The synergy of landscape-based industrialization strategy in Sumbawa Island – CIFOR Forests News – Forests News, Center for International Forestry…

Research conducted by KANOPPI fosters the landscape-based integrated natural resource and forest management in Sumbawa District. The recommendations have supported the community-based enterprises, through the development of community-based ecotourism, the center for trigona honey farming, and strengthening the capacities community-level and village-level institutions. Promoted forest products are forest honey, trigona honey cultivation and the development of handicrafts from ketak grass produced by community groups.

CIFOR-KANOPPI scientist, Ani Adiwinata interviewed the Governor of West Nusa Tenggara, Dr. H. Zulkieflimansyah, SE., M.Sc. to discuss natural resources management issues and the potential forest products in Sumbawa Island, West Nusa Tenggara.

Q: As recommended by KANOPPI, how would the management of trigona honey and ketak grass could optimally support the industrialization strategy of the West Nusa Tenggara Provincial Government in Sumbawa Island?

A: Industrialization must be done by anyone who has been mandated, as the leader, both at the national level and at the regional level.

Industrialization does not have to be interpreted as large factories intervention, but more on the increased awareness and seriousness to enhance the value added of our commodities.

So far, we have not been able to reach the prosperity, because we are satisfied by only selling raw products, then buying back in the form of semi-finished products and even finished goods at expensive prices.

Its time to start the first step of the long journey to make a different. Industrialization strategy must be discussed, both to revitalize the processing industry and in more traditional sector management, including forestry, agriculture, and fisheries.

But industrialization is not a simple process as easy as we turn our palms, industrialization requires the presence of science, knowledge, and technology.

Therefore, as you have mentioned about trigona honey, ketak grass, and others, product processing would be impossible without science, technology, and knowledge.

In Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara, we generally have provided or accentuated human capacity upgrading, community capacity building.

We send the best students to learn about the sciences related to trigona honey and how to increase an added value in the forestry sector. We are also creating universities with the orientation on the value added of forestry products.

We should open majors (notes: in our local universities), such as biotechnology, agricultural-based processing technology, and so on. Hopefully with the people who could see the opportunities beyond the fact of abundance of natural resources provided by God (Allah SWT), later, the forest products could be presented as the primary products, such as trigona honey, then the grass (ketak) mentioned above as well as from other sectors.

Nowadays, people have not maximized the forests potential, people still think that forests should not be harvested, but in my opinion, with the right knowledge, forests can be harvested, they can be maximized, and their sustainability still can be maintained.

Q: How to ensure the interconnectivity between the district or city governments to support to the sustainable development strategy, based on an integrated system between landscapes and seascapes in Sumbawa Island?

A: In Sumbawa Island, there are four district and one municipality, which are Bima City, Dompu District, Sumbawa District, and West Sumbawa District.

It is always interesting when we talk about sustainability, because in Sumbawa Island we also have mining . We have good mining products, and these have given an enormous contribution to the national economy, even the economy of West Nusa Tenggara has been very dependent to this sector.

Therefore, coordinating the five regional leaders would not be an easy job. Sometimes, this is because of coordination and communication problems, there were many substantial matters could not be done.

I could see that the Tambora Geopark could be the key as the catalyst, so all regional leaders could be involved in resolving important issues related to Tambora Geopark, so that other issues could also be discussed, such as forestry, agriculture, animal husbandry, marine, and many more.

In my opinion, the geopark is like a situational building that becomes a catalyst for all these problems, so all regional leaders can sit together for addressing much bigger issues.

I think that if the Tambora Geopark could run well, the coordination and synergy between all regional leaders can be maximized.

Kanoppi is a participatory action research activity to Develop and promote market-based agroforestry and integrated landscape management to encourage the development of small-scale community-based forestry enterprises in Indonesia. Supported by the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and involving the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) in collaboration with World Agroforestry (ICRAF) and related partners.

In West Nusa Tenggara Province, the research focused on Sumbawa Regency, particularly in Batudulang Village and Pelat Village. This research is in collaboration with the Environment and Forestry Office of West Nusa Tenggara Province, the Batulanteh Production Forest Management Unit (BKPHP), the Development Planning, Research and Regional Development Agency (Bappeda) of Sumbawa Regency, WWF (World Wide Fund for nature) Indonesia, University of Mataram, and the Agency for Research, Development and Technology of Non-Timber Forest Products (Litbang HHBK), the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

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