Mount Merapi slopes ideal for grazing<\/p>\n
Bambang Muryanto, Contributor\/Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
The morning is still very young but daily chores have already
\nbegan for people living in Kinahrejo village on the slopes of
\nMountain Merapi in Sleman.<\/p>\n
With a sickle in their right hand, bamboo ropes in their left,
\nand a hat or a wide handkerchief covering their head, the
\nvillagers hurry, skillfully climbing the slope of the volcano to
\ncut grass to feed their dairy cows.<\/p>\n
For many of these highlanders raising dairy cows is considered
\nthe best way to make a living, better than growing beans or other
\ncrops.<\/p>\n
\"Thanks to this work we are now able to send our children to
\ncolleges and universities,\" a mother said while cutting the
\ngrass.<\/p>\n
Pringgo said she had six cows and could collect some 40 liters
\nof milk a day that she sold for Rp 1,350 per liter, giving her
\ndaily earnings of Rp 54,000 or Rp 1,260,000 a month. Growing
\nbeans she would get much less, she said.<\/p>\n
Sleman regency's Forestry and Plantation Office empowerment
\nsection head Harjanto said dairy cow breeding in the area had
\nbegun between 1982 and 1983, following a government program.<\/p>\n
Yet, a support program to grow food for the beasts was not
\nintroduced. So although there are plenty of fields planted with
\ngrass, demand still far outstrips supply.<\/p>\n
According to Harjanto, ideally, a mature milker with a weight
\nof 400 kilograms needs one tenth of its weight, or 40 kilograms,
\nin grass a day.<\/p>\n
Grass of that amount can only be harvested from fields about
\n400 square meters. To generate adequate profits, a farmer needs
\nto breed at least seven cows at the same time, meaning a single
\nfarmer needs a 2,800 square-meter paddock.<\/p>\n
When there is not enough grass in the feilds, the slopes of
\nMt. Merapi are used to feed the cows. This explains why many
\npeople living in the region have opposed the government's
\ndecision to establish the Mt. Merapi National Park (TNGM),
\nfearing that they would no longer be allowed harvest grass there.<\/p>\n
From generations, the slope of Mt. Merapi has been divided
\ninto numbered of lots of fields. Each family has the \"authority\"
\nover a particular lot, ranging from 2,000 square meters each to
\n35,000 square meters a family. It is from these fields that
\npeople cut the grass for their cows during the rainy
\nseason.<\/p>\n
When the dry season comes, however, grass is difficult to find
\nin this area. Some often climb further up to the volcano for
\ngrass. In some places, the slope is cultivated with BB (Brizanta
\nbrazillius) grass, a fast growing grass that can be harvested
\nevery two months.<\/p>\n
While on the hot-cloud burn areas, people usually plant a
\ngrass locally known as kolonjono.<\/p>\n
Harjanto believed, such a \"concession\" had made local people
\nvoluntarily participate in preserving the protected forest. The
\nperiodic cutting of the grass, he said, could as well prevent
\nforest fire due to dried, abandoned grass. The cutting
\nrejuvenated the area, he said.<\/p>\n
Some also say the grass has the capability of holding back
\nerosion.<\/p>\n
However, Yogyakarta Natural Resource Conservation Office
\n(BKSDA) head Kuspriyadi, however, insisted that turning the whole
\nsurface of the slope of the volcano into grass field was not a
\ngood practice. Trees and bush were often cleared from areas where
\ngrass was sown, he said.<\/p>\n
The act of cutting grass could also slow down the
\nrehabilitation process of the forest as small trees were also cut
\ndown together with the grass. As the need for grass was
\nincreasing in line with the increasing dairy herd sizes in the
\nregion, more trees were under threat.<\/p>\n
Head of Kaliurang Natural Resource Conservation Resort Sugiman
\nsaid the grass area had rapidly increased to 400 hectares this
\nyear from 290 hectares last year.<\/p>\n
\"We are looking for a solution to this problem. We look
\nforward to discussing it with other concerned (government)
\noffices. We plan to manage collaboratively,\" Kuspriyadi said,
\nexpressing the hope conservation of the area and improving the
\npeople's welfare were not conflicting interests.<\/p>",
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