Warungkiara Prison Cultivates 7 Hectares of Idle Land to Support Food Security

The Warungkiara Class IIA Correctional Facility in Sukabumi, West Java, is managing 7 hectares of previously unproductive ‘idle land’, converting it into vegetable plantations and livestock farming to support food security in the region. Head of Warungkiara Class IIA Prison, Kurnia Panji Pamekas, stated that active management of the idle land began in January 2025 and has since developed into plantations growing various types of vegetables. “The Warungkiara Prison has a total land area of 10 hectares. Three hectares are used for offices including residential blocks, while the remaining seven hectares comprise livestock, plantation, and agricultural land,” Kurnia said during an interview at the facility on Tuesday. Kurnia explained that initially, only three hectares of the 10-hectare plot were managed, with the rest leased to a third party for cassava plantations. However, the plantation did not run smoothly due to water issues, leading the tenant to abandon the site. “The Warungkiara area is located in the highlands, so water is somewhat difficult to access,” he noted. Kurnia recounted that after seeing the condition of the unutilised land, he took over the area and managed it as plantations, agriculture, and livestock farming. He stated that more than 10 types of plants are cultivated on the land, including grapes, melons, watermelons, bananas, papayas, tomatoes, choy sum, water spinach, lemongrass, spring onions, red chillies, green chillies, bird’s eye chillies, long beans, round aubergines, purple aubergines, pak choi, pineapples, cucumbers, and many others. For grapes, 10 variant types are developed, as well as tomatoes and melons. “We are also currently cultivating expensive Japanese melons. Out of 500 seeds planted, 13 died, and the rest survived,” Kurnia said. Besides plantations, Warungkiara Class IIA Prison also manages free-range chickens, laying hens, cows, goats, ducks, and fish. “Five per cent of the plantation and livestock yields are allocated to supply food ingredients for the inmates,” he stated. Vegetables produced by the Warungkiara Prison are partially marketed to the public and distributed to officers and residents surrounding the prison. Fruits, specifically grapes, are consumed internally by staff. Warungkiara Prison involves 12 convicts and 25 inmates on an incidental assistance basis, called the scout team. The inmates or convicts involved in managing the plantations and livestock have been selected and meet the requirements, including good behaviour, having served one-third of their sentence, and not being convicted of narcotics, corruption, or terrorism offences. The total number of inmates at Warungkiara Prison is 1,300 people, while the facility’s capacity is for 618 people. “Since the majority of inmates at Warungkiara Prison are narcotics offenders, not everyone can be involved in plantation management. Only cases outside narcotics, corruption, and terrorism are allowed, such as theft and other crimes,” Kurnia said. In addition to gaining farming skills, the inmates involved in plantation management at Warungkiara Prison also receive premiums, money which can be used for daily needs and savings. Kurnia added that this Assimilation and Education Programme (SEA) of Warungkiara Prison is aligned with the government’s Astacita programme and the 15 action programmes of the Minister of Immigration and Corrections, Agus Andrianto.