-circular-2_page-0001-1.jpg" alt="" width="1194" height="1025" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/poster-circular-2_page-0001-1.jpg 1194w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/poster-circular-2_page-0001-1-300x258.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/poster-circular-2_page-0001-1-1024x879.jpg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/poster-circular-2_page-0001-1-768x659.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1194px) 100vw, 1194px" /></a>
One of the speakers on the opening plenary session was Prof Meine van Noordwijk from the World Agroforestry Centre. In his talk, he focused on the topic of <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/8/240/htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">water in agriculture</a>. Agricultural activities have induced the loss of hydrologic functions linked to infiltration, with some practice worse than others. His research results show that agriculture in the form of infiltration-friendly agroforestry can minimize infiltration and erosion. Better land management in agroforestry practice with canopy cover around 55 percent can maintain infiltration and keep erosion at acceptable levels. It eventually results in sufficient groundwater recharge for sustainable water input to stream and spring. 
The two-day conference output was indeed to formulate improved management systems in the tropics to increase climate change resilience. Increasing resilience means improving the food system’s ability to respond and adapt to any disruption, so it can keep functioning properly. Only practicing sustainable agriculture is not enough in this changing food system due to climate change and Covid-19. Innovation in sustainable agriculture is necessary to make our food system resilient. It ranges from technology applications such as online delivery systems, biofertilizers, and solar water pump irrigation systems. It should be noted that after finding this innovation, the imminent challenge is to ensure that these new approaches are practical for the farmers.

A Necessity for Adaptive and Sustainable Agriculture Practice

This article was originally published on <a href="https://wle.cgiar.org/thrive/2020/09/16/optimism-sustainable-peatland-agriculture-here-and-growing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thrive</a>.
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Due to El Niño events, the rainfall pattern in Indonesia has changed. During the dry season, rainfall is reduced, causing severe drought. And when this kind of drought occurs, we usually face severe land and forest fires. The smog from the fires affects not only the country, but also spreads across the region. When the dry season of 2019 ended, around <a href="http://sipongi.menlhk.go.id/hotspot/luas_kebakaran" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">1.65 million hectares</a> had been burned. This is a slight decrease compared to fires in 2015, where 2.6 million hectares were burned.
I was born and raised in Kalimantan, the Borneo part of Indonesia. From 2016 to 2019, I had the opportunity to work in West Kalimantan doing conservation work on Gunung Palung National Park. I clearly remember that in September 2019, I had to wear an N95 mask for every outdoor activity. The thick smoke from fire mass, mostly from the peatland, came with the wind to the populated areas. At that time, around one million people were diagnosed with an acute respiratory infection.
Peatland fire increases global emissions, where damaged peatlands have contributed to around 10% of greenhouse gas emissions from the land use sector &#8211; a worrying sign for the future of peatland ecosystems. Peatland is often associated with unsustainable use resulting in fire, haze, smoke, and huge amounts of carbon emission. Indeed, in the recurrent fires in Indonesia, most of the burned area was drained peatland which was vulnerable to fire because of its dry organic material. This perception also leads to opposition against food estates in Central Kalimantan.
Peatland is an accumulation of organic matter that serves as carbon stock in its natural flooded condition. It is categorized as suboptimal land, which is naturally difficult for cultivation &#8211; but it can be made productive. Today, as more land is lost, it becomes more difficult to produce the amount of food needed to feed growing populations. Globally, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-019-0340-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">24.3 millions hectares</a> of productive agriculture lands have been converted to urban areas, while 3 million hectares per year is lost due to soil degradation and erosion.
Towards Sustainable Peatland Use
The urgency to pursue the sustainable use of peatland became a priority in Indonesia after the 2015 fires. The President created a new organization &#8211; the Peatland Restoration Agency &#8211; to focus on managing peatland. The main reason for unsustainability in peatland use is the practice of draining. In natural conditions, the peatland is wet, so it is less ideal for agriculture. Conventional preparation of peatland for agriculture purposes requires draining to provide oxygen to crops. Drained peatland with no water retention, accompanied by El Niño and purposive land burning, made land and forest fires inevitable.
Thus, the principle of sustainable peatland use relies on its integrated water management. Utilization without draining peatland makes the water content in peat above a critical limit (≥250%) which maintains the high soil moisture. For agriculture purposes, there are ranges of water level depth for the optimal growth of crops, i.e. oil palm is 60 cm, Acacia is 70 cm, and cassava/tapioca is 30 cm below the ground. The practice of draining peatland for agriculture preparation only lowers the water level without the ability to manage it &#8211; which makes the practice unsustainable. The lower the groundwater table in peatland, the higher the subsidence rate and carbon emissions. In peatland restoration, the use of dams is important to control the desirable water table level. In short, the water management system in peatland agriculture requires the ability to manage the water table for optimizing crop growth and preventing environmental degradation.
Integrated Water Management &#8211; The Key?
To understand the implementation of integrated water management for sustainable peatland use, I got the opportunity to study a case in Pulau Burung, a district in Indragiri Hilir Regency, Riau Province. Since 1985, the area has been known as a coconut producer, where the local farmers grow their crops in peatland that is managed by a system known as Water Management Trinity (WMT). The word &#8216;trinity&#8217; means that the system uses canals, dikes, and water gates to regulate the water in the area. The function of the canals is not to drain, but to store water and to support the transportation networks. The regulating function of WMT can prevent floods and preserve water during dry periods. Even when El Niño hits, the preservation of water lowers fire risk. In my research, the WMT in Pulau Burung also minimizes the subsidence rate up to 40% -70% and reduces carbon emission up to 80%, compared to other practices.
<figure id="attachment_359" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-359" style="width: 980px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cek2-e1553499971975.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-359" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cek2-e1553499971975.jpg" alt="" width="980" height="548" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cek2-e1553499971975.jpg 980w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cek2-e1553499971975-300x168.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cek2-e1553499971975-768x429.jpg 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cek2-e1553499971975-400x224.jpg 400w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cek2-e1553499971975-610x341.jpg 610w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cek2-e1553499971975-480x268.jpg 480w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 980px) 100vw, 980px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-359" class="wp-caption-text">Result WMT &#8211; main canal taken from the sky. Photo © Tay Juhana Foundation</figcaption></figure>
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From the practices above, integrated water management systems in plantations like oil palm, acacia or rubber, show promising change to reduce carbon emissions between 60% &#8211; 70%. It remains to be seen how the relevant stakeholders, in particular the government, enforce the requirement for water management in every peatland use. It should be done hand in hand with land burning regulation. In the 2019 forest fires, one of the main causes was the burnung of land for cultivation purposes. On a smaller scale, traditional slash and burn by farmers also contributed. The already drained peatland soil made fire hard to extinguish as it smouldered below the surface.
Investment, Policy and Information is Necessary
With proper water management, we can foster sustainable food production in peatland with minimum harm to the environment. Yet, establishing an integrated water management system requires large investment &#8211; far more expensive than digging canals and letting the water drain. However, this investment is necessary for long-term sustainability. Ideally, when prospective plans for peatland utilization fail to include an integrated water management system, the authority should decline the application. In the end, governance and clear policy plays an important role in peatland management.
Finally, all efforts for sustainable peatland management should support the local community. When the community understands the benefits, they can commit to safeguard peatlands. And its sustainable use will offer long-term livelihoods &#8211; if applied well. It can also change the perception that the use of peatland is not always bad, as long as the relevant actors implement and maintain the necessary sustainability measures.
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Optimism for Sustainable Peatland Agriculture is Here &#8211; and Growing

What use of research if it is not being disseminated and applied for better purposes? Currently, TJF is conducting a carbon balance research that measures carbon sequestration and emission in the coconut plantation situated in the peatland area. With this research, we strive to contribute to improved sustainable agriculture practice on peatland.
A scientific conference is one opportunity for researchers to present the latest research findings and describe the emerging innovation, especially to the science community. On 7-8 September 2020, we gladly participated in the International Conference on Science and Technology 2020 (ICST 2020), held as part of the Universitas Gadjah Mada&#8217;s Annual Scientific Conferences series. Due to the Covid-19 situation, ICST 2020 was held virtually to limit and slow the spread.
On day one, the conference was opened with a presentation from Prof. Keisuke Ohto of Saga University, Japan. He presented research with the title &#8216;Extraction Behavior of Trivalent Rare Earth Metal Ions with Diphosphonic Acid Type Extraction Reagent.&#8217; Nearly 200 presenters became participants in this conference. The conference continued with a parallel session that is categorized into six symposia. This year, ICST has: 
1. Computer and Information Technology Symposium 
2. Electronics, Power, Communication, Control, and Instrumentation Symposium 
3. Geoscience and Environmental Management Symposium 
4. Life Sciences, Materials, and Applied Chemistry Symposium 
5. Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Symposium 
6. Remote Sensing and Geomatics Symposium
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ICST.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-226315" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ICST.png" alt="" width="1366" height="768" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ICST.png 1366w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ICST-300x169.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ICST-1024x576.png 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ICST-768x432.png 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ICST-610x343.png 610w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ICST-1080x607.png 1080w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ICST-1280x720.png 1280w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ICST-980x551.png 980w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ICST-480x270.png 480w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1366px) 100vw, 1366px" /></a>
We submitted our research to Geoscience and Environmental Management Symposium, which includes topics such as: environmental management; disaster risk reduction; land, water, and natural resources; geo-maritime; human and natural resources; urban and rural resources; and land use management.
In the given time slot, we presented our initial findings of the research. Our study highlights the needed practice to minimize carbon emission in peatland agriculture, where we use the study area of Pulau Burung District in Indragiri Hilir Regency, Riau. We underline the relationship between managing, not draining, water resources in peatland agriculture, and lowered subsidence and emission. Within integrated water management, the canal functions as water storage, not for draining. With the existence of water and a desirable water table without drain peatland, peat oxidation also low that made low subsidence and carbon emission.
On the last day, the conference started with a presentation from Prof. Josaphat Tetuko Sri Sumantyo about radar applications for environmental monitoring. Similar to day one, the parallel session on this day continued until evening. The end of the conference was a ceremony to acknowledge the participants&#8217; contributions. Needless to say, even after the conference, there is a need to continue with the dissemination of the result.

Bringing Peatland Research to Annual Scientific Conferences: ICST 2020

This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.eco-business.com/opinion/why-indonesia-must-reduce-its-dependence-on-rice-as-a-staple-food/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eco-Business</a>.
<h5 class="content__subheadline">Diversification can increase food security by mitigating the threat of crop failure. Indonesia can tap suboptimal land to grow many types of alternative crops such as sago.</h5>
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Global food supply chains are <a href="https://www.eco-business.com/admin/stories/story/add/science.org.au/curious/people-medicine/how-does-global-pandemic-affect-our-food-supply-c" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">being disrupted</a> as Covid-19 lockdowns to contain the virus have limited the movement of people and goods across regions and countries.
Disruptions in distribution have hindered food producers in getting their harvest to consumers. The immediate impacts are food stock depletion in some areas, and undistributed food that is wasted in others. In regions where food stock was depleted, food prices rose.
<h4>High dependence on rice</h4>
Indonesia is one country—but not the only one—that  is highly dependent on one staple food. According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation, two-thirds of the world’s staple foods are dominated by three primary commodities: Wheat, rice and corn.
Staple food choices are influenced by climate conditions and farming limitations. In Asia, rice has become the primary food because the climate and soil promote rice cultivation.
In the 1970s, a food diversification campaign to reduce rice dependency was aggressively promoted by the Indonesian government with the issue of a Presidential Instruction in 1979. The aim of food diversification was to improve nutrition of the people. This goal, however, was not accomplished because it contradicted the government’s rice self-sufficiency programme at the time.
Recently, the threat of a food crisis, especially in rice stock, has prompted the Indonesian government to develop an agenda for a <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/05/indonesia-mega-rice-project-peatland-food-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">mega food project</a> in Central Kalimantan.
Food security issues arising from Covid-19 have raised public awareness of the importance of food diversification and self-sufficiency, and the risk of being heavily dependent on a single staple food.
Efforts to diversify through campaigns and regulations have not brought significant results. There has been some shift in consumption to non-rice staple foods, namely wheat, but that is an imported commodity that comes with supply risks.
The government plays an important role in changing the food consumption patterns of Indonesians. While there have been efforts to encourage diversification at the community and regional levels, it continues to place a priority on rice as the national staple food. More can be done to <a href="https://www.eco-business.com/admin/stories/story/add/thejakartapost.com/academia/2020/05/05/global-pandemic-needs-local-solutions-for-sustain" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">support the agricultural production</a> of a variety of foods and promote the consumption of alternative staples.
<h4>Sago an alternative to rice</h4>
Food diversification can be done in two ways. One is by increasing the production of more types of commodities. The other is centered on processing, especially of non-rice crops, so that they have added economic, nutritional or social value.
Diversification of carbohydrate sources must begin with the exploration of the types of local food substitutes that are less consumed. Indonesia has many local foods, especially carbohydrate sources, that can be introduced to the wider community. Some examples are sago, sorghum and various types of tubers such as cassava and taro.
The nation accounts for 83 per cent of the world’s land on which the sago palm is found, at 5.4 million hectares and with the potential to reach 100 million tonnes of sago production annually. This indicates a huge opportunity for sago to become an <a href="https://www.eco-business.com/admin/stories/story/add/bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-23/a-starchy-palm-tree-extract-may-be-indonesia-s-a" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">alternative to rice</a>. However, it is not currently on the government’s to-do list.
<figure id="attachment_226320" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-226320" style="width: 512px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/sergeykovalchuk.ru_.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-226320" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/sergeykovalchuk.ru_.jpg" alt="" width="512" height="341" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/sergeykovalchuk.ru_.jpg 512w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/sergeykovalchuk.ru_-300x200.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/sergeykovalchuk.ru_-510x341.jpg 510w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/sergeykovalchuk.ru_-480x320.jpg 480w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-226320" class="wp-caption-text">Preparation of Sago Porridge, Papua, Indonesia. Photo © Sergey Kovalchuk</figcaption></figure>
The government’s low commitment to leverage sago can be seen from its failure to absorb sago production in the Tohor River in Riau for local consumption, when supply piled up earlier this year because of export constraints due to restrictions on movements and trading operations.
The current diet trend in Indonesia suggests noodles made from wheat are the most preferred alternative to rice. This has led Indonesia’s wheat imports to reach 11.5 million tonnes per year. But if supplier countries decide to stop exporting wheat, Indonesia will face a domino effect in its food system.
Therefore, alongside a reduction in rice and wheat consumption, food diversification means increasing local staple food substitutes such as tubers and sago.
One initiative is by the Indonesian Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), which has <a href="https://www.eco-business.com/admin/stories/story/add/kompas.id/baca/english/2020/07/20/sago-as-raw-material-for-instant-noodles/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developed sago flour</a> as a substitute for wheat in noodles. The innovation is expected to meet demand from the Indonesian people, who are the second-highest instant noodle consumers in the world. There have been many other innovations that mix sago flour and cassava flour as a substitute for wheat flour in making cakes, noodles and other flour-based foods.
<h4>Mitigating risk of crop failure</h4>
The opportunity for food diversification in Indonesia is enormous and promising. Several regions in Indonesia are well-placed to help achieve this potential.
In Papua, more people are beginning to consume sago again and, in the East Nusa Tenggara region, people are starting to eat sorghum.
Indonesia has sufficient land potential to grow many types of substitute food crops, and it is estimated that there are about <a href="http://balitkabi.litbang.pertanian.go.id/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/pros16_2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">102 million hectares</a> of suboptimal land with potential for agriculture development. As modifying suboptimal land to grow rice is a long process that takes at least five years and much experimentation, it may be more economical to grow alternative crops such as sago instead.
Diversification can increase food security by mitigating the threat of crop failure for staple food commodities, especially rice. Scaling up the production and consumption of alternative crops also means their prices can be lowered. The price of flour from local ingredients, such as tapioca and sago, are currently higher than from rice and wheat by up to twofold.
Relying on local resources will benefit the economy and equip the various regions in the country to develop their own resilient food supply chains.
Nationally, the demand for fish, meat, fruit and vegetables is increasing every year; this is a positive indicator that Indonesians’ diets are getting more nutritious. Now, diversification must extend to carbohydrate sources.

Why Indonesia Must Reduce Its Dependence on Rice as a Staple Food

Seventy-five years have passed since Indonesia declared its independence, but food security is rarely heard of. How is the state of food security now?
TJF brought up the independence day spirit on the next TJF challenge. This challenge was to create a comic strip to hit the awareness of all participants interested in creating a creative story about Indonesia&#8217;s food security and mold their ideas into an attractive visual form.
This challenge ran for two weeks for all comic artist participants to finish their artworks from 28 July to 15 August 2020. The committee received more than 40 comic strips. TJF also invited the comic artist: A. Pradipta (webtoon comic artist) to join as one of the judges. Most of all, the comic strips TJF received from all participants were very impressive. The participants pour out various kinds of ideas about Indonesia&#8217;s food security, the story about their concerns, hopes, and the effort to bring the solutions that can be carried out to safeguard our food security.
Even though the participants created many amazing comics, we still had to choose the best three to be awarded. In the end, we finally announced the three winners on 21 August: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CGmfuhQp7gE/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1st Winner (food waste)</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CE3WBLKp3LN/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2nd Winner (food diversification)</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CEWoRJ8JUDm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3rd Winner (urban farming for household-scale food security)</a>. They were awarded in the form of fresh money valued at IDR 500k, IDR 400k, and IDR 300k. All participants also got the e-certificate as our token of appreciation.
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TJF Comic Strip Challenge: Remembering Indonesia Independence Day and Food Security

In the last three months, the word ‘food estate’ (lumbung pangan) has been dominating the news headline, again. It is not the first time we heard this terminology ⁠— the usage of food estate has been introduced at least four times in Indonesia. While lumbung pangan could be also translated to ‘food barn,’ the words food estate and lumbung pangan are lately interchangeable. Still, it is worthwhile to note that the government uses the English word (i.e. food estate) to refer to the national scale program. Meanwhile, the Indonesian word (i.e. lumbung pangan) may also refer to regional programs, such as literal barns to store food (especially grains), farmer’s empowerment programs facilitated by the ministries, or initiatives in the form of an affordable marketplace.
The now trending food estate program has been designated as one of the National Strategic Programs of 2020-2024, also as a preventive measure to anticipate the food crisis warned by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). It is located in Kapuas and Pulang Pisau Regency in Central Kalimantan Province, where about 165.000 ha of ex-peatland area will be used to produce staple foods of Indonesian people &#8211; which ideally, not only rice. The debate surrounding the type of land — whether it is alluvial or peat — in this region adds to the intricate story of Indonesia’s food estate programs.  
In 1995, the then President of Indonesia, Soeharto, approved a similar concept in the same location. The infamous Mega Rice Project (MRP) was launched in Central Kalimantan as an effort to secure the nation’s food sovereignty. The aspiration to have Indonesia as a rice self-sufficient nation pushed the idea to convert about one million hectare peat forest into rice fields while bringing in more than 15.000 families of transmigrants to work as farmers. However, this rice estate plan was never fully-realized and was canceled in April 1999. When MRP came to halt, around 4000 km of primary, main, secondary-, tertiary-, and fourth-channels were dug between Sebangau and Barito Rivers with inaccurate calculation to follow the peatland’s topography and hydrology [<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Erianto_Putra/publication/266740115_Recent_Peat_Fire_Activity_in_the_Recent_Peat_Fire_Activity_in_the_Mega_Rice_Project_Area_Central_Kalimantan_Indonesia/links/543ab3e20cf204cab1daf187.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1</a>]. As a result, the water table of what were supposed to be rice field regions was lowered. This unsustainable practice left the locals suffering not only financial losses due to failed harvests, but also ecosystem damage which made the area prone to both fire and flood until now. With lesser exposure, Soeharto also appointed Pertamina, a state-owned enterprise to complete a rice estate project on South Sumatera’s wetlands. The plan failed due to the financial crisis in the late 1970s [<a href="https://majalah.tempo.co/read/ekonomi-dan-bisnis/70922/impian-anak-musi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2</a>]. 
A food estate concept was reintroduced in 2006 during the era of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) under the name Merauke Integrated Rice Estate (MIRE) and later changed to Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE). The plan was included in Presidential Instruction No. 5/2007 with the objective to accelerate the development in Papua [<a href="http://ejournal.politik.lipi.go.id/index.php/jpp/article/download/448/261" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3</a>]. Supposedly, the area of 1.2 million ha would be developed for the cultivation of food crops (50%), cane (30%), and palm oil (20%). MIFEE was created to integrate agricultural and energy products, following the success stories of large-scale agriculture in Brazil. However, many people and organizations oppose this project since it violates forest conservation areas, water catchment areas, and especially the habitat of indigenous peoples in Papua. For the rest of SBY&#8217;s office term, the progress of this plan was vague, leaving the locals with conflicted land, next to uncertainty. The successor president, Jokowi, revisited the idea of food estate in Merauke during his first term of office. The plan to develop 1.2 million ha of land had shrunk gradually. At the end, the local government offered 350.000 ha and the plan changed into Merauke Kawasan Ekonomi Khusus (Merauke KEK) [<a href="https://news.detik.com/berita/d-3548282/lestarinya-merauke-dan-kabar-target-jokowi-soal-sawah-12-juta-ha" target="_blank" rel="noopener">4</a>]. Yet, the progress with Merauke KEK started to dim in 2018 while at the same time other KEKs are being developed. 
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/No-shortcuts-to-achieve-food-security-The-fate-of-food-estate-initiatives-in-Indonesia-1-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-226267 size-full" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/No-shortcuts-to-achieve-food-security-The-fate-of-food-estate-initiatives-in-Indonesia-1-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="1524" height="2560" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/No-shortcuts-to-achieve-food-security-The-fate-of-food-estate-initiatives-in-Indonesia-1-scaled.jpg 1524w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/No-shortcuts-to-achieve-food-security-The-fate-of-food-estate-initiatives-in-Indonesia-1-179x300.jpg 179w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/No-shortcuts-to-achieve-food-security-The-fate-of-food-estate-initiatives-in-Indonesia-1-610x1025.jpg 610w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/No-shortcuts-to-achieve-food-security-The-fate-of-food-estate-initiatives-in-Indonesia-1-768x1290.jpg 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/No-shortcuts-to-achieve-food-security-The-fate-of-food-estate-initiatives-in-Indonesia-1-914x1536.jpg 914w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/No-shortcuts-to-achieve-food-security-The-fate-of-food-estate-initiatives-in-Indonesia-1-1219x2048.jpg 1219w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/No-shortcuts-to-achieve-food-security-The-fate-of-food-estate-initiatives-in-Indonesia-1-1080x1814.jpg 1080w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/No-shortcuts-to-achieve-food-security-The-fate-of-food-estate-initiatives-in-Indonesia-1-1280x2150.jpg 1280w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/No-shortcuts-to-achieve-food-security-The-fate-of-food-estate-initiatives-in-Indonesia-1-980x1646.jpg 980w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/No-shortcuts-to-achieve-food-security-The-fate-of-food-estate-initiatives-in-Indonesia-1-480x806.jpg 480w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1524px) 100vw, 1524px" /></a>
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In the current food estate plan, Central Kalimantan was chosen since some regions have proved to be in great potential for food crop productivity. For example, Pulang Pisau Regency’s agriculture contributes to more than 50% of its gross regional domestic product in recent years. To increase productivity, the government plans to introduce superior inbred rice varieties Inpari-42 and Supadi Hybrids which are expected to boost the harvest to reach 5 ton/ha. Nevertheless, different audiences react to the news about the development in Central Kalimantan differently. The skepticism is logical knowing the fate of previous food estates. Still, the issue with food security should be addressed in practice. While Indonesia&#8217;s performance in the Global Food Security Index is getting better, the problems with food and agriculture systems persist. Food estate is one effort to add arable lands and boost food crop productivity. However, other approaches such as food diversification and food distribution are compulsory to be taken care of [<a href="https://katadata.co.id/sortatobing/indepth/5f0d27c73eed5/narasi-berulang-proyek-lumbung-pangan/1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">5</a>]. 
Ambitious programs are not guaranteed to make food security improved. The relevant stakeholders need to pay attention to its longevity and sustainability. Introducing necessary innovation and infrastructure from experts are vital, yet, involving the local communities, especially indigenous ones, to co-create and implement the plan is indispensable. This way, the people will grow a sense of belonging to the plan. Otherwise, this huge scale food estate will be another stalled or even wasted opportunity to bring betterment to the people.

No Shortcuts to Achieve Food Security: The Fate of Food Estate Initiatives in Indonesia

In Quimbaya, Colombia, a wife accompanies her farmer husband to measure soil fertility using simple tools. In Buton Island, Indonesia, a daughter teaches her father to manage his customers’ purchase order for his fish catches using a smartphone.<a href="https://rare.org/program/fish-forever-in-indonesia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[i]</a> As a result, both households see an increase in their yield and income. 
In many cases, empowering the smallholder farmers is the most important investment for the betterment of our agriculture system.<a href="https://www.ifad.org/en/web/latest/blog/asset/41903536" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[ii]</a> They need to be constantly updated with the innovative solutions of modern farming practices. Inherently, smallholders hold the key to sustainable productivity solutions with their knowledge and wisdom. Still, in this age of climate change, introducing innovations will prepare smallholders for uncertainty.<a href="http://www.fao.org/docs/eims/upload/288618/Enduring_Farms.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[iii]</a> With modernized thinking, they will have better resilience.
To move forward with innovation, financial access is necessary for the smallholders. To this end, there is a rising trend — especially in the private sector — in the green investment. The term ‘green’ means that the investment is aimed for sustainability (and often by ensuring biodiversity). Not only companies but countries also aim for it. Europe’s Green New Deal might be the biggest green stimulus to date. Yet, its fund distribution still should be safeguarded and public involvement should be promoted. In fact, public-private funding provides great opportunities to ensure long-term commitment.<a href="https://www.globallandscapesforum.org/video/incentives-for-a-green-economy-new-means-to-promote-sustainable-production-methods/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[iv]</a> In the Netherlands, €160 million Dutch Fund for Climate and Development is managed not only by the government but also by a consortium of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as WWF.<a href="https://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?355950/Dutch-Fund-for-Climate-and-Development-open-for-business" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[v]</a> Financial resources from private and public investments are used to leverage the support in enhancing resilience to the effects of climate change, which is definitely useful for the smallholders.
<figure id="attachment_226245" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-226245" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/agriculture-VN-1230x460-1-e1593760954851.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-226245 size-large" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/agriculture-VN-1230x460-1-1024x383.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="383" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-226245" class="wp-caption-text">©avpn.asia</figcaption></figure>
Globally, G-20 countries can play a key role in this investment by allocating their revenue to provide green stimuli. Meanwhile, low middle income (LMI) countries can pivot their subsidy fund, especially those for fossil fuels, to rural development to benefit smallholder farmers.<a href="https://www.climate2020.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/054-056-C2020-Barbier.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[vi]</a> The national-level government can adhere by designing and implementing flagship policies for this systematic shift in a committed change. Even further, a fundamental change in the system would be to bring this issue to the voting booth.<a href="https://www.globallandscapesforum.org/video/world-leaders-on-what-is-next-for-the-environment-movement-after-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[vii]</a> We cannot go back to ‘before’ not because the system is broken, but the system is what made us broken in the first place.
As with any other effort to repair a complex system, we need key ingredients to ensure the innovations and investment to reach and benefit the targets, i.e. smallholders. There are at least five ingredients <a href="https://www.globallandscapesforum.org/video/a-restoration-recipe-ingredients-for-restoring-our-planet-and-reclaiming-food/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[viii]</a>, as follows: 1) Tailoring the knowledge so people can easily learn, 2) Earning trust and genuine interest from the people (local buy-in), 3) Building intense and effective communication among the related multistakeholder who may have different backgrounds, 4) Securing access to investment for scaling up and out also leading the innovation, and 5) Aiming for a long term commitment from all involved parties.
Among the five points, the last is the trickiest. NGOs who spearhead field implementation know this all too well: the local government often has little autonomy and little resource at disposal, the funding from the sponsorship companies are often fragmentary as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and election period dictates the government’s support. Therefore, a robust institutional framework needs to be established so a long-term commitment which involves the needed innovations and investment for smallholders can be sustained.
This article is part of our reflection series after participating in the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) Bonn, which was held digitally on 2-5 June 2020.

Build Back the Food System Better: Leveraging Innovations and Investment to Support Smallholders

Endowed with vast tropical lands and waters, Indonesia has long been pursuing the state of food security. Back in 1996, this intention had been manifested in an extensive plan to develop one million hectares of rice fields or known as Mega Rice Project (MRP) in the peatland area in Kalimantan. About 1.45 million ha of the landscape was determined to be a food estate which was defined as an integrated food, plantation, and livestock production area. A year later, the ongoing project was terminated due to monetary crisis and political turmoil, leaving hundreds of thousands of newly cleared peat forests abandoned. The project sparked massive criticism since it generated a gigantic peat carbon release, destroyed the ecosystem, and damaged the local community’s life.
After the failure with the 1990s’ MRP, the idea of food estate is modified and reenacted using different approaches to continue the government&#8217;s effort in securing food supply, especially rice production. The increasing population and needed development have driven the paddy fields, particularly in Java, to be converted to non-agricultural purposes. Consequently, alternative areas to generate large-scale food production that has the capacity to feed hundreds of millions of population should be developed. This year, the government announced that they are planning to implement the food estate program, particularly to secure the food system which has disturbed by the pandemic. Interestingly, the site for this plan is situated in the same location as the 1990s’ MRP.
The chosen food estate site is part of the National Food Barn in Pulang Pisau District, Central Kalimantan. Currently, the new crop field is expected to generate up to 2 tonnes of rice per hectare, quite below the average national rice productivity which is 2.9 tonnes per hectare. Further, the food estate is estimated to produce one million tonnes of rice per year, this is also the amount of the nation’s rice import in 2019. If the plan works out, Indonesia could be self-sufficient and stop the import.
This idea may sound promising but it also comes with huge challenges and criticism. It is such a controversial program in which many civil organizations, including the local community, condone the policy. Data from Pantau Gambut also revealed that 95% of the estate location is overlapped with protected peat landscapes and moratorium areas. Yet, the Ministry of Agriculture has argued they are not planning to open a new crop field on the peatland, instead, they will optimize the already cleared alluvial soil in the swamp area. If the land remains abandoned, it would bring higher fire risk compared to cultivated land. However, no clear framework found regarding the sustainable agricultural methods that will be deployed, and how it will significantly prevent the enormous failure like MRP had.
<figure id="attachment_226238" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-226238" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/190817_Forest-Fire_Sebangau_Suzanne-Turnock-1010154-1024x576-1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-226238 size-full" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/190817_Forest-Fire_Sebangau_Suzanne-Turnock-1010154-1024x576-1.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/190817_Forest-Fire_Sebangau_Suzanne-Turnock-1010154-1024x576-1.jpg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/190817_Forest-Fire_Sebangau_Suzanne-Turnock-1010154-1024x576-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/190817_Forest-Fire_Sebangau_Suzanne-Turnock-1010154-1024x576-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/190817_Forest-Fire_Sebangau_Suzanne-Turnock-1010154-1024x576-1-610x343.jpg 610w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/190817_Forest-Fire_Sebangau_Suzanne-Turnock-1010154-1024x576-1-980x551.jpg 980w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/190817_Forest-Fire_Sebangau_Suzanne-Turnock-1010154-1024x576-1-480x270.jpg 480w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-226238" class="wp-caption-text">Dry peat in Sebangau Forest. Photo by Suzanne Turnock/Borneo Nature Foundation</figcaption></figure>
Swamp and peat soil is part or suboptimal land types, they have specific characteristics that will hinder the plants to grow. Technically speaking, the key element to make the food estate feasible lies in water management and seed varieties. The MRP was failing because the civilization system dried up the soil and made them flammable. The peat swamp plantation must not solely rely on rain as their irrigation source, otherwise, there will be fire during the dry season. However, if the government manages to build a sophisticated water system where the canals, dams, and water gates are able to maintain the proper water table and regulate the water supply all year long, this program is relatively feasible and sustainable. Some good examples of large-scale peat swamp plantations using proper water systems can be found in Indragiri Hilir, South Sumatera, and Kubu Raya, West Kalimantan.
Sustainability is not merely about the environment, it should also accommodate the social and economic aspects. The food estate requires around 300,000 farmers to operate which can be translated into local labor market development. Alas, it is still unclear whether the government would apply a transmigration scheme to bring in the workers or hire the local farmers around the area. Adequate regulation should be prepared to anticipate future social conflict, as well as ensuring their prosperity. The relevant actors should work hand in hand to achieve the sustainability and the supporting policy should reinforce the efforts in achieving the end objective: maintaining national food security. The vision with this food estate plan will be only a dream if, for example, policies to regulate land conversion from arable to nonarable lands are not strong enough. In the end, it is vital to have good governance for the implementation of this food estate plan.

Food Estate for Food Security: A Noble Aspiration with Complex Implementation

Due to our seemingly ever-expanding needs, sometimes we forget the fact that food is one of the most basic human necessities. In such difficult times, we can see that people’s actions are decided upon how they can fulfill the basics, especially food and water. For the past months, we see country leaders face multifaceted problems and attempt to make the best decision limiting COVID-19 spread while ensuring food access for all.
Global Landscape Forum (GLF) has been providing platforms for people to connect and talk about sustainable land use to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Climate Agreement. This year, GLF uses the theme ‘food in the time of crisis’ to discuss the many parts of our food system that should be capable of feeding the growing population. This aspect not only concerns the number – almost ten billion people will inhabit Earth in 2050 – but also the distribution of these people in rural and urban regions. 
Even today, our food system has raised diverse issues. The agricultural revolution had shed light on how we can meet people’s food demand, yet the way we produce our food has become such a pressure for Earth. It is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, the main driver of deforestation, and the greatest threat to biodiversity. That is only the issue with the production part of what we eat. In fact, the whole process from field to plate of our food needs to be transformed. The circumstances with the COVID-19 pandemic expose this vulnerable system and urge us to take action now. With the combination of pandemic and climate change, we have to move forward in a world of unknowns. 
For the first time, the GLF annual conference was fully conducted virtually. Thanks to technology, despite the physical distance, the event has successfully accommodated nearly 5,000 people from 185 countries over 3 days. The seminar and networking sessions provided new insights and platforms to reflect on the discussed topics with farmers, policymakers, scientists, activists, chefs, and more people who have and are working together for the betterment of our food systems. 
<figure id="attachment_226228" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-226228" style="width: 900px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Young-chefs-Max-La-Manna-and-Louise-Mabulo-top-left-speak-from-the-UK-and-the-Philippines-respectively-in-the-event.-Courtesy-of-the-GLF.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-226228" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Young-chefs-Max-La-Manna-and-Louise-Mabulo-top-left-speak-from-the-UK-and-the-Philippines-respectively-in-the-event.-Courtesy-of-the-GLF.png" alt="" width="900" height="506" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Young-chefs-Max-La-Manna-and-Louise-Mabulo-top-left-speak-from-the-UK-and-the-Philippines-respectively-in-the-event.-Courtesy-of-the-GLF.png 900w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Young-chefs-Max-La-Manna-and-Louise-Mabulo-top-left-speak-from-the-UK-and-the-Philippines-respectively-in-the-event.-Courtesy-of-the-GLF-300x169.png 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Young-chefs-Max-La-Manna-and-Louise-Mabulo-top-left-speak-from-the-UK-and-the-Philippines-respectively-in-the-event.-Courtesy-of-the-GLF-768x432.png 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Young-chefs-Max-La-Manna-and-Louise-Mabulo-top-left-speak-from-the-UK-and-the-Philippines-respectively-in-the-event.-Courtesy-of-the-GLF-610x343.png 610w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Young-chefs-Max-La-Manna-and-Louise-Mabulo-top-left-speak-from-the-UK-and-the-Philippines-respectively-in-the-event.-Courtesy-of-the-GLF-480x270.png 480w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-226228" class="wp-caption-text">Young chefs Max La Manna and Louise Mabulo (top left) speak from the UK and the Philippines respectively in the event. Courtesy of the GLF. © Global Landscape Forum</figcaption></figure>
Various experts from various backgrounds work on different challenges from landscape approach, data management, agriculture capitals, farmer empowerment, to healthy dietary. As the COVID-19 situation slows down our life, it is a perfect moment to explore how to ‘build back better’, to plan the future with long-term planetary health and human well-being at the fore. 
As part of Tay Juhana Foundation’s reflection after participating in this event, we write a blog series highlighting three different topics that are focal to bring about the improvement in our food system.

Addressing ‘Food in the Time of Crises’ at the Largest Digital Conference of 2020

Food is one of the most critical aspects that determine our health, intelligence, and even our capability to survive in this world. Realizing how important food is, Dinar wants to start a healthy eating habit. She has also just learned about a flexitarian diet that encourages eating mostly plant-based food while occasionally consuming meat. So there she goes checking healthy menus through a food delivery application. A few minutes later, she can hear her mind ranting why is healthy food so expensive? The next thing she knows, she is on the dining table getting back with her comfort food: fried rice. This decision puts her in higher future health risk.
The story above is a glimpse illustration of the challenge that global healthy diets and food systems are facing. If you are living in global south countries just like Dinar, the situation is even tougher. A study from EAT-Lancet Commission (2017) reported that there is a significant gap in food diversity intake between North America, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa.<a href="https://eatforum.org/content/uploads/2019/01/EAT-Lancet_Commission_Summary_Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[i]</a>
<figure id="attachment_226210" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-226210" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/globalmapfoodsystem-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-226210" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/globalmapfoodsystem-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1819" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/globalmapfoodsystem-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/globalmapfoodsystem-300x213.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/globalmapfoodsystem-1024x728.jpg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/globalmapfoodsystem-768x546.jpg 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/globalmapfoodsystem-1536x1091.jpg 1536w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/globalmapfoodsystem-2048x1455.jpg 2048w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/globalmapfoodsystem-610x433.jpg 610w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/globalmapfoodsystem-400x284.jpg 400w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/globalmapfoodsystem-1080x767.jpg 1080w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/globalmapfoodsystem-1280x910.jpg 1280w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/globalmapfoodsystem-980x696.jpg 980w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/globalmapfoodsystem-480x341.jpg 480w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-226210" class="wp-caption-text">Source: EAT-Lancet &#8211; Food Planet Health</figcaption></figure>
The map indicates that developing countries are consuming too many starchy vegetables, or known as staple food, that contains high carbohydrates. Meanwhile, the rest of the countries like North America over consumed almost everything, such as red meat, eggs, and poultry. Despite the region, people generally lack fruit and vegetable intake. However, should the entire global population shift their diets to increase both consumptions, the current production level would not meet the demand (Siegel et al., 2014).<a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0104059" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[ii]</a>
In the food system context, the imbalance diet has made the demand for staple food like rice, corn, or potato has been consistently high. Consequently, other types of nutritious food have to be produced on a smaller scale which results in a situation where the consumers have to pay a higher price just like Dinar had. This condition is largely driven by the heavy focus on staple food production, public support policies, and investments towards these foods (FAO, 2018).<a href="http://www.fao.org/3/CA2797EN/ca2797en.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[iii]</a> Further, the shrinking number of available arable lands has prompted agricultural workers to prioritize starchy vegetable cultivation, instead of more varied food resources.
Low agricultural diversity is not only harming the consumers or middle-class people who are eager to start a healthier diet but also the farmers themselves. An assessment study on farmers’ diets concluded that farmers have a low dietary diversity score because they heavily rely on the staple food they produce (Ickowitz et al., 2019).<a href="http://www.cifor.org/publications/pdf_files/articles/AIckowitz1901.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[iv]</a> They may have grown more diverse plant-based food but were taken back due to low demand and land constraints.  
There is indeed a growing trend of healthier lifestyles, especially the younger generation who are seeking foods that are minimally processed (66%) and more natural or organic (65%) (WBCSD, 2018).<a href="https://docs.wbcsd.org/2018/07/FReSH_Consumption_Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[v]</a> They are actively searching for nutritious diet information through the internet and friends. In the last five years, the number of products labeled as vegetarian has increased by 25% and vegan by 257% (Mintel, 2018).<a href="https://www.aacs.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/mintel-report-2018.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[vi]</a> The data sparks optimism towards the betterment of the current food system, although it is necessary to note that there are many factors influencing people’s food choices, including availability, affordability, and cultural preferences. Expectedly, higher demand for healthier food will translate into a lower price, so people like Dinar or staple food farmers could afford a more diverse diet.
This article is part of our reflection series after participating in the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) Bonn, which was held digitally on 2-5 June 2020.

Want to Improve the Global Food System? Start with Healthy Eating

In this Ramadhan session, TJF launched the first challenge entitled “Story behind the food we ate.” As we spend our time at home during the pandemic, it was the right time to contemplate where our food came from. TJF called all the audiences to tell their food story &#8211; from the production process until the serving result on the plate.
The participants could string up their food story in three days, from 10 until 13 May 2020. More than 30 participants joined the challenge, and we met the two winners (best photo and story) who won digital wallet vouchers valued at IDR 100.000 each.
Hopefully, the first TJF challenge could raise awareness among all participants about the meaning behind the food we eat every day. Moreover, we will continue to conduct various TJF challenges in the future, which will surely be exciting to participate in and provide new insights into agriculture and food security.

TJF Photo and Story Challenge: Story behind the food we ate

“Wetlands and peatlands in Central Kalimantan cover more than 900.000 ha. We have prepared 300.000 ha where 200.000 of it under the state enterprise,”
Last week, the President of Indonesia decided that it is time to expand the rice production area to prevent food crisis due to this prolonged pandemic period. While it sounds logical, many people are concerned when they learn the expansion will involve hundred thousands of peatland conversion. The last time we heard about government-initiated food production in peatland was in the 90s which ended up in disaster. The Mega Rice Project (MRP) was mayhem—it damaged more than a million ha peat ecosystem and contributed to the largest peat fire in 1997 that released an estimation of 0.81-2.57 gigatons carbon to the atmosphere <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01131" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[1]</a>.
Modifying peat soil to be able to grow paddy takes a long process and numerous experiments depend on the landscape, water management, species variety, and cropping techniques. Even with the best scenario, it takes at least five years for peatland to finally be able to consistently grow rice with the desired result. In addition, successful practice in one region cannot be just copied to another due to the varying characteristics of peatland. This is an unrealistic solution at times of pandemic like this. Hence, the fear and disagreement upon the decision are reasonable. 
Let us have another perspective to understand this issue. Food security is a perpetual problem, but it is certainly more prevalent now. Many approaches used to ensure everyone has food on their plates: improving productivity, promoting food diversification, and naturally, opening new agriculture land. The problem with converting land use is there is always a competition. In reality, farmers often sell their lands for development. The national government has been doing this with many infrastructure projects, i.e. tolls, roads, airports. Consequently, the agriculture part needs to be done somewhere else. This is where ‘exotic’ land comes to the equation. The Ministry of Agriculture has estimated 91.9 million ha of potential lands for agricultural purposes, including acidic dry land, dry land, tidal swampland, lowland swamp, and peatland <a href="https://www.academia.edu/7577525/Kebijakan_Inovasi_Teknologi_untuk_Pengelolaan_Lahan_Suboptimal_Berkelanjutan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[2]</a>. These suboptimal lands are usually overlooked, but local people have utilized them for food production for a long time.
Among the suboptimal lands, peatlands are infamous due to the conflict of interest that is attributed to them. Being the largest terrestrial carbon stock, many measures are taken to conserve peatlands. The word ‘agriculture on peatland’ is often associated with unsustainable practices of oil palm and acacia plantation, which drains the land and resulted in average subsidence of 50 cm in the first two years and higher risk of forest fire <a href="https://www.forda-mof.org/files/KAJIAN_OPTIMASI_PENGELOLAAN_LAHAN_GAMBUT.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[3]</a>. However, research and studies are conducted continuously to identify ways for sustainable peatland agriculture. At least three principles should always be considered:
<ol>
<li>Water management. Ensuring the quality of peatland is synonymous with regulating water resources. Draining peatland is undesirable, instead, we need to have an integrated system (e.g. canal, dam, water gates) to manage the cultivated area.</li>
<li>Soil management. In modifying peatland, that is commonly acidic, lime ash (e.g. dolomite), salt, rice husk, sawdust ash, and crop biomass can be used to raise the alkalinity.</li>
<li>Adaptive varieties. To maximize productivity, selective breeding is used to construct new varieties that are adaptive to peatland characteristics such as flood-tolerant and high acidity (Fe and Al) tolerant.</li>
</ol>
Definitely, these principles should be adjusted and tailor-made to each specific region. Copy-paste of a successful practice is not a guarantee for the same result elsewhere. The failed MRP in Kalimantan is a harsh lesson-learned. Moreover, any plan for peatland utilization should also be communicated to the local people in or near the peatland area. Local and indigenous people usually have lived and utilized their surroundings for a long time so that they develop local wisdom. They would know local ecology aspects, land characteristics, and suitable crops. It is vital to co-create the plan with the locals. This will ensure the longevity of the measure and further support the effort for food diversification and for improved resilience.
<a href="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/sawahgambut-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-226186" src="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/sawahgambut-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1441" srcset="https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/sawahgambut-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/sawahgambut-300x169.jpg 300w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/sawahgambut-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/sawahgambut-768x432.jpg 768w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/sawahgambut-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/sawahgambut-2048x1153.jpg 2048w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/sawahgambut-610x343.jpg 610w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/sawahgambut-1080x608.jpg 1080w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/sawahgambut-1280x721.jpg 1280w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/sawahgambut-980x552.jpg 980w, https://old.tayjuhanafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/sawahgambut-480x270.jpg 480w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a>
In the case of degraded peatland, improvements could be made by focusing on water management. The Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) has three principles for restoration: rewetting, revegetation, and revitalization of livelihood. Food crop cultivation might be incorporated here, as planned by the government with local involvement. 
Until now, efforts are being conducted and studied to ensure the sustainability of peatland agriculture, especially for rice production. Beyond the pandemic context, sustainable rice cultivation on peatland is a feasible idea for long-term efforts in securing food production. In Pulau Mendol, Riau, rice productivity ranges from 3.8 to 4.2 ton/ha <a href="http://riau.litbang.pertanian.go.id/ind/index.php/berita-mainmenu-26/919-pulau-mendol-lumbung-pangan-wilayah-perbatasan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[4]</a>. Rice production has also been proven sustainable in Kapuas and Pulang Pisau districts in Central Kalimantan <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1943815X.2017.1412326" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[5]</a>. While it shows good progress, it should be underlined that finding fitting practices will take time before the yield can be harvested-and this is different for each specific peatland region. The government realizing agriculture potential of peatland is a step closer to the right direction since political muscles are indeed essential. Yet, it would be better if the government based the decision-making on more scientific and sound evidence. All considerations above are indispensable to understand and implement the proper approach to avoid detrimental effects on nature and human living within the ecosystem.

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Tentang TJF

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Karir

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Maximizing Nature’s Concealed Potential in Wetland Agriculture

Peatland Agriculture Potential for Food Production

Sustainable Peatland Cultivation Example for a Greener Future

Sustainable Peatland Management in Indonesia

Water Management Process in Peatland for Agriculture

Journal of Suboptimal Land Agriculture: Optimization of Land Management

National Peatland Management Strategy

Pertanian Sumber Daya Terbaru

Annual Report 2024: Contributions to Global Food Sustainability-id

Buku Kisah Sukses Bertani di Lahan Basah-id

Defining social sustainability through social capital in the small-scale coconut plantation ecosystem in Indragiri Hilir, Indonesia: A preliminary study-id

LAND &#038; LIFE | Edisi #1: Masih adakah lahan di masa depan?-id

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Ikuti kami di media sosial

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