How Much Capital Did the Wonosari Village Head Spend to Turn Used Water Gallons into a Rice Field?

A village head in Wonosari, Gunungkidul, has drawn attention after converting idle land at his home into a rice field using used water gallons as planting containers. According to him, this method is advantageous because it does not require a large amount of capital.

The village head, 44-year-old Susanto, serves in Padukuhan Ngelorejo, Gari, Wonosari. “Growing rice using gallons has many benefits, such as easy maintenance because you only need to water it. Most importantly, there is no need for hoeing or ploughing the land,” he said when contacted on Wednesday (1/7/2026).

The capital outlay is also considered minimal compared to having to buy or rent a paddy field. The only requirements are used gallons, planting soil, seedlings, and pest barriers. He can obtain gallons for around IDR 1,000 each from individuals, while prices from scrap dealers range from IDR 2,500 to IDR 3,000.

“I have a plot of about 10 square metres with an estimated 1,000 gallons. If you calculate it, buying 10 square metres of paddy field costs IDR 15 to 20 million, but let’s say buying gallons costs IDR 2 million, and if you really have to buy soil, it’s IDR 1 million, which is very affordable,” he explained. He also purchased netting to protect his plants from sparrows.

“It can also be monitored directly because it’s located in the yard. So if there is a sparrow attack, they can be chased away immediately,” he said. According to him, the harvest yield is quite good, with his calculations showing that one gallon containing a rice plant can produce about one ounce of grain.

“The harvest result for one gallon, on average one gallon produces one ounce of grain. So you just multiply the number of gallons by one ounce,” he stated. Although Susanto admitted that not all of the rice in his gallons has been harvested yet, his main goal is to show residents that planting rice can be done at home with minimal cost.

He began planting rice in gallons on his property last March, using 840 gallons as planting containers. “Some have already been harvested, the Regent harvested it the other day. The amount is roughly one ounce per gallon, but I want to sample the quantity again. The previous harvest was good, perhaps because the fertiliser control was good and pest prevention was also effective,” he said on Monday (29/6).