Good communities always takes care of the environment<\/p>\n
Agus Pakpahan, Executive Chairman, The Union of Associations of
\nIndonesian Estate Crops Farmers (GAPPERINDO), Jakarta<\/p>\n
Man cannot farm without land; without farming man cannot eat;
\nand without food man cannot survive. A logical sequence as such
\nis life. One may ask, however, why this common knowledge isn't
\nimplemented through conservation. What is logical about the
\nfailure to protect suitable land for farming?<\/p>\n
This only reflects upon our ignorance or lack of reasoning.<\/p>\n
Data show that we have been converting our fertile rice fields
\n(sawah) -- mostly in Java, and by an annual rate of around 40,000
\nhectares -- into housing and industrial estates, and for other
\nuses.<\/p>\n
With the loss of rice fields, irrigation networks and other
\nfarming infrastructure also disappear. We lose the capital that
\nwas invested by our predecessors.<\/p>\n
We then try to farm rice in other places. One example is the
\none-million-hectare rice project on peat land in Central
\nKalimantan, which failed.<\/p>\n
One of the most important reasons why such a grave mistake was
\nmade is that we do not appreciate what nature has given to us --
\na conducive climate and good soil. Nor do we take care of what
\nwas provided by our ancestors -- culture, traditions and values.<\/p>\n
The annual loss of 40,000 hectares of rice fields means that
\nwe have forfeited approximately 340,000 tons of rice since at
\nleast over the past two decades (25 percent of rice imports in
\n2000), which could have been made available to consumers.<\/p>\n
We also stand by while upland areas are subject to soil
\nerosion. Soil erosion has reached a critical rate and safety
\nstandards are of the bare minimum. Such erosion is not merely the
\ngeological process of soil renewal. We don't need a sophisticated
\nsurvey to determine how much erosion has occurred. We need only
\nobserve the rivers to imagine the rate at which our natural
\nenvironment is being destroyed.<\/p>\n
There is almost no clean water in most of the country's
\nrivers. The water is brown, in some rivers a very dark shade of
\nbrown indeed. Millions of metric tons of soil has been
\ntransported from the uplands to the sea via the rivers. This
\nkills freshwater fish and marine life, increases the cost of
\ndrinking water, destroys infrastructure such as dams and
\nirrigation networks, and caused other environmental damage.<\/p>\n
We are destroying lives, perhaps even our own.<\/p>\n
During the dry season, we have no water. Rivers are no longer
\never-flowing. We cry out for clean water; diseases spread.<\/p>\n
Erosion is responsible for many hardships. At the end of the
\ndry season, the rain falls. Rain creates floods, which destroy
\nproperty and often cause material and human losses.<\/p>\n
The cycle of life is constant. Erosion and environmental
\ndestruction that is caused by man must be stopped.<\/p>\n
This is just one problem among many that our community faces.
\nIt is also a good example of the trap that we have made for
\nourselves. This trap is formed from our acute lack of capacity
\nand willingness to harmonize self-interest with social good. It
\noriginates in our preoccupation with today, and our lack of
\nforesight to perceive the potential problems of the next
\ngeneration. It stems from our preoccupation with internal
\ninterests and our blindness to external ones.<\/p>\n
We cannot control our own greed. We do not take care of the
\nlegacy from our ancestors. Once, men protected forests and
\nwildlife, planted trees and took care of one another.<\/p>\n
It is said that we live in the era of globalization. We are
\ntaught that we must produce world-class goods and services to be
\ncompetitive.<\/p>\n
Does world class imply that we must manufacture vehicles?<\/p>\n
More important is that we produce good quality and
\ncompetitively priced products that there is an international and
\ndomestic demand for.<\/p>\n
However, companies or households can produce good-quality
\ngoods or services with competitive prices only if they live and
\nwork in a \"good\" community, which cares about the environment and
\nits natural resources.<\/p>\n
The economy and the community should coexist like fish and
\nwater. Clean water means healthy fish.<\/p>\n
Caring for the environment, and taking an interest in social
\nwelfare, is vital for a \"good\" community. Farming is symbolic of
\nthe way in which we can care for each other and the environment
\n-- seeds are sown, crops are tended, new life is possible.<\/p>\n
We must consider future generations, we must look forward with
\nboth compassion and logic.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/good-communities-always-takes-care-of-the-environment-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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