Spicy Taste Sweet Result.

Organic Chili Peppers from Depati Rencong Telang Indigenous Community, Jambi

Amidst a mountainous landscape surrounded by dense forest, the Rencong Telang Indigenous Community is striving to re-establish its strength. Previously, the community relied on agricultural products such as coffee, cinnamon, and fruit. However, limited market access and limited economic opportunities prompted them to pioneer a new path through organic cayenne pepper, which has a high market value. Cultivating organic cayenne pepper also serves as an effort to strengthen the Indigenous Community's collective economy through sustainable management of their customary territories. 

The Depati Rencong Telang Indigenous Community occupies a unique geographic location, located in the heart of Alam Kerinci, a mountainous region that forms part of the Bukit Barisan landscape. The undulating and hilly topography has historically made this area difficult to access, while preserving a dense and biodiverse tropical rainforest ecosystem. 

Organic chili pepper intercropping practices maintain the balance of nature. Without clearing new land and maintaining plant diversity, pressure on indigenous forests is avoided. The use of natural materials also maintains soil and water quality, ensuring indigenous territories remain intact living spaces where economic activities coexist with environmental conservation.

In this effort, the Indigenous Peoples Business Group – KUMA Mentari Rencong Telang become a driving force. The activity began with a customary deliberation with stakeholders and traditional leaders, followed by a community outreach on the initiative. The outreach also resulted in agreement on planting locations, a work schedule, the formation of a technical team, and the implementation of cultivation training. 

Twenty community members participated in the organic chili cultivation training, supported by local agricultural facilitators and a network of Indigenous Peoples organizations. Participants then became daily laborers in land preparation, planting, and maintenance. Wages were paid daily, opening up a new source of income outside the traditional agricultural sector. This involvement extended benefits to a broader segment of the community, including groups not previously affiliated with KUMA.

A 1,5-hectare collective plot of land is cultivated to grow cayenne peppers, intercropped with existing coffee and cinnamon plants. Manure, compost, natural hormones, and organic fertilizers form the basis of the environmentally friendly cultivation system.

During implementation, various challenges arose. Some members were unfamiliar with large-scale chili cultivation techniques, and weather conditions were not always favorable for chili growth. To address these challenges, additional training was conducted, equipment was upgraded, and regular discussions were held to collaboratively address cultivation challenges.

The first harvest will be in June 2025, producing 100 kilograms of cayenne pepper every two weeks. The price from farmers to collectors is around Rp9.000 per kilogram, while the market price can reach over Rp40.000. Despite the significant difference between the price from farmers and the selling price to buyers, the farmers still receive a collective profit from the harvest. Some of the produce will be absorbed by the local market, while the rest will be distributed to areas such as Muara Bungo, Jambi, and Padang through a network of collectors. The organic cayenne pepper harvest will be used as revolving capital for the next planting season, creating a sustainable business mechanism controlled by the community. 

The Depati Rencong Telang Indigenous Community's initiative, KUMA Rencong Telang, not only builds technical capacity for environmentally friendly cultivation but also strengthens solidarity. Residents who previously practiced subsistence farming to meet household needs now participate in a more organized collective production system. Other groups, such as bamboo farmers and farming communities, also participate, strengthening the local economic ecosystem.

The collective economic model demonstrates how Indigenous Peoples' initiatives can expand their impact by maximizing collective resource management, returning benefits not to a select few, but to all. In Rencong Telang, organic cayenne pepper cultivation grows on customary land, is collectively managed, and is part of a long-term effort to strengthen the Indigenous Peoples' collective economy and maintain a harmonious relationship with nature.