22 Santoso, Sarongge - Indonesia 2021

This coffee farm has been managed since 2016. Located in Sarongge village, Cianjur, exactly by the limit of Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park. This patch of land was previously vegetable garden, like most of gardens in Sarongge. Most farmers here mainly opted for vegetable farms like cauliflower, scallions, chili, etc. Even in steep slopes by the foot of Gunung Gede, the farmers had little choice but to farm vegetables despite the risks of landslides and erosion in rainy season. I changed those vegetable farms to coffee farms. Protected by shade trees like avocados, jackfruits, petai, lamtoro, and oranges. I believe the Agroforestry system can provide better support and sustainability compared to open vegetable gardens. Asides of producing coffee with a better taste.
I, Santoso, 57 years old, have been a professional journalist for three decades. Back In 2008 while leading Green radio, a radio which focused on special interests in Jakarta, I made a reforestation program with Sarongge farmers. This program was meant to decrease the flood threat in Jakarta. Approximately 38 ha of vegetable hills which are parts of national park were reforested. After reforestation, the area had become a secondary forest with endemic trees as tall as 20 m. The working experience I had with all the farmers on the reforestation program made me fall in love with Sarongge, and now I farmed coffee in this place.
The coffee we are planting is becoming part of nurturing the forest aside from becoming a source of income to farmers.

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