Making Papua independent of rice<\/p>\n
P.J. Leo, The Jakarta Post, Serui, Papua<\/p>\n
Once a staple food, sago and pandanus are no longer an important
\npart of the diet for Papuans who have made the shift to rice. The
\nchange began in the 1970s due to a government policy that
\npractically made rice a national staple.<\/p>\n
The policy was dubious as not all regions like Papua were
\nsuitable for cultivating rice nor did locals have the farming
\nknow-how.<\/p>\n
This trend has concerned Nicolaas Maniagasi, especially
\nnowadays as rice has become expensive and this has posed a threat
\nto the Papuans' diet.<\/p>\n
Maniagasi has launched a campaign to encourage the residents
\nof Jayapura, Biak, Serui, Naire, Manokwari, Sorong, Arso and
\nWaropen to grow sago and pandanus for derivative products.
\nManiagasi has since been considered a pioneer in the effort to
\npreserve sago and pandanus, which are in fast decline.<\/p>\n
His efforts have paid off. On April 12, Maniagasi won the
\nKehati Award for the Kehati Preservation Initiative category for
\nhis work in preserving the sago plant (Metroxylon rumphii,
\nMetroxylon sago) and pandanus (Pandanus coinedeus), also called
\nbuah merah (red fruit).<\/p>\n
Maniagasi was modest about the award.<\/p>\n
\"This award should have gone to a younger person with more
\npotential to better motivate youths. I'm past my prime. I would
\nbe proud and happy if young people had the courage to take the
\nlead and make the challenge a success,\" Maniagasi said as he
\naccepted the award and Rp 50 million from Emil Salim, the
\nchairman of the Board of Trustees of the Kehati Foundation
\n(Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation). He then handed the trophy
\nto his youngest son, Almendo, who is five years old.<\/p>\n
The Kehati Foundation presents the award to outstanding
\nconservationists to encourage people to help preserve Indonesia's
\nbiodiversity. The award was established in 2000. Now in its third
\nyear, two people, Nicolaas Maniagasi and Wahyu Suprapto, have
\nreceived the award. Wahyu won the award for Kehati Preservation
\nMotivator category.<\/p>\n
Maniagasi began his conservation activities in 1993 when he
\nintroduced sago processing techniques and marketing after he
\ndiscovered how to produce flour from sago for cakes.<\/p>\n
Through a series of experiments, Maniagasi succeeded in
\ndeveloping a technique, which was later introduced to various
\nwomen's organizations through training that he financed.<\/p>\n
\"People have started to plant sago for various products.
\nThrough the effort, sago remains a staple food and people can get
\nadditional income,\" said Maniagasi.<\/p>\n
Similar efforts have been made to conserve pandanus for which
\nManiagasi focuses his work on Serui, Yapen Waropen and Sorong.
\nUnfortunately, efforts to popularize pandanus have not been as
\nsuccessful as sago. This is because people seem to feel ashamed
\nof promoting their traditional food despite the fact that a large
\nfruit from the pandanus can fetch between Rp 10,000 and Rp
\n15,000.<\/p>\n
In 1999 Maniagasi founded the Sagu Suaka Alam Foundation and
\nuses his house as the office.<\/p>\n
He is assisted by his wife, Jubel Abrawi, an environmental
\nactivist who is the secretary of the foundation. Jubel helps by
\nfinding new products made from sago and keeping an inventory of
\nmedicinal plants and Papuan traditional healing methods. A number
\nof local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been
\nsupporting Maniagasi's efforts through the Sago Movement
\ncampaign.<\/p>\n
Jubel also collects various medicinal plants and makes them
\ninto herbal medicines with traditional methods.<\/p>\n
There are plants that can be used to treat cataracts, while
\nothers cleanse wounds of dirt and old blood, he said. Considering
\ntheir economic value, regional administrations should not destroy
\nthe plants for the sake of development projects, said Maniagasi.<\/p>\n
He also tries to convince local administrations to protect the
\nprovince's rich biodiversity from the activities of development
\nprojects and to support efforts that nurture the sago and
\npandanus.<\/p>\n
He said that his efforts had not brought about the desired
\nresults because regional administrations continued to destroy the
\nsago's ecosystem to make way for various development projects
\nwithout replanting efforts.<\/p>\n
Maniagasi has drawn a map of the places where the sago's
\necosystem has been destroyed or converted into other purposes.<\/p>\n
Born in Sorong 53 years ago, Maniagasi is the only son in a
\nfamily of four. He has shown interest in planting sago since he
\nwas a teenager. He remembered his parents telling him that during
\nthe Dutch colonial times, sago was conserved because the Dutch
\nknew that Papuans relied on the plant for their staple food.<\/p>\n
A high school graduate, Maniagasi is aware of his limited
\ntechnical know-how in developing sago and pandanus-based food
\nproducts, so he cooperates with Cendrawasih University and the
\nOttow and Geisler Institute of the Economy. The two institutions
\nhelp conduct scientific research on the plants and provide
\ntechnical aid.<\/p>\n
\"Papua is a big island, therefore the challenges I face in
\npreserving Papua's biodiversity, including sago and pandanus, are
\ndaunting and complex. There is no financial support nor
\nfacilities, no educated people dedicating their lives to
\nconservation or a sustainable management of the rich
\nbiodiversity. Limited infrastructure and a lack of transportation
\nand communications mean there are serious constraints. That is
\nwhy I did not bring the Rp 50 million fund from the foundation to
\nPapua but spent it on a fax machine, a computer and a camera,\"
\nsaid Maniagasi, a father of seven.<\/p>\n
\"Proper communication equipment and transportation means that
\nit will help our work. Government support, particularly from
\nTelkom, is very much needed, because telephone service from Serui
\nis often disrupted. If it continues, communications with
\ngovernment officials, academicians, bureaucrats and NGO
\ncolleagues will be cumbersome,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The Kehati Award has evoked another dream in Maniagasi, and
\nthat is to witness, understand and uncover nature's mysteries.<\/p>\n
\"The Kehati Award is big but it is a sacred responsibility, a
\nreminder for humans to balance today's life with the hereafter.
\nThat is the meaning of God's message.\"<\/p>\n
Maniagasi is experimenting to make nonalcoholic wine from
\nvarious fruit.<\/p>\n
He encourages people to also protect the faibon plant, which
\nis much treasured by locals for its small, sweet fruit. Faibon
\nhas become scarce with the advent of illegal logging.<\/p>\n
The same fate has befallen the matoa one of Papua's native
\nfruits. Maniagasi is also experimenting with using the seed of
\nthe matoa for food.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/making-papua-independent-of-rice-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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