Making Friends with Drone Technology: Realizing Agrarian Reform in 14 Villages in Bengkulu

The Bengkulu Farmers Union (STAB) in Bengkulu Province continues to fight for agrarian rights and improve socio-economic welfare. Most of STAB members are farmers who face agrarian conflicts and unclear land ownership status. Therefore, STAB focuses on efforts to strengthen agrarian rights through legal advocacy and regional mapping. The goal is clear, to obtain legal recognition of land ownership. As a concrete step to accelerate the recognition of land rights and expand their economic access, STAB has initiated a mapping program for Priority Locations for Agrarian Reform (LPRA) with the support of the Nusantara Fund Direct Funding.

The Priority Agrarian Reform Location (LPRA) mapping program involves various steps with detailed stages to ensure that every land in the area of ​​14 villages in 3 districts in Bengkulu Province is mapped accurately. The process begins with technical planning involving experts and in-depth discussions with community leaders to determine the boundaries of the area to be mapped.

Mapping was done using drone technology, a tool that provides high accuracy in measuring boundary points and land plots owned. The use of drones was chosen because of its speed and accuracy, so that every corner of the land boundary can be carefully documented. Through the mapping of Priority Locations for Agrarian Reform (LPRA) carried out using drone technology, STAB was able to obtain very detailed data on the boundaries of the areas they have managed for years.

The process begins with mapping the main area using drones to capture aerial images and topographic data. Technically skilled members are involved in operating the drones, taught how to fly and direct the drones to pre-planned points. Meanwhile, other members work in the field to ensure that the physical boundaries of the land correspond to natural markers that have been used for generations as benchmarks, such as large trees, rivers, or roads.

After the data from the drone is collected, the data processing and analysis process is carried out, the images and coordinates obtained are integrated into a digital map with detailed land parcel boundaries. Then a joint verification session is carried out to ensure that the map is in accordance with the reality on the ground. Community members who have knowledge of the history of the land are involved in the verification process, so that each point on the map has a strong basis, both from a technical perspective and from the perspective of local traditions and history.

During the mapping program, STAB also held workshops and discussions to provide communities with a deeper understanding of agrarian rights and advocacy strategies to defend their land. Workshops involving experts in agrarian law explained the legal steps to obtain recognition of land rights from the government.

In the workshop session, participants gained in-depth knowledge about the various legal documents required and the mechanism for collective land rights submission. They were also given insight into applicable agrarian regulations and how to avoid potential legal conflicts in the future. In addition, participants also learned how to formulate arguments based on data collected from drone mapping, as well as how to link data to land use history.

In the hands of grassroots movements such as the Bengkulu Farmers Union (STAB), technology can be a revolutionary tool in the fight for land rights. STAB, with the support of the Nusantara Fund Direct Funding, has successfully mapped 13.000 hectares of land in 14 villages in the Priority Agrarian Reform (LPRA) locations of the Bengkulu Farmers Union, covering the outer boundaries and land plots in detail. The use of drones to collect spatial data in mapping is able to present more accurate data; speed up the mapping process; and reach areas with difficult geographical conditions that are often obstacles.

Maps and data are a strong basis for STAB to apply for land rights recognition at the government level, protect their territory from unilateral claims from external parties, and avoid agrarian conflicts that often occur due to unclear land boundaries. Accurate maps can also be used as a basis for management planning related to the use of sustainable land use. So that they can develop various agricultural businesses and/or use of other resources in a more holistic, planned, and structured manner.

Ultimately, the recognition of land rights from the state is not just a matter of legality but an effort to maintain survival through certainty of land control in the process of advocating for equitable agrarian policies. Clarity in land distribution provides a fairer opportunity for people to carry out more sustainable natural resource management practices, reduce pressure from irresponsible exploitation, and maintain the balance of the ecosystem that supports the lives of their communities. Sovereignty-based management of land allows people to protect and maintain the land that is the mainstay of life.