Honoring Farmers through Paddy Field ‘Etchings’
Gunawan spent around two weeks designing and then planting tje seedlings in the field. At first, he sketched the portrait on paper, which was then transferred to scale in the paddy field.
Sidik Gunawan
A drawing in a paddy field resembling the face of Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo has recently gone viral. However, Sidik Gunawan, 52, made the portrait with no aim of creating a sensation. He intends the portrait to be a leg on the long journey to raise respect for farmers and boost village tourism.
Thanks to the portrait created by Gunawan, a resident of Bergas Lor subdistrict in Bergas district, Semarang regency, Central Java, many people are thronging to the paddy field of around 1,250 square meters, located approximately 200 meters from the Bergas Lor subdistrict office. After gazing at the portrait in the paddy field to their satisfaction, the visitors take pictures and stop by the nearby cafes.
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“This is part of my effort to attract visitors to Bergas Lor village. Many pictures on paper or canvas already exist, but this seems to be the first drawing made in a paddy field,” said Gunawan on Sunday (13/3/2022), dubbing the artwork pari corek, or paddy field etching.
To create the portrait, Gunawan used the plants of two rice varieties, IR64 and wulung (purple) rice. Unlike regular paddy that is generally green, wulung rice has dark purple leaves and stems. This variety was chosen to create gradation in the portrait.
At first, he sketched the portrait on paper, which was then transferred to scale in the paddy field.
Gunawan spent around two weeks designing and then planting tje seedlings in the field. At first, he sketched the portrait on paper, which was then transferred to scale in the paddy field.
It took around 1.5 months until the plants had developed enough for the portrait to become visible. The rice can be harvested after four months, and then the picture in the field can be replaced as desired.
To create a good picture, accuracy is required when planting the seedlings on the field. The distance between the seedlings must be adjusted to match the estimated development time of the rice variety. The purple rice that lends gradation to the picture should be positioned precisely.
“To make the image as intended, some adjusting is needed. In this process, a drone is used for an aerial survey to find out if the picture has been formed to precision or not. Otherwise, it would be a failure,” said the man, who has a long white beard.
Gunawan has produced paddy field etchings on two occasions. The first, a self-portrait, was created last year. Like Ganjar’s paddy field portrait, Gunawan’s portrait also attracted the attention of people around the village.
Tourism awareness
Long before he delved into pari corek in 2021, the man from another region began his mission to raise the village’s image through tourism. He proposed the formation of Kelompok Sadar Wisata (tourism aware group; Pokdarwis) as a forum to promote village tourism. Moreover, the village near Ungaran Hill has many tourism potentials, offering a beautiful panorama of paddy fields. Through his initiative, the Pokdarwis Dewi Sri was set up in 2018.
Sidik Gunawan
The name Dewi Sri was chosen because it is the name of the rice goddess. Although Gunawan was inspired only recently to create pari corek as an icon of Bergas Lor village, he had thought of making paddy fields the window of tourism to this village from the very beginning.
After its establishment, Pokdarwis Dewi Sri organized a festival and several art and culture activities. However, the group’s events came to a halt in the early months of the pandemic. It resumed its activities last year, when Gunawan created his self-portrait in a paddy field he rented from a farmer for Rp 2 million.
Gunawan revealed that the idea to create a picture using paddies growing in a field first came to him when he obtained purple rice seedlings from a friend. The art lover then racked his brains over how to turn the seedlings into a work of art. So he decided to create a portrait by planting the rice in a certain configuration.
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In two months, the rice plants that were used to create Ganjar’s portrait will be harvested. After harvesting, Gunawan plans to promptly replace the portrait with a new picture. This was aimed to prevent visitors from getting bored and to draw them to return to Bergas Lor village to look at another picture.
“After this, I want to [create a portrait] of Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno. The reason is to draw him to visit here to look at the tourism potential here. Hopefully, he will be willing to help develop tourism in this village,” he said.
Gunawan is convinced that if many people visit Bergas Lor village, its economy will grow and boost the welfare of the local community. But he admits that the village was lacking in visitor accommodation. Therefore, he hoped the 2-hectare village-owned land around the paddy field could be converted into an open green space.
This way, micro, small and medium businesses would also develop to support the people’s economy.
Once the open green space was ready, Gunawan was sure it could receive around 700 visitors to enjoy daily recreational activities in the village. This way, micro, small and medium businesses would also develop to support the people’s economy.
Apart from attracting visitors, Gunawan also had a special mission in creating Ganjar’s portrait. He believed that the Central Java governor would come to his village and allow him to air the grievances of the local farmers. Among their complaints was the low selling price of unhusked rice, which ranged between Rp 3,500-Rp 4,000 per kilogram.
Gunawan said the low farm-level price of unhusked rice had reduced their income. For example, he said, farmers earned an income of between Rp 2 million and Rp 2.5 million per harvest for every 1,250 square meters of paddy field, whereas it took around four months from planting to harvest. It was very hard for farmers to fulfill their daily needs until the next harvest on an income of just Rp 2.5 million over four months.
“I’m afraid this condition has prompted farmers to give up farming and sell their land. If no more paddy fields are left, what happens to our rice production? Will we import again? Will we depend on other nations again?” he said.
Aside from agricultural land, Gunawan was also concerned because young people were no longer interested in farming. The youths in his village preferred to work at factories. Farmer regeneration was vital to ensure the continuity of rice production when the majority of farmers had aged and could no longer work in the paddy fields.
In an attempt to raise an interest in agriculture among young people, Gunawan invited the village youths to take part in creating pari corek. By being involved, youths could be encouraged towards recovering their enthusiasm for farming.
Visitors take pictures with the background of the face of the Governor of Central Java Ganjar Pranowo in Bergas Lor Village, Bergas District, Semarang Regency, Central Java.
Besides training the village youths in creating pari corek, Gunawan also taught them how to trade rice. Incidentally, the selling price of purple rice was twice as high as that of ordinary rice. This was because it was naturally low in sugar and was sought after by people who were dieting. This potential was hoped to maximize the role of youths in helping to increase the incomes of farmers.
For Gunawan, pari corek has strengthened his and the local residents’ efforts to develop the village’s potentials. It is his hope that agritourism will make progress to develop the people’s economy.
Sidik Gunawan
Born: Sragen, 26 Feb. 1970
Education: Bergas state senior high school
Wife: Yetti Rohaety
Children: Three
(This article was translated by Aris Prawira).
