JAKARTA: URBAN AGRICULTURE AS AN ALTERNATIVE

CITY CASE STUDY JAKARTA

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JAKARTA: URBAN AGRICULTURE AS AN ALTERNATIVE STRATEGY TO FACE THE ECONOMIC CRISIS Ning Purnomohadi 1. Introduction Metropolitan Jakarta houses almost 10 million people during the day and 8.5 million people during the night. Jakarta, on the northeast coast of the island of Java, is the capital of the Republic of Indonesia and the centre for national trade, industry and services, including agricultural development. The climate in Jakarta is very humid and warm. The average annual temperature is 270C and humidity is between 80 and 90%. The annual rainfall is approximately 2000 mm, with highest rainfall in January and lowest in September. Daerah Khusus Ibukota (DKI) Jakarta (Special Capital City Region of Jakarta) covers about 650 km2 and the average population density has reached 12,495 people/km2. The population grows at 2.4% per year. The land is relatively low and flat and lies between 0 and 50 m above sea level. The soils are alluvial and fertile (Darmayanti 1994). 2. Urban agriculture in Jakarta Most of the agricultural products consumed in Jakarta are imported from Bogo, Bekasi and Tangerang, the three satellite cities of Jakarta. However, what is produced in Jakarta itself is difficult to bring into the city on account of congestion and time constraints. Predictions are that, because of the economic crisis, urban dwellers will eat more vegetables since they can no longer afford to buy meat, fish or eggs (findings, own socio-economic field survey for this paper in 1999).


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Table 1: Food production, demand and production as percentage of demand in Jakarta Crop Production Demand Percentage

(%) Rice 13,467 1,083,405 1.2% Vegetables 26,883 282,184 .5% Fruit 44,443 226,852 19.6%

Source: Urban agriculture municipal office of Jakarta 1999 Urban farming spread quickly as a result of the crisis. For example, in 1998 hundreds of people swarmed without permission onto land near Pulo Mas horse-racing track to grow vegetables, and a cattle ranch owned by ex-president Suharto on the hills overlooking Jakarta was invaded by some 300 farmers. The flying police motorcycle patrols have failed to stop the land grabs and, in the end, the Governor of Jakarta gave the city’s poor the permission to use idle land to grow food, urging them to obtain permission first instead of just grabbing it (AFP 1998). 2.1 Urban farmers Urban farmers can be categorised into two large groups: landowners and (the majority) workers in urban agriculture. The latter group can work for a wage, rent the land (paid directly, in cash or in-kind, or by production sharing), using free accessible public land. Table 2: Total population of Jakarta and number of farmers

Total population

Urban farmers‘ status

Total no. farmers

Region (district)

1997 Owners Workers 1997 Central Jakarta 931,400 - 727 727 North Jakarta 1,659,100 1,955 16,475 18,430 West Jakarta 2,307,100 1,566 23,916 25,482 South Jakarta 2,087,200 2,124 2,632 4,756 East Jakarta 2,538,800 2,088 48,751 50,839 DKI Jakarta 9,523,600 7,733 92,501 100,234

Source: Statistical Bureau 1997 Most workers in urban agriculture are male farmers, mainly from West and Central Java. Only a few are originally from Jakarta (Betawi people). Very few of the workers own land in their home village.


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Often these workers lost their previous seasonal job in the fallout of the economic crisis and are left with few resources. They try to find a job as a farm worker in the city during planting or harvesting. A few try to obtain a permanent job in the city, or join their relatives who already have permanent jobs in Jakarta. The village migrants usually come alone; they do not bring their families. Regularly, at intervals varying from two weeks to once a year, they return to their home village. Urban agriculture provides workers, landowners and other people involved, with a small but significant income. Though it is limited, the workers use their income from urban agriculture (about Rp 10,000 to 15,0001 per day) to support families at home by sending money for daily expenses as well as expenses like school fees or traditional ceremonies2. Few women work in agriculture. Generally, men are engaged in urban agriculture throughout the season, in land preparation, watering, planting, weeding and harvesting, while women usually work only twice during the season in urban agriculture: during periods of planting and harvesting. As the work that women do is considered lighter, they are paid less. Women do tasks like selecting vegetables and making bunches of vegetables. Contracted workers are usually paid according to the type of work they do. A typical example is:

Land clearing Rp 15,000 for women worker per day Rp 20,000 for men workers per day

Transplanting seedlings Rp 250,000/ha Applying fertiliser Rp 60,000/ha Maintenance weeding Rp 15,000/day Harvesting Rp 80,000/600 kg

Migrants live together in very small crowded houses in areas which expanded into slums all around the city. Some of the workers live on the farms, in very small huts. The municipality has not been able to provide housing for the migrants.


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3. Use of urban areas More than 11,000 ha of land are used for urban agriculture in Jakarta. The land can be classified into various types: • vacant land: property of bankrupt or “collapsed” developers (e.g. Kelapa

Gading Industrial Estate) and part of the municipal greenbelt areas (e.g. Pulomas and ex Kemayoran Airport area);

• riversides and roadsides: belonging to Public Works, which co-ordinates flood canals (e.g. Banjir Kanal near Hotel Indonesia, along Jalan Inspeksi Dukuh Atas and the roadsides at Mutiara Film Settlement);

• homegardens; • others: many smaller areas used by the small-scale producers, such as the

BPKP Office garden in Jalan Pramuka, next to Salemba’s jail, etc. Land tenure in Jakarta is not very secure, although generally urban agriculture is not repressed there. However, 90% of the land used for urban agriculture is owned by real-estate developers or by the central or local government. This means that the land, once the economy picks up again, might easily become a construction site again. At the moment, however, urban agriculture obviously plays a positive role in making urban wasteland productive and turning waste dumps into green areas. Table 3: Agricultural land use in DKI Jakarta

Paddy field (ha) Dryland (ha) Region High- input

Moderate- inputs

Low- input

Dry sawa

Total Home

garden Vegetable planta-tions

Other Total Total wetland & dryland

Central - - - - - 46 23 23 92 92 North - 1150 125 5 1280 1193 185 551 1929 3209 West 80 140 20 100 340 1302 166 275 1743 2083 South - - - 14 14 1635 486 80 2201 2215 East 660 - 230 225 1115 1331 1162 20 2513 3628 DKI Jakarta

740

1290

375

344

2.749

5507

2022

949

8477

11,226

Source: Statistical Bureau 1998 People engage in urban farming to survive. Often the farmers are in debt to the middlemen who sell their produce; this gives the workers very little scope to bargain for better prices. The production systems are usually very intensive and


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often chemical fertiliser and pesticides are applied. Farmers take water from polluted rivers and at times apply fertilisers improperly and use banned pesticides. Farmers grow a variety of crops, dependent on the soil conditions. Most crops have a short growth cycle (about 30 days). Favourite leafy vegetables are morning glory (Ipomoea aquatica - locally known as kangkung), spinach, lettuce, green mustard, basil and cassava. In the past three years, yields significantly improved, especially in the case of spinach and morning glory. Ornamental plants are also grown, particularly in the Mutiara Film Complex, as well as in many other strategic locations, such as along roadsides. Table 4: Utilisation of vacant lands in August 1999 in Jakarta Area

(ha) Land in use (ha)

Cultivated crops Produce (tons)

Labour (person)

Central Jakarta

60 29 Chilly pepper, spinach, morning glory, lettuce, caisim, tomatoes, maize, cassava, sweet potatoes

4 340

North Jakarta

1168 671 Vegetables, chilly pepper, morning glory, chinese cabbage, paddy, spinach, tomatoes, melon, lettuce

11

2600

West Jakarta

748 445 Spinach, morning glory, groundnuts, maize, lettuce, stringbean, Luffa acutangula, chinese cabbage, caisim, eggplant

3203 3781

South Jakarta

417 110 Maize, cassava, eggplant, lettuce, chinese cabbage, morning glory, groundnuts, jasmine, Ixora rosea, chillies, stringbean, cucumber

395 343

East Jakarta

326 277 Vegetables, groundnuts, cassava, spinach 2148 1420

Source: field survey Ning Purnomohadi Crops are marketed mainly by middlemen, who come directly to the farm to buy the produce. Often farmers can sell only to one or two middlemen, because they are tied to them due to debts incurred, resulting in very low prices for the farmers. Some produce is sold directly to nearby markets, or sold directly by the producers by street vending in the neighbourhoods. Some restaurants also buy directly from farmers. Usually, this is cheaper for restaurants and the produce is fresher than if they would buy from stalls or supermarkets. A good example of this is in the Kelapa Gading area, where many Chinese restaurants are located.


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4. Selected examples of ongoing urban agriculture 4.1 Pulo Mas residential area Pulo Mas in East Jakarta consists of middle- to high-class residential areas. Located behind a well-known business area are squatter settlements in Pulo Asem and in the Velodrome area. Here, a greenbelt of 25 ha is located. The area is property of the Municipality of Jakarta. Recently, the area was reduced in size, but it still functions as a water-retention area for the eastern part of Jakarta. The same piece of land is also used for other activities, such as football, a horse-racing stadium, some urban forest and agriculture. On the western side of the stadium, luxurious apartments are built. Of these 25 ha, an area of 2 ha is used for agriculture. The land is controlled by two “big bosses” who hire about 30 farm workers. In return, they keep the stadium clean. Each worker receives about Rp 10,000/day, not including harvesting fees. The boss takes care of the marketing, the produce being mostly sold directly to consumers. Most workers come from West Java. Some come from Central Java, which is further away, but still close enough for daily commuting. The land is used for intensive vegetable production. Vegetables like spinach, lettuce, green leafy sawi (Brassica rugosa) or Chinese cabbage, morning glory and cabbage are sown and all crops are harvested in 25-30 days. Production takes place on small raised beds or garit of 10 m x 60 cm in size. The beds are designed so that they are easy to maintain and can be watered with a water container in one movement, back and forth. “Small” containers called gembor are placed in each hand, each being able to water two garits at a time. The plots near the Sunter River are irrigated three times per day with water taken directly from the river. The plots further away are watered from a retention basin or pumped from wells. The retention basins are placed in the middle of the land in between the garits. Ten days before seedlings are planted, organic fertilisers and water is applied and mixed with the soil. During the growing period, chemical fertilisers (urea and TSP) are applied. Pesticides are used to protect the plants. 4.2 PT Gading Kirana Company site PT Gading Kirana is a real-estate developer but, because of the Asian financial meltdown, the land lies wasted. The company then decided to lease the 2000 m2 to


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farmers for Rp 20,000/month/plot. The money is collected by the company’s security staff. The farmers have a contract allowing them to carry out agricultural activities and obliging them to maintain the fence. 4.3 Indonesian Navy industrial area Kodamar A 25 ha compound in Kodamar, owned by the Indonesian Navy, is used as a paddy field. The Navy Co-operative Office (Inkopal and Primkopal) hires farmers to work the land and the farmers receive monthly wages. The farmers, who originally come from Inderamayu, Karawang, Cirebon and Central Java, were already paddy farmers, and now work here on a seasonal basis. There are, however, plans to develop this “vacant” land in the near future, to construct houses for navy personnel. About 100 farmers are hired for planting, fewer people during the growing season, and 20 workers to harvest the crop. A high-yielding variety of paddy (IR 64) is grown twice a year, and the total annual harvest is between 150 and 300 tons. 4.4 Urban agriculture along roadsides About two ha of vacant land on green "islands" between three streets have been planted with vegetables, along Jalan Pramuka, Jalan Pemuda, and Jalan Ahmad Yani. Three years ago, a local youth association, Forum Komunikasi Putra Putri ABRI – Indonesia (FKPPI) decided to start practising agriculture. About 25 farm workers now work under “one boss”. They live in small, very simple, cottages around the land and receive Rp 10,000/day plus a bonus during harvesting, dependent on their harvesting skills. The produce is sold directly to consumers. In the past, these areas were just used as a waste dump, but now the area has taken on an attractive green appearance, not to be missed when driving on the freeway that crosses above the area. 4.5 Urban agriculture along canals and riversides Urban agriculture is also found on the riverbanks in front of the Shangri-La Hotel, the BNI buildings and also behind Hotel Indonesia. In between the fields are many stalls selling foods and other daily necessities. Usually, the farmers cultivate only two or three kinds of plants, like leek, morning glory and green sawi. There is great potential to further develop urban agriculture on riverbanks such as along the flood canal “kali” Malang (a branch of the river Ciliwung), which is presently home to illegal semi-permanent houses and, in some places, street prostitution.


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4.6 Kelurahan Sukapura Kelurahan Sukapura lies close ton the coast. In this area, there are two large farming enterprises which grow only one crop: morning glory. The reason for this is that the land is swampy, permitting few options besides morning glory. The sites are in the middle of an industrial area next to many industries, but also near large and very densely populated squatter settlements. One site of 10 ha is rented by a Madurese, who hires 30 skilled workers from Indramayu. The farm is organised as an efficient production system. Water is drawn from the Cakung drain. To protect the crop, pesticides and herbicides are applied. The morning glory production is marketed throughout DKI Jakarta. Usually, middlemen are very willing to come directly to the farm. The other site of 15 ha is located behind container warehouses, along the Cakung drain. The land is owned by a developer, who rents his land out for Rp 20,000/ha/month to individual farmers, mostly people from Jakarta. For marketing, these farmers very much depend on middlemen, because only they are willing to come directly to the farm. Prices are thus determined by the middlemen. The farmers receive Rp 600 per bunch of morning glory while, in other places, the prices can be five times higher (up to Rp 3,000/bunch). The water used is drawn from the Sunter River. 5. Policy perspective on urban agriculture The widespread nature of urban agriculture in the last two years, which has developed in response to the economic crisis, is seen as a temporary phenomenon. Urban agriculture has still not been included in the urban Master Plan of the city. Neither is urban agriculture included in the existing policy on Urban Green Open Spaces (UGOS). On account of the latest economic crisis, more and more vacant land (or Lahan Tidur) is being used for farming. The municipality, realising the need for cheap and healthy food for the urban poor, issued the Governors’ Decree No. 184, entitled “Private Owned Vacant Land Used for Urban Agriculture Practices in DKI Jakarta Area” on March 9th, 1998. This stipulates that the landowners and the urban farmers should sign a formal contract to avoid illegal practices. The local government provided a list of landowners who, for the time being, are not able to


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develop their land according to their plans. In these cases, the landowners willingly lend out their vacant land to farming purposes. There are a number of laws potentially affecting urban agriculture, but none of the laws specifically refer to it. One example is Law No. 7/1996, which states that sufficient food, both in quality and quantity, should be available for all households at all times. The law envisions a role for municipal government and the urban community in providing food. The municipal government should enhance food security through a “sound” food management system, through training, control and so on. Another example is the "greening programme", which started in the early 1990s. Jakarta planned to have at least 25-30% of the UGOS improved, in order to obtain a “balanced environment”. However, the development of UGOS was given last priority, and has practically resulted in neglect. For the time being, the greening of Jakarta has not even improved by 10%. The One Million Trees Campaign launched in 1993 has slowed down. Because of the economic crisis, the budget for city park maintenance and rehabilitation has been drastically cut. When the central government initiated the ADIPURA3 award programme, the development of urban agriculture was not encouraged as part of the urban green open space system. It was argued that urban agricultural produce is contaminated because of air pollution. It seems, therefore, that Jakarta Municipality sees a role for urban agriculture in the short term in order to overcome the impacts of the Asian economic crisis, but does not regard it as a tool to contribute structurally to urban development. 6. Opportunities for urban agriculture The Asian crisis created opportunities for urban agriculture, as the people in cities are in need of new solutions for overcoming their problems. From the activities of the people of Jakarta, it appears that urban agriculture offers some solutions. The increasing (economic) importance of urban agriculture should facilitate its inclusion in city planning and the specification of agricultural areas in urban zoning. Urban agriculture should be treated as an integral part of the urban ecosystem. With sufficient appropriate space, it will be easier for urban dwellers to generate alternative income through farming or home gardening.


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The role of the local government in expanding urban agriculture could be great, through focusing on production, marketing and consumer aspects, as described below: • production aspects: the provision of basic technical information and scientific

data for urban agricultural development for all stakeholders could range from a set of reliable updated city maps to practical guidelines, standard operating procedures for urban agriculture, training, demonstration plots, etc. This is especially important to avoid pollution through urban farming. Vacant lots could be used much more, in addition to intensive techniques for small spaces, such as container-based farming and hydroponics (Wade 1986);

• marketing aspects: the government needs to reorganise distribution systems, and provide facilities for markets and marketing information. The local government could also facilitate co-operative marketing systems to avoid exploitation of farmers by middlemen;

• consumer aspects: the government has a responsibility to avoid contamination of food. A land suitability classification system could be made tin order o avoid contamination of crops by soil, water and air pollution. Another consideration is the promotion of food diversity.

Possible constraints for the implementation of urban agricultural programs are: • better economic options from farmers in other jobs; • continued land title insecurity, which could keep farmers from investing or

continuing because of insecure prospects; and • limited knowledge, including knowledge on marketing systems. 1 Rupiah (Rp) 7500 = 1 US$ 2 This income can be compared to other salaries: non-skilled construction workers earn

around Rp 8,000 – 10,000/day, skilled workers between Rp 20,000 – 30,000/day, maids and servants earn cash between Rp 150,000 – 200,000 / month, but usually also have board & lodging and small medical expenses included. Lower class government salaries run between Rp 750,000 – 500,000 / month.

3 The ADIPURA award programme is co-ordinated by the State Ministry of Environment to award the greenest and cleanest city of Indonesia.


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References Agence France Presse (AFP). 1998. Information from 6 August 1998 found

on www.city farmer.org/jakarta.html#jakarta. Darmayanti, Erwina. 1994. Integrating informal city farming practices into

green open space management: a study of the case of Jakarta, Indonesia. Masters thesis, York University, Canada.

Kartawinata, Kuswata. 1992. Kota sebagai ekosistem. Presentation at

Makalah utama pada Seminar Sehari Ekologi Perkotaan, dalam rangka, Dies Natalis Universitas Tarumanegara ke XXX, Jakarta, July 1992.

Purnomohadi, Ning. 1996. Strategy for urban agriculture in Indonesian

cities: a challenge? Paper prepared for Program Design Workshop on Urban Agriculture, Economic Development Institute, World Bank, Washington DC, June 1996.

UA Municipal Office. 1999. Propinsi dalam angka, sub sektor pertanian,

Tahun 1993-1997. Pemerintah Daerah Khusus Ibukota (DKI) Jakarta. Jakarta: UA Municipal Office.

Wade, Isabel. 1986. City food, crop selection in Third World cities. San

Francisco: Urban Resources System, Inc.

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JAKARTA: URBAN AGRICULTURE AS AN ALTERNATIVE