From ESD-UNESCO in Bangkok: Note of Journey (3)

Natural Friend House

AJARN Tongchai Wannakul maintain original house Thailand. Tradition house, what is in language Thai named by Baan Khao Kaew, remain digitiform calculation in Sao Hai. Truely, the Thai Yuan community chief so involve to coexist nature. a journey of spritual preserve” manuscript” totally disappeared threatened.

by: Valdesz J. Nainggolan Sao Hai, Thailand

The urban’s poor story

A mother cheerfully to open his hands. He was opened very wide his two palms with the face smilling. In the middle-aged woman, stood a child who slavishly did that was same. They laughed, enjoyed splashed fresh water that slid swift from the row water fountain that stood at attention in the roundabout of Gatot Subroto Street.

Medan City

The clove samosir: a story currently

Previously was difficult to find the quiet shop. The morning or the afternoon of the day. There are those that in turns ordered coffee and finished cigarettes kretek they. His smoke that smelling typical always accompanied the story of the shop visitor. The rare story did not throw again the memory of the glory of a commodity that cover the ciggarette their pleasure. Yes, the clove previously accompanied the Siruma Hombar Village community to peak periods of the economy.

Samosir Island

THE price of the clove is sharp down. Currently was difficult to find the clove garden that was treated. His tree was left dry and broken.

Have difficulty to believes the gardens previously the prop, or his sales revenue of the family’s economics was set aside to send children of the Subdistrict village to school Nainggolan the Samosir Regency to Pematang Siantar, Medan, or Jakarta.

The Alternative in The Samosir Crisis Field

Poverty is the face of the majority of farmer society in Samosir Island. Eventhrough, they are are good in financial, but we found any factual that the field is not well cultivation. The clove ‘’season’’ is end, and I think the Jatropha is the good answer instead of the clove.

Based on data of 2004, totally population in Nainggolan district, Samosir Island, is about 16.526 persons and the poverty population is about 27,6 percent or it’s equal with 820 families.

Approximatly in 2006, the statistic number pointed increase 5-10 percent. In 4.393 acres width, the district that the owner of this 12 villages having ± 2.049 acres unproductivable field. From that amount, 188 acres is the sleeping field and ± 122 acres the farmers let the field to be a shepherd field. The widest field but unoptimazable use is the home yard.

Totally whole the homeyard width are ± 1.813 acres. It’s no wonder and remember to the custome there are many acres traditional fields that can not be used in proper.

The comparative of house width and the field can be 8– 10 folds. And it is a contradiction with the productive land nowadays.

There are ± 533 acres productive areas including 394 acres cultivation rice fields, 110 acres holticultures, 30 acres farming area. In Nainggolan district, comparative degree of productive fields width is 2 compares to 10, it’s means every two acres of productive area contain ± ten acres of sleeping field.

About special statistic number? In Huta Hotang district there are 1.427 acres of sleeping field which width is not as wide as rice field and farm. There are only 270 acres for rice field and 28 acres for farm.

The village which located in Onan Runggu district with the population about 1.500 persons (data in 2006).

There amount of poor people are 160 families (in 2006 data), or it’s equal with 59-65 percent from total population.

The crisis field of Huta Hotang district is actually prospective enough to be managed.

According to M. Gultom, a farmer from Huta Hotang, they have been managing the heritage field from 2005. Before, they stayed in Siruma Hombar village.

In that village, Gultom caring the clove plantation and planting the others. But, the price of the clove was so low and it’s made him wanted to leave his father in law’s village.

‘’I encouraged my self to move to Huta Hotang. My father’s field was so wide there, but nobody managed. If we stood any longer, we just count on the only rice field. The clove story was over and society has just left clove period many years ago, and the field was unmanageable. If they decided planting the other plant they worried it would be bad and needed much fund to buy new seeds,’’ Gultom said to Sumut Pos.

Clove Story? Since The Foundation of Buffer and Clove Marketing (BPPC) appeared in early 1990 that controlled the price, the clove story was over. In that period there was no new clove planting except the old one.

Which the price under Rp500/kilogram, the farmer had lose so many after they paid operation fee.

2006 Statistic Center Bureau’s (BPS) data recorded in 2005, Onan Runggu regional (± 35 acres) and Nainggolan regional (± 5 acres) produced clove 23,80 ton with the productive average 595 kilogram/hectares/year. The productivity grade was decrease in 18 years.

From BPS data in 1987 showed with the wide of field 20 acres produced 62,85 ton/year or in production average 0,75 ton/hectare/year. It would be good, I think if we can take any step to solve problems for using the crisis and unproductable field like present.

There are so many plants substitute. For example with Jatropha. This tree can survive in crisis field, and the fruit can be squeezed in to castor oil. The castor oil is the substitute of kerosine and fuel.

Unbelievable? The settler said to Sumut Pos, to convince us that the Jatropha could grow in the river side next to his house in the village.

‘’When we are kids, the castor oil was the fuel to torch. We collected the fruit, peeled, dried, and then pin them to wooden stick like skewer. If we getting around up late in the night, the fruit in the skewer was just burnt. And then it would be torch for us in the darkness,’’ he said and memorized.

The castor oil has been tested for many times, and it is proper enough to susbtitute the gasoline.

Recently, Bandung Technology Institute (ITB) incessantly promoting the castor oil and had an agreement with State Electricty Enterprise (PLN) to proliferate this plant. Jatropha plantation will be primadonna for revitalizing crisis fields, and handling poor farmers.

The castor oil has been tested to substitute the fuel in sugar factory. In India, according to the Jatropha expert from ITB, Dr. Ir. Robert Manurung, as copied from ITB academic sites, castor oil has been adopted to be fuel for locomotive, that’s the reason why they planted Jatropha along the 24.000 kilometer railway track side.

In the Samosir regency, we can aplicate India’s way how to cultivate Jatropha. Except to change clove area, we can plant the Jatropha in home yard.

Jatropha is the possibility plant that can be planted along the 150 km inner circle way in that regency. So, after one year, it will be sure on the right and left side of the circle way will be shaded place with Jatropha.

Many potencial source is digged from Jatropha production. But, the fact is the price of castor oil range between 400-500 kilometer. It’s gratify thing to know the first State Owned Oil Company of Indonesia (Pertamina) is to guarantee to buy the fruit of Jatropha from the farmers in the whole Indonesia from the cooperation Samosir local government can be a starter.

Planting Jatropha doesn’t need, nursery, spraying, and fertilizing, and it’s the dislike thing for caterpillar and insects. People has just to pick up the only fruit. The harvest of Jatropha after six months panting, and harvesting the fruit as long as 50 years.

Jatropha fruit is the crude castor oil of biodiesel. The alternative energy instead of fuel. According to Wikipedia definition, biodisesl is the fuel that is based on renewal source oil. The source can be concerning plants oil or animal fat. As far, the developed biodiesel is castor oil, CPO.

The raises fuel cost, biodiesel can decrease persons burden who are depending on solar, like sailormen with their unhusked rice mill.

The economic profit for farmer will be easy to count. The research result says that with a stalk, the tree produce 4 kilograms jatropha/year. If there is each hectare contain 2500 trees, then in one year will be producted 10.000 kilogram fruit with the price sell Rp500/kilogram. So, the profit nett gains 5 million/hectare/year, and no need to buy seed and fertilizer.

What about the prospect? From the State Owned Corporation Ministry site, recorded, State Owned Oil Company of Indonesia (Pertamina), other State Owned Cooporation (BUMN) will buy all Jatropha fruit and then will received in their branches or production unit that will built in every 500 acre field.

Even, in last 2006, the government opened wide the chance to investor who wanted to build factory in every 500 acre Jatropha plantation. State Electricty Enterprise (PLN) produces the oil will be used to operate the engine.
Well, the strong commitment is in the local government’s hand. So many thing to do preparation. The ones, giving seed free to the local farmers.

The other think, we have to remember: join the investor. For example, making MoU with State Electricty Enterprise (PLN) as the receiver the harvest. (***)