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Pinogu, its soil and its famous coffee
None of the farmers used chemical fertilizers to maintain the soil quality, nor pesticides and herbicides to get rid of insects and unwanted vegetation. They simply get rid of pests using a chopper and improve the soil quality with organic fertilizers.
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Coffee beans belonging to Pinogu farmer Djudin, which got destroyed by coffee-eating beetles. Beans that were affected by the pest attack will turn black and shriveled. (JP/Defry Hamid)
Located at the heart of Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park in Gorontalo, northern Sulawesi, Pinogu is a quiet village with a wide variety of agriculture products, including Gorontalo’s famous Pinogu coffee.
To reach the village, which is about 40 kilometers from the national park’s main entrance, visitors have to ride on a modified motorcycle due to Pinogu’s extreme terrain conditions.
During rainy season, the cost for this motorcycle ride could reach up to Rp 1 million (US$71.24) for a return trip since it is riskier to travel through the area at that time. Aside from riding a motorcycle, visitors can also walk for 12 hours, or travel by helicopter.
However, Pinogu’s remoteness is not necessarily a bad thing. The forest around Pinogu helped the area to maintain its water and soil quality, which resulted in fertile soil for farming.
Pinogu Coffee Society chairman Nurdin Maidi said people in Pinogu had been managing their plantation traditionally for a long time. None of the farmers use chemical fertilizers to maintain the soil quality, nor pesticides and herbicides to get rid of insects and unwanted vegetation. They simply get rid of pests using a chopper and improve the soil quality with organic fertilizers.
