The Oasis of the Denpasar Gardening Movement

KOMPAS/COKORDA YUDISTIRA

The founder of the Agro Learning Center (ALC), who is also the Chairperson of the Tamiang Bali Mandiri Foundation, Nyoman Baskara, inspects a catfish pond in the ALC garden area in North Denpasar District, Denpasar City, Thursday (25/2/2021).

The Covid-19 pandemic has severely hit tourism in Bali. Some residents try to survive by gardening. The yields can be used to meet the food needs of their family and neighbors.

Even though he is not directly involved in tourism, Nyoman Sudarma (39) also felt the harsh impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. As activities at the production house where he works remains at a standstill, he also runs a vegetable garden and catfish pond together with 30 members of the Mina Tani Sari Dewi Group, Banjar Tegeh Sari, Tonja village, Denpasar city.

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On Tuesday afternoon (2/3/2021), Nyoman was assisted by an environmentalist from the Bali Environmental Education Center, Anom Muliawan, to make a compost bin in a garden managed by the Banjar Tegeh Sari village office. The bin will be used to produce compost, using organic waste obtained from the residents\' houses as the raw materials.

"The compost is used as organic fertilizer in the garden," he said.

Nyoman felt the impact from the drop in income from the production house due to the pandemic. The production from the gardening and catfish farming can help his family\'s financial state.

Empty land in the Banjar area is used for farming with approval of their owners.

The secretary of the Banjar Tegeh Sari village, Putu Adi Tama, said that the gardening and catfish farming had become an alternative source of food supply for residents during the Covid-19 pandemic. Empty land in the Banjar area is used for farming with approval of their owners.

Conducting gardening activities on empty land is not just related to economic matters. In order to maintain the spirits of teachers who are not meeting students face-to-face, the Sushrusa school for the disabled (SLB) in Denpasar also uses 500 square meters of its vacant land in the schoolyard for a vegetable garden. The gardening in the school yard has become a hobby for the teachers.

Uniquely, part of the garden\'s produce in the form of long beans, eggplant and chilies are also distributed to residents around the school. The local people are allowed to take the vegetables from the garden for their daily consumption.

"The piece of land used for a vegetable garden has also become a social bridge between the school and local residents," said the ad of the Sushrusa SLB school, Ni Made Raka Witari.

KOMPAS/COKORDA YUDISTIRA

The founder of the Agro Learning Center (ALC), who is also the Chairperson of the Tamiang Bali Mandiri Foundation, Nyoman Baskara, inspects plants around ALC\'s garden in North Denpasar District, Denpasar City, Thursday (25/2/2021).

Strengthening social ties by sharing farm products, like what the Sushrusa SLB school does, is not without reason. The school for deaf people is a "newcomer" in the Banjar Mertha Gangga area, Tegal Kertha Village, West Denpasar. The school, which was originally located in the Renon area, South

Denpasar, has moved to West Denpasar since August 2020 and occupies an area of 2,100 square meters belonging to the Bali Provincial government in Banjar Mertha Gangga.

Stress risks

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought an impact on all aspects of life, including the psychological aspects of residents. The chairman of the Tamiang Bali Mandiri Foundation, Nyoman Baskara, said that that concern over the Covid-19 transmission, as well as reduced work time and the decline in productive activities, are prone to trigger depression. Especially during the pandemic, most of the Balinese who were involved in the tourism industry were severely affected. A lot of workers in the tourism industry in Bali were laid off.

Based on data from the Bali Statistics Agency, the number of unemployed people in Bali as of August 2020 increased by 105,210 people. In early November 2020, the number decreased to 45,590 people.

According to Baskara, apart from being an alternative source of food for families, gardening can also be an activity to reduce stress.

This can cause stress because many people have lost their jobs.

"When tourism, which has been an engine in the Bali’s economy, remains stagnant, there are almost no activities on the island. This can cause stress because many people have lost their jobs, “said Baskara, who has also opened the Agro Learning Center (ALC) in North Denpasar.

The anxiety and depression due to the Covid-19 pandemic have resulted in a collective trauma phenomenon which is termed the “Blue Corona”. In the International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology Volume 8, which was published on Sept.30, 2020, Ann Myung Suk said that people felt that they had experienced major changes due to social restrictions and other restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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The coordinator of the Pangan Lestari Smansa Urban Farming (Surfing) I Gede Dedi Kusuma Antara said that gardening had become a way to use the free time amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The chairman of the association of the graduates of Gadjah Mada University in Denpasar appreciated the initiative of residents and communities in promoting the gardening movement.

KOMPAS/COKORDA YUDISTIRA

Principal of the Sushrusa Special School (SLB), Ni Made Raka Witari (right) with his teacher colleagues at the deaf school showing some of the harvest from the Sushrusa special school garden located in West Denpasar District, Denpasar City, Friday (26/2/2021) .

Denpasar Mayor I Gusti Ngurah Jaya Negara is also involved in gardening activities managed by the urban farming community in Denpasar City. As the mayor of the city, he personally supported the gardening activities. "Gardening not only provides an alternative source of food but can also help maintain mental health," said Jaya Negara.

Bali and its tourism have been hit hard by the pandemic and it will take time to recover. Gardening on empty yards cannot completely replace the economic wheels of the industry. However, the gardening movement can serve as a much-needed reprieve in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, which we don’t know when it will end.

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi).