Farming on Former Brawl Sites, North Jakarta's Gen Z Plants Hope and Reaps Profits

In Rawa Malang, Semper Timur, Cilincing, North Jakarta, Gen Z youth have successfully generated millions of rupiah in turnover from a plot of land that was previously a frequent site for brawls. Equipped with an abandoned area previously associated with clashes and piles of rubbish, they have transformed it into a productive garden yielding fresh vegetables. Not only does this initiative curb potential conflicts, but it also produces profits, with monthly turnover reaching millions of rupiah. In fact, the Urban Farming Group Bangun Karya Mandiri, managed by Angga, once generated around Rp 2 million from a single harvest. Angga recounted that the Bangun Karya Mandiri Farming Group, located in the middle of an alley near the Cibitung-Cilincing Toll Road underpass, was established in 2024. He, along with his father Selamet and the local RT chairman Ahmad Saddam (35), felt concerned about the 1.5-hectare abandoned land near the toll underpass, owned by the Jakarta Water Resources Agency (SDA), which was a remnant of the Rawa Malang Reservoir construction. That land gradually turned into an illegal waste disposal site (TPS) and was often used as a brawl location by young people. They then began planting various types of crops on the land so that residents would no longer dump rubbish indiscriminately. “Before it became this, it was indeed a rubbish dump. If it’s not planted like this, the rubbish would pile up a lot over time,” he added. Unexpectedly, the simple planting activity gradually became more routine and encouraged young people in the area to get involved. Angga said that at least 10 young people actively maintain the urban farming land. However, farming in the Cilincing area near the coast is no easy task. One of the challenges is the saline soil condition, so not all plants can grow well. So far, the successful crops are dominated by vegetables, including kangkung, spinach, basil, mustard greens, chillies, and others. They have also tried planting fruits but failed due to the high salt content in the soil. Nevertheless, the garden managed by the Gen Z group is already capable of producing green vegetable harvests every day.