Hutan Kemasyarakatan Pabuto

The current community consists of migrants from several places in Java Island. Before being dispatched to their destination, the first wave of migrants was equipped with various kinds of knowledge, especially in agriculture, as well as technical guidance from the Department of Manpower and Transmigration in their respective regions. The migrants originated from Banten Province, Central Java Province, and East Java Province. The knowledge they gained during the training in their home regions is expected to be useful at their future placement locations. The first wave of migrants was dispatched in December 2016, while the second wave was dispatched in 2018, and the third wave in 2019.

Upon arrival at their destination, the first wave of migrants received coupons for housing allocation. These coupons were given to each head of the family along with their house number. They then occupied type 36 houses with a yard area of 500 m². After waiting for quite some time (7-11 months), the migrants finally received coupons for the allocation of business land 1 (LU-1) with an area of 1 ha. The reason for the delay in the allocation of business land 1 was that not all local residents who owned cultivated land in the area were willing to release their land for the transmigration program. However, thanks to the approaches and persuasive efforts made by various parties intensively, the local community, which had previously refused to release their land, could understand the intentions and objectives of the government program and were willing to accept the arrival of the migrants in their area.

After the business land 1 (LU 1) was cultivated and planted by the migrants, the following year, business land 2 (LU 2) with an area of 1 ha was distributed again. In total, each migrant family head received 2 ha of business land plus a living allowance for one year in the form of basic necessities (nine basic commodities). Initially, each migrant family head received assistance in the form of corn seeds from the relevant agencies. However, because the opened agricultural land was still on a small scale, planting corn was considered less profitable and also not safe from animal disturbances such as pigs and monkeys. To cope with this condition, they took the initiative to create their own soybean and peanut seeds and then planted them in their respective cultivated lands.

The lack of capital in cultivating agricultural land and farming forced the migrants to deal with middlemen. These middlemen then provided capital assistance to the migrants in the form of seeds, fertilizers, and plant medicines. Of course, with agreements that favored the middlemen. The harvest was directly submitted to the middlemen. After deducting the capital for planting, maintenance until harvest, the results obtained by the migrants were felt to be far from expectations. Besides making the migrants indebted, the middlemen also manipulated market prices. The migrants could not do much; limitations in access to markets and transportation means left them with no other options.

To improve their living standards, the migrants continued to strive to develop their businesses in agriculture. Currently, the migrants have started trying to plant perennial crops, such as: coffee, durian, oranges, avocados, chocolate, jengkol, and petai. The seeds of these perennial plants are partly purchased by themselves and partly provided by the relevant agencies. Specifically for coffee plant seeds, they sought them from former cultivated lands of local communities that once planted coffee.

Next, here is the history of the formation of the Marsudi Lestantun Farmer Group. Starting from the efforts of the migrants to meet the target of opening cultivated land, they often met with each other. The meetings and discussions they held aimed to exchange ideas in order to find a joint solution so that their cultivated land could be processed soon. From these meetings, an initiative arose from the members to form a farmer group. Thus, on January 1, 2018, the Marsudi Lestantun farmer group was formed. The members of the Marsudi Lestantun farmer group are not only migrants from Java but also include local migrants.

The name of the Marsudi Lestantun farmer group is inspired by the name of a farmer group in Java that once won a national level Kelompencapir competition. The name of that farmer group is Marsudi Lestari. After discussing with other group members, there was a suggestion to refine the word Lestari using another word that still has the same meaning as Lestari. It was agreed to use the word Lestantun to replace the word Lestari. Until now, Marsudi Lestantun has become the official name of the farmer group.

As a newly formed farmer group, there are certainly many dynamics that must be faced together. Especially regarding the condition of the cultivated land, most of which is still forested. Armed with the experience of several group members who master agricultural techniques with a terracing system, they eventually applied the terracing system to their cultivated land. In opening agricultural land, the Marsudi Lestantun farmer group implements a rotating mutual assistance system. If there is a group member who wishes to clear their cultivated land, then all group members are required to help the landowner in mutual assistance. The presence of all group members in these mutual assistance activities aims to ensure that they have loyalty and a sense of responsibility for what they have agreed upon together when forming the farmer group.

If there are group members who cannot attend for acceptable reasons during the mutual assistance, they will be subject to sanctions in the form of monetary compensation. However, over time, these sanctions were felt to be burdensome for some group members. If calculated with the wage of half a day's work, the penalty that must be paid by those who are absent is between Rp. 50,000 – Rp. 60,000. This money is used for the food and drink needs of the group members who participate in the mutual assistance. Then all group members agreed not to impose sanctions on those who cannot attend mutual assistance activities. Eventually, some group members, especially the transmigrants, left the membership due to moving to other locations. Currently, only 1 transmigrant remains registered as a member of the Marsudi Lestantun farmer group.

Furthermore, there is information regarding the Social Forestry scheme (HKm). Starting from the concern of the migrants upon discovering illegal logging and land clearing without permission in the forest area directly adjacent to their settlements and cultivated lands, they felt compelled to report these activities. However, their reports did not receive a response from the relevant parties, and it seemed that these activities were being overlooked. In fact, the individuals they reported were not pleased and sought out and scolded anyone who reported them. If left unchecked, it can be ensured that the forest will gradually be damaged, and the impact will not only be felt by the migrants whose settlements and cultivated lands are directly adjacent to the forest area but also by other communities. One of the impacts of forest damage is the threat of losing water sources.

This concern prompted the group to seek solutions so that they could participate in efforts to protect and preserve the forest without violating government regulations. After the group discussed with several parties, NGOs involved in the group’s assistance process (Agraria Institute, Japesda, and BPKH) and government parties (Pokja, Provincial Social Forestry of Gorontalo, KPH) regarding the group’s efforts to protect the forest area directly adjacent to their managed areas and settlements from irresponsible individuals, there was an opportunity for the group to participate in the legal management of the forest through the Social Forestry program from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. This opportunity was welcomed by the group and the parties that have been assisting the Social Forestry Acceleration process.

Facilitated by UPT in gathering the group’s Identity Cards (KTP) and other supporting documents as administrative requirements, while the Provincial Social Forestry Pokja and the Assisting Agency proposed and monitored the forest area to be included in the Social Forestry map through the HKm (Community Forest) scheme to be submitted to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry as a requirement to obtain a forest utilization business permit. Following up on this proposal, in September 2019, a technical verification team from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry came to verify the Marsudi Lestantun Farmer Group from membership to the group’s managed area. From the initial proposal submitted by the group covering an area of 753 Ha, ultimately only 707 Ha was approved for management permission.

The community forest utilization business permit from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry for the Marsudi Lestantun farmer group was issued in July 2020. With the permit they now have, it further strengthens the group’s role in managing the forest area. Currently, the work plan prepared by the Marsudi Lestantun farmer group is to prepare plant seeds that they will later plant in the community forest utilization permit area. Next, they will arrange a socialization agenda regarding the management permit they have received to the Saritani Village Government and other communities. They will create outer boundaries of the area that has received permission. They will form a joint business entity that will be managed by the group. All these plans must be documented in the Annual Work Plan (RKT) and Business Work Plan (RKU).

The utilization and management of the Pabuto Community Forest allow the community to obtain building materials from the forest such as: rattan, woka leaves for roofing, bamboo for fencing, and wood that can be taken once it has fallen. Other forest products such as rattan can also be sold, but so far it has not been the Marsudi Lestantun group that sells it, but rather by residents of other villages. The Marsudi Lestantun group has not dared to engage in activities within the forest until the HKm permit is issued. The efforts made by the Marsudi Lestantun group have been more focused on protecting and preserving the natural resources around them. The future plans that have been scheduled by the Marsudi Lestantun group include developing tourism services in the HKm area. The plan is for the tourism services that will be developed by the Marsudi Lestantun group to utilize the existence of waterfalls and other locations that have potential. Additionally, many plants in the forest and surrounding areas are used by the community as medicinal ingredients, such as: langsat skin for fever, jenu for agricultural insecticide. The community can utilize or engage in activities in the forest at any time.

The management of this forest is supervised and maintained by the Marsudi Lestantun Group. Currently, there are 72 people recorded as members of the Marsudi Lestantun group. In the future, it is not impossible to add members again because the forest utilization business permit issued is quite extensive, namely 707 hectares. The area managed by each group member has not been regulated. There will be rules made by the group regarding forest management, such as no tree cutting, and cultivated land that cannot be transferred or sold.

The protection of the Pabuto Community Forest contributes to the daily lives of the community, such as: fulfilling their needs for water—both for household and agricultural purposes. The community also benefits economically from selling non-timber forest products (rattan, woka leaves, and honey). Furthermore, the community also gains social benefits from mutual assistance activities that strengthen family ties and interactions among community members in utilizing the available natural resources in the forest. They continue to strive year after year in the process of utilizing the forest. Thus, this also contributes to the preservation of the forest and the biodiversity within it. There are flora and fauna present in/around the forest, such as:

• Flora: nantuk tree, bugis tree, mentami tree, meranti tree, tentara tree, kelaban tree, red jabon tree, white jabon tree, guava, matoa, serut, bendo, banyan tree, pangi, cempaka tree, kenanga tree, nibong, woka, aren tree, forest orchid, gaharu, damar, wild banana, bamboo, wild langsat, melinjo, kerasan, bayur, rattan, forest pandan, kemadu, wondami, bloto.
• Fauna: anoa, pig, deer, snake, wild chicken, monkey, porcupine, hornbill, pajalak, podang, pleci, cucupang, blue scarf, libong, betet, lory, eel, shrimp, gabus, crab, snail, tawes, mujair, tampala, turtle.

The Marsudi Lestantun Community Group only has a community forest utilization business permit from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry for the Marsudi Lestantun farmer group, which was issued in July 2020.