Green nursery: The complex has also nursery for different kinds of flowers.

Not so far from jakarta's concrete jungle, there are people preserving the dream of a greener capital.

In Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, for example, local residents are living in a housing complex that runs a small community garden on a nearby plot owned by some of their neighbors.

Residents grow the plants, nurture them and harvest them when it is time. Under cultivation are a host of vegetables, such as chilies, eggplants, bitter melons and water spinach.

All the vegetables are grown organically, according to Janoe Arijanto, who launched the community garden.

'€œWe want everyone, parents and children alike, to see that with a small plot of land, we can have our organic vegetables and fruits,'€ said Janoe, who is also the head of a community unit (RW).

There'€™s a harvest every month, where residents either give the produce away or gather and cook the vegetables fresh from the garden to be enjoyed by all, Janoe says.

One of the members of the community garden, Herfin Arifin, said she was so excited during harvest because it meant free vegetables for months.

'€œIt also changed my perspective about having a garden,'€ the 43-year-old said. '€œYou don'€™t need a huge plot of land to grow plants.'€

Apart from the garden, the community has other green programs to save the environment, introducing plant adoptions and holes to produce compost for the garden.

'€œWe also protect the animals inside our complex and forbid people from killing birds or ants to protect biodiversity,'€ Janoe said. '€œEven though we are located in Pasar Minggu, we want our place to have a complete chain of biodiversity '€” and for the people to fulfill their own needs in terms of food.'€

Sleeping side by side with nature: Rumah Kebon has also a camp site inside its 3-hectare area.

In another corner of Greater Jakarta, a green initiative has been launched by individuals to promote biodiversity. Rumah Kebon (Garden House) sits on 3 hectares in Cinangka in Depok, West Java, and cultivates the plants used by the Betawi, or the area'€™s ingenious people.

Inside Rumah Kebon, which has been open to the public since 2008, people can find rare plants and fruits such kepel, karendang and jambu bol.

The garden, owned by retired minister Haryono Suyono and his wife, is run by the couple'€™s children.

Rumah Kebon marketing staff Sugianto said apart from the rare plants, Rumah Kebon produces and sells vegetables and fruits. '€œWe also sell some plant seeds to visitors.'€

Some part of the land is also used as a campground, typically used by students seeking an affordable weekend getaway.

'€œWhile camping, they can also learn about plants and gardening here,'€ Sugianto said.

Although profit-oriented, Rumah Kebon has the spirit of other communities in seeking to build a greener Jakarta.

Green path: A line of greenery welcomes visitors at Rumah Kebon in Sawangan.

Otto Hernowohadi, an urban sociology expert from the University of Indonesia, said the initiatives were a form of popular protest to the government'€™s failure to conserve or provide green space.

While ideally Jakarta should allocate 30 percent of its territory for open green spaces, data from the Parks and Cemetary Agency says that the figure has only reached 10 percent.

Otto said that the local green movements have encouraged the development of a more democratic society based on the solidarity fostered by the communities.

'€œIf we are talking about '€˜mental revolution'€™, then it can be started from the garden with people working together hand in hand to plant and harvest,'€ he said.

Should that happens, dreams about a better and greener Jakarta might be realized.

The man in charge: Sugianto, the marketing manager and landscaper, points out some rare plants in Rumah Kebon complex.

'€” Photos by JP/Ika Krismantari