Finally Water Flows in Our Managed Area!…

Since receiving the forest management rights of 245,48 hectares in 2017, KPS Mulyatani together with the supporting institution, PETA Institute, has been actively carrying out efforts to rehabilitate critical land and restore ecosystems in the management area. In the management area which includes the protected forest areas of the Kamojang and Rakutak Mountains in Ibun and Pacet Districts, Bandung Regency, West Java, they have planted perennial plants such as rasamala, suren, and eucalyptus, as well as multifunctional plants (MPTS) that have economic and ecological value, such as avocado, jackfruit, and orange to increase the area cover while also shading the coffee plants.

.Before being managed by KPS Mulyatani I Ibun, the area was dominated by weeds with tree stands only around 10% of the land area. This condition caused forest fires to occur almost in all dry seasons. Since the area was managed, forest fire incidents have decreased drastically, and in the last two years there have been no forest fire incidents in the dry season. The hard work of the farmers has begun to pay off, since 2022 farmers have been able to routinely harvest coffee which is the mainstay of their gardens, not to mention harvests from other commodities such as hard trees or vegetables planted in between coffee plants.

However, the problem of water shortages during the dry season remains a major challenge for farmers in this area. Plants often lack water, causing stunted growth, even seedling death. Based on community records, only about 20-50% of plants are able to survive the dry season due to minimal access to water. In addition to affecting harvest yields, water limitations are also a stumbling block for efforts to restore managed areas.

With the support of the Nusantara Fund Direct Funding, KPS Mulyatani together with AP2SI (Association of Indonesian Social Forestry Management) as a companion runs a pipe-based irrigation program and hydram pumps to accelerate the restoration of forest areas and can increase the productivity of farmers' crops. The hydram pump system was chosen because it is able to push water from sources in the lowlands to highlands without using fuel, its construction is simple, does not require lubrication, can work continuously 24 hours, its operation is easy and maintenance costs are cheaper.

Initially, the farmers who were members of KPS Mulyatani I Ibun were still doubtful that water could reach their management area, because the existing water source was located far below the cultivated land. By learning from the Subang Sejahtera Forest Farmers Group Association, they were convinced that there was a hydram pump system that could push water from the lowlands to the highlands without using fuel.

The piping system was carried out by installing pipes from the water source to the boundary of the KPS Mulyatani I Ibun management area in March-April 2024. On May 1, 2025, members of the KPS Mulyatani I Ibun agreed to make an agreement to change the budget plan to also build a hydram pump system so that irrigation can reach the high-positioned management area.

On May 10, 2024, a collaboration agreement was reached between KPS Mulyatani and Gapoktan Hut Sejahtera from Subang to build a hydram pump system. Representatives from KPS Mulyatani I Ibun members also visited the location of the hydram pump built by GapoktanHut Sejahtera Subang in Jambelaer Village, Dawuan District, Subang Regency. The construction of the hydram pump system was carried out from mid-May 2024 to early June 2024.

Two irrigation systems in total irrigate up to 50 hectares of land belonging to KPS Mulyatani I members in Ibun Village. The water pipeline from the water source to the boundary of the managed area is a total of 1,5 km with a water discharge of 1 liter/5 seconds for irrigation of 20 hectares. To reach higher managed areas, a hydram pump is installed that can pump water up to a height of 150 meters from the water source and can irrigate 30 hectares of land.

Since the irrigation system has been operational, coffee productivity has increased drastically compared to the previous year. In the dry season, KPS Mulyatani I Ibun farmers can still be productive, without worrying about their plants dying due to lack of water. With increased land productivity and resilience to the dry season, this initiative supports KPS Mulyatani member farmers to maintain the power and governance of their area, while also demonstrating the potential for adaptive management based on local potential to strengthen the resilience of the local ecosystem.