The road of Life for Farmers

Machradin Wahyudi Ritonga

· 6 minutes read

Spirit and the gift of fertile lands are not enough to achieve prosperity. Appropriate infrastructure is also absolutely necessary. The farmers of Suntenjaya village in Lembang district, West Bandung regency, West Java, are gradually developing this through prioritizing the proper use of village funds.

Ema, 52, strode firmly across a 3-meter-wide concrete road last week. After working the entire day at his farm, Ema was heading home to Kampung Gandok, Suntenjaya village. Her face was free of worry and exhaustion.

"The road is now convenient. It only takes up to half an hour [to get home]. There are also shorter routes,” he said. “A year ago, going from the farm to the house took a roundabout route over one kilometer. The fastest route took an hour because the road was so narrow," said Ema, who grows broccoli, Chinese mustard and beans.

Acep, 30, a broccoli farmer in Kampung Cibodas, also feels the benefits of the farm road in Suntenjaya village. Before the concrete road was built, he had to carry his agricultural produce on his shoulder during the harvest season. It took him more than an hour to transport the 60 kilograms of vegetables from the farm to his house, 1.5 kilometers away.

"Now you don\'t need to walk, you can use a car. It is also [not far], it is not even 100 meters," he said, laughing.

The roads in Kampung Cibodas and Kampung Gandok are part of the 18 new road developments in Suntenjaya village. Together, the roads run 30 kilometers at an average width of 3 meters. They were built using 70 percent of the Rp 1.2 billion village funds for 2018, or Rp 849 million.

Suntenjaya village head Asep Wahyono said that agricultural infrastructure was a major focus. Located near Mount Tangkubanparahu, Suntenjaya is known as a vegetable production center because of its fertile soil. The residents’ lives depend on the land they cultivate.

More than half of the village’s 1,456.5 hectares is agricultural land. The village is Inhabited by 8,164 people, of whom around 60 percent are farmers.

However, fertile land and abundant crops is not enough. The farmers’ welfare is not determined by the economy alone, and must also take into account their living standards.

"Supporting road infrastructure is also needed [for better welfare]. Many things can be achieved if the infrastructure is available," said Asep.

Aside from addressing food needs, having a road also supports the concept of environmental protection. The road forms a kind of environmental boundary, as it is easy to see that it ends suddenly at the edge of a forest. "[The road] goes no further because it is intended as a reminder for the residents about the bounds of managing a vegetable farm. Farming activities cannot be conducted in forested land," he said.

Agritourism

Another important function is to keep agriculture safe from material temptations. The key to this is maintaining roads of only up to 3 meters wide, which cannot support the passage of two four-wheeled vehicles side-by-side.

According to Asep, the road was deliberately made this way to prevent the villagers from selling their land to outsiders. "If the land is sold, it will generally be used to build lodgings or maybe restaurants," he said.

This is no exaggeration, as Suntenjaya is not only fertile, but also has high tourism potential, and many new nature tourism sites have been built in the area. It is common to see trucks transporting vegetables to pass by tourist buses.

The villagers do not close themselves off to the potential for tourism. However, the only acceptable form of tourism is agritourism, with the farmers running the business. The villagers’ farming skills are to be the main selling power.

One of the village’s farmers, Ulus Pirmawan, 44, received an award in 2017 from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for successfully applying the concept of environmentally friendly agriculture in enabling local farmers to export their agricultural produce. Products such as baby green beans, broccoli and Chinese mustard have been exported to Singapore and France. Ulus also had excellent harvests at the end of January. He harvested broccoli with tight florets that weighed 500 grams per head.

The good road access has supported good farm management as well as high-quality produce.

"There are many obstacles if [the vegetables] are transported by foot, such as dropping or crushing them, which reduces quality. If the road is good, the results will also be high quality," said Ulus.

He is not alone in his success, and Suntenjaya also has many other successful farmers. Their farming knowledge could be a draw for both domestic and foreign tourists.

"Today, we already have two agritourism areas in Kampung Gandok and Kampung Pasir Angling. Many come every weekend to enjoy our village\'s agricultural environment," said Asep.

The smooth road ushers in tourists keen to witness vegetable farming and the typical panorama of the Bandung highlands. They can also buy vegetables directly from the farmers with guaranteed low prices. Visitors can also try their hand at farming by helping out during the harvest.

Suntenjaya is even planning to open a new agritourism destination this year in Batuloceng kampung, which has the potential for establishing dairy farms, plant nurseries, livestock waste management facilities and biogas production. "The first priority is to build a new road from Pasir Angling and Gandok to Batuloceng," said Asep.

The new road is planned to stretch 2 kilometers and to be completed in 2020. It is also to be financed from the village funds. However, only 60 percent of village funds will be set aside for it. The remaining funds will be used to increase the farmers’ agricultural knowledge and skills.

"The infrastructure allocation is indeed smaller. This is in line with the government\'s priority focus for empowering human resources this year," Asep said.

Suntenjaya village is proof that agriculture possesses a myriad of benefits. Though good budgetary management and central government support, agritourism villages can meet food needs while also offering the attractions of living with nature.

Editor:

farmers village funds