Nangela, the new Writhe of Organic Village

Nangela is one of the kampongs of Desa Pabangon, Leuwiliang SubDistrict, Bogor. Nangela has a population of 150 families or 700 people. It is 15 kilometres away from the capital of Kecamatan Leuwiliang. The kampong is surrounded by Perhutani forest area. Nevertheless, since 2002, the status of forest area has changed into Gunung Halimun-Salak National Park area. Being isolated and far from nearest towns, nangela is not as much touched by development projects. Eventhough the village can be reached by motorbike or car, but the condition of the road which is heavily damaged hampered the resource mobilisation stripe.

The poverty that can be seen in this kampong is caused by bad road infrastructure and lack of prominent products that Nangela people can count on. The major produce form the kampong is rice. The harvest is enough to meet their own daily necesity. Half of produce is sold and exchanged with other things.

Seeing this condition, it seems that there is nothing that can be expected from this village. So is the assumption of most people around it and also the government over Nangela society. But, if it is observed deeper, there are various potensials from the nature that is promising. Surrounded by forested area, this kampong is actually very beautiful and fertile. Plentiful fresh water from the springs in the mountain provides them freshwater even in dry season so they can plant paddy throughout the year.

Another product from their lands are Albasia wood (Paraseriantes sp.), brown sugar, cardamom and banana.

The most important and valuable potential of this kampong are their harmony, solidarity and their social integrity. The local indigenous institutions is very powerful. Now, it is the time to bring these potencial into a better livelihood.

Recently, Nangela people has joint the initiative of the Koperasi Tanaman Obat dan Rempah Jawa Barat (West Java Medicinal and Herbal Cooperative). This cooperative is organizing farmers who are cultivating medicinal plants around Halimun-Salak and Gede-Pangrango National Parks. The spirit and enthusiasm of the Nangela community to join the cooperative has sparked a fresh energy for a better livelihood.

Meetings have been regularly conducted. The first action is socializing organic behaviour amoing the community. This action is followed up by establishment of a cooperative group as a sub of Koperasi Primer Karyasari. The activity is then continued by Kidney tea cultivation. In the future, organic agriculture will be directed onto the whole product that has been produced by Nangela community including paddy.

On June 2008, together with the management of Koperasi Primer Karyasari, Nangela people conducted a trainng of Bokasi fertilizer making. The basic material for Bokasi fertilizer is animal manure and husk or hull of rice, there is plenty of it available in the kampong, so that the people do not have to buy or import any of it from outside. Initially this fertilizer will be used to kidney tea cultivation. Next, it will be applied for the rice field. They expect that in the beginning of 2009, the whole rice field area will already use the fertilizer. The using of Bokasi fertilizer, besides cutting the cost of paddy production, will prove that the harvest they get will be as good as the harvest with chemical fertilizer. Moreover, the taste and durability of it is much better.

The area of kidney tea cultivation is 7 hectares which is planted by 40 farmers. Actually more farmers want to join the experiment also. But, the kidney tea seed is limited. It is expected that in the next few week, the needs for seddlings will be met.

It is expected that the harvest of this inaugural planting of kidney tea will be conducted on December 2008 or January 2009. With the joining of the Nangela community to the Koperasi Tanaman Obat dan Rempah Jawa Barat, the cooperative’s members and production volume is expanded. It is hoped that the spirit to become organic will grow and taken in by more and more villages.


(article written by Hendaru Djumantoro. Telapak works in Nangela is supported by HPSP, HIVOS, and Toyota Ecogrant.)