Provincial Government Pays Farmers Rp2 Million/Month to Plant Trees in Cianjur
Cianjur, West Java - The West Java Provincial Government is providing farmers at the foot of Mount Gede-Pangrango in Cianjur Regency with a wage of Rp2 million per month to plant trees in order to prevent natural disasters.
West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi in Cianjur, West Java, on Thursday, stated that floods should not occur in Cianjur, which is located in a highland area.
However, several villages in highland areas such as Puncak-Cipanas have experienced landslides and floods due to the conversion of forests into vegetable plantations, resulting in water not being absorbed during heavy rain and flooding residents’ homes.
“Floods usually occur in lowlands, but in the Puncak-Cipanas area, they happen in highlands. This is because the forest areas at the foot of the mountain have been converted into vegetable plantations,” he said.
To prevent similar incidents from recurring, his side has asked vegetable farmers to gradually switch to planting hardwood trees, so the West Java Provincial Government will meet the farmers’ needs by providing a wage of Rp2 million per person each month until the trees grow large.
In its implementation, each farmer will cultivate one to two hectares of land.
Similar measures have already been applied in several other regions in West Java as an effort to restore natural functions and safeguard the ancestral legacy of the Tatar Sunda.
“When nature is preserved, disasters such as landslides and floods can be minimised, allowing communities living at the foot of the mountain to live safely and comfortably, carrying out various activities without fear or threat,” he said.
Dedi continued that the greatest threat at present is the disharmony between humans and nature, which triggers various disasters in several areas, including Cianjur.
According to him, the West Java Provincial Government has now established a new provincial spatial and regional plan (RTRW).
“The new RTRW has been agreed upon and even consulted with the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning, so all regencies and cities must follow or adjust to that spatial plan to achieve alignment,” he said.