The largest kratom-producing region in the jungle is West Borneo. It is an Indonesian province on the island of Borneo with Pontianak as its capital. Due to its geographical location, it is known as the “Thousand Rivers” area with hundreds of small and large rivers. Some of them can and often are navigable.
The population of West Borneo lives in an agricultural culture. Since virtually everyone works in agriculture, most regions are rural and people have few employment opportunities. Only a small percentage of the population works in other industries such as transport, trade or other services.
Agricultural products, especially plantation and jungle management, are extremely important in people's lives. Jungles are of concern because of their ecological, economic and social functions. The loss of the jungle will impact the lives of local residents.
Jungle Kratom repairs jungle damage
The Indonesian government, in collaboration with Germany through Forclime , worked to repair jungle damage. Forclime aims to minimize greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging farmers to replant jungles with a variety of plant species.
In an effort to replant the jungle in Kapuas Hulu , Forclime provided a selection of trees for planting. Technically speaking, having Forclime as a farming partner will be beneficial. The residents of Kapuas Hulu seem to have chosen jungle kratom as a crop.
They chose Jungle Kratom because it is a fast growing plant (up to 2-3 meters in a year). It is a plant that has existed in Kapuas Hulu for a long time. It can survive in water and thrives in moist soil, such as along the banks of the Kapuas River. Jungle Kratom also has a large canopy and strong roots that act as a deterrent against erosion along the banks.
The well-being of the Kapuas Hulu community is improving. This condition is evidenced in the community's ability to achieve economic growth. Economic growth and the number of raw materials have a positive relationship, but there is a negative relationship with the earth's natural resource reserves.
Therefore, the connection between the cultivation of jungle kratom and its ecological quality must be taken into account. From an environmental perspective, Jungle Kratom has the following 4 economic values.
1. Jungle Kratom can resist abrasion
As a strategy to demonstrate the relevance of the existence of ecosystems , economic valuations and the potential of natural resources must be meaningful. Humans must continue to manage the ecosystem for it to be viable.
The idea of Total Economic Value (TEV) , which essentially consists of two categories, namely the value based on the use value and the included value or intrinsic value, can be used in the economic valuation of natural resources (non-use value). .
One example is a study on the economic value of mangrove jungles. According to the report Mangroves have one direct benefit value of $1,702,605.73 per year. The highest contribution, which was $1,237,277.78 per year, came from indirect value, such as an abrasion buffer or a water reservoir.
When planted on river banks, Jungle Kratom can provide benefits in addition to abrasion resistance. The Ministry of Environment and Forests' efforts to plant jungle kratom serve as an attrition barrier. Therefore, Jungle Kratom has financial value when it comes to preventing attrition.
2. Absorbs CO2 emissions
The surviving jungle regions, particularly in Borneo, are crucial components that everyone must preserve so that life can continue. Jungles can provide environmental benefits in the form of clean air, water sources, and biodiversity.
Increased carbon storage is a goal of extensive kratom cultivation in the jungle. The amount of carbon obtained through reforestation is now tradable. Since the selling value of carbon is currently low, trading carbon as a pretext for developing communities around the jungle does not bring ideal benefits.
This is shown by the results of a study that aimed to the economic value of the Sekaroh protected jungle area based on the economic value calculation. Increasing the value of carbon as a raw material is crucial for people's lives. Additionally, increasing carbon storage helps determine the optimal carbon selling price.
Investments to protect the jungle are long-term investments to preserve carbon stocks. Jungles have the ability to store carbon created by various human activities, and there are incentives for land areas to serve this purpose.
3. Contributes to increasing carbon trading
For the goal of jungle protection, the absorption of CO2 emissions can be examined economically as an ecological function that can store carbon. The value creation technique of developing facilities that can sequester carbon is generally effective in determining carbon pricing.
According to quantitative analysis of afforestation/reforestation (A/R) and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in Sekaroh from 2010 to 2013 the economic value was Rp 73,394,816.00 per hectare per year at an interest rate of 5.75 percent.
Based on economic potential, the carbon price is $23 per ton. This value is well above the current carbon price, which is between $4.6 and $10 per ton of carbon. Higher carbon pricing will stimulate jungle communities' interest in preserving carbon stores in carbon-rich jungles. If the cost of carbon-containing facilities is lower than the cost of other investments, communities may choose to invest in these facilities.
Another benefit of jungle kratom farming is that it helps replant jungle land in Borneo that is rapidly disappearing. Jungles are an essential factor in mitigating the negative consequences of climate change. Jungle vegetation can help slow environmental degradation caused by increasing anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.
Trees like Jungle Kratom are part of the jungle ecosystem and their photosynthesis mechanism plays an essential function in absorbing carbon from the atmosphere.
4. Social forestry of jungle kratom is economically beneficial
In an ideal world, the community's large land resources and lush jungle potential could be manageable to generate high and equal economic benefits. Krato cultivation in the jungle of Kapuas Hulu municipality is an example of social forestry.
Social forestry has a long history in Indonesia with diverse social characteristics and potentials. Due to the dispute over politics, the to provide local populations with economic advantages in jungle management , it will be difficult to put these efforts into action. Another stumbling block is the lengthy legalization process.
In Indonesia, there are few farms that are based in the countryside or in the jungle and are growing and becoming the backbone of the economy. Many farming methods are ineffective or fail; However, growing jungle kratom seems to provide significant results. It is part of a social forestry project and has proven effective in bringing economic benefits to the community.
The Role of Farmers in the Jungle Kratom Social Forestry Project
Farmers need to understand the economics of social forestry production in order to manage it appropriately and achieve economies of scale. They must have strong business management skills as farmer group business management has a number of shortcomings, including high entry fees and low profit margins.
Farmers are often at a disadvantage when trading agricultural products because they have a weaker position when it comes to setting prices. Communities need to be informed about the structure of social forestry services, which is a source of income for those living near the jungle. Therefore, jungle kratom forestry can open up numerous employment opportunities.
This fact is consistent with research findings that social forestry creates jobs and a solution to the difficulties in the entrepreneurial growth of disadvantaged communities around the jungle.
The socio-economic situation of the community regarding jungle kratom is critical, particularly in West Borneo. This is because most people's livelihood depends on jungle kratom. However, since Jungle Kratom is often not consumed locally but sold internationally, its cultivation cannot be excluded from the associated restrictions.
Regulations on socio-economic activity must be taken into account. Growing jungle kratom for export is subject to agricultural, environmental, import-export trade and customs regulations. Therefore, synchronization of regulations is necessary.
Conclusion: Jungle Kratom is economically and ecologically valuable
Since it can survive in puddles, people living in flood-prone areas can only rely on Jungle Kratom. Watersheds along river banks, especially those that frequently overflow, provide plenty of soil and mud deposits that are ideal for growing jungle kratom.
In addition to having economic value, jungle kratom can also be useful as a soil retainer to prevent abrasion. It is incredibly easy to cultivate and can grow quickly without any care. This easy-to-grow plant is used as part of a green initiative to minimize greenhouse gas emissions.
Therefore, we can call Jungle Kratom a “green economy”. Because Jungle Kratom can increase people's income while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The long-term benefits of Jungle Kratom, including direct economic value and intrinsic value, can be enjoyed.
The absorption of carbon from the atmosphere by organic plant vegetation in the process of photosynthesis helps mitigate the effects of climate change due to the greenhouse effect.
Growing kratom in the jungle keeps farmers employed and reduces the practice of destroying jungle land to make way for new agricultural land. In addition, the community is actively involved in protecting the jungle.
