Residents of Cililitan subdistrict, East Jakarta, have much to share concerning public participation in the green movement.
They have replanted, reorganized and are reported to have assured the sustainability of 3 hectares of their fruit farm since early this year without public notice.
The farm consists of snakefruit, melinjo, jackfruit and many other tree species.
“This is what we can do to preserve nature,” Umar Fauzi, an elder in the subdistrict told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Last January they formed a community group called Group Care for Ciliwung Tanjungan in the area to cultivate the idle land.
“The group’s existence has made officials from the district and subdistrict upset because we did not inform them beforehand,” he said, “We are only trying to improve the environment.”
Umar said he was a nature enthusiast and was continually involved in reforestation programs funded by companies that wanted to carry out corporate social responsibility by reforesting some areas in Jakarta.
That’s how he learnt about planting, he said.
“Besides, my son-in-law also has a snakefruit farm in Yogyakarta, so I learnt from him about how to treat salak trees.”
According to Ismiati, a resident in the area, 1 hectare of the farm is owned by her mother-in-law and it has existed in the area since the Dutch colonial era.
“It used to be our main source of income, but since Jakarta is becoming more populated and has often been hit by floods since 1996, it no longer bore much fruit,” she said.
However, according to Umar, it was because those trees were “mistreated” and many people threw garbage around the farm.
“Last month we started to tend to the snakefruit trees and they showed signs of health with new roots and buds,” he said.
While salak trees need special treatment, other trees did not need attention.
Currently they are also planting durian trees in the area.
He said he had sent a proposal to the city’s agricultural agency to assist the group with farming tools but it had not yet answered.
That is the reason why he was cynical when he heard about the reforestation program from the city administration or the government, he said.
“It will last only five years at the most, I am sure the program will end along with the reshuffle of officials,” he said.
