Writer's Block: Finding a Way Forward in West Timor
I haven't been to Kupang before, which just goes to show how big this Indonesian archipelago is. It's on the western part of Timor island, the east being now another country called Timor Leste, and the flight there from Jakarta takes around three hours depending if it makes a stopover in Surabaya or Denpasar.
The area is part of East Nusa Tenggara province, and is ranked one of the least developed areas of the country in terms of economy, nutrition, access to health, education, infrastructure and natural resources. NTT has one of the highest incidences of stunting in children, and providing nutrient-rich food supplements for pregnant mothers and babies is an important focus for organizations such as the UN's World Food Program, to carry out their nutritional intervention program.
Most of the people in the poorer regencies, such as in villages in Soe, in the southern part of Central Timor, around two and a half hour drive from Kupang, still live off their land, exploiting forested areas as nomadic farmers. However, this is being increasingly discouraged through programs such as the Food for Asset Program, also done with the assistance of the WFP, which incentivizes farmers to grow their own food crop and high-value trees as future assets in return for rice.
In this way, farmers no longer need to exploit the surrounding forests for food, but can work on their land to grow crops such as corn that they can eat and sell, and look forward to a return on their labor when, in a decade or so, their trees, such as mahogany, are ready to be monetized. Thus, small local farmers are encouraged to think and act long-term, and no longer need to live from day to day.
When I arrive, the climate is at the tail end of the rainy season, and everything is covered in luscious green as far as the eye can see. It is hard to imagine that this island is anything other than fertile and abundant. A local told me, however, that the area has three seasons: green, the short few months when rain falls and everything blooms and cattle are put to pasture to fatten up; yellow, when the dry season robs trees of their leaves, dries up the grass and everything becomes barren; and black, when the land is scorched from forest fires.
Nevertheless, despite it being the rainy season, the river is pitifully shallow, revealing the rocks on the river bed. Clearly, water is a big problem here. No amount of digging could generate enough water to fill wells. Plans of building a dam or water reservoir remain a pie in the sky as there's never enough money to fund the construction.
Indeed, infrastructure is the main drawback for the economy in this eastern part of Indonesia. Although the main provincial road itself is actually in good condition and you can get a better phone signal in Kupang than you would in congested Jakarta. As soon as you go off the main highway, however, access to the villages is via shoddily built roads that soon turn into bumpy dirt paths with a bit of wear. As to phone signal, it becomes patchy the closer it gets to the village, after which it disappears altogether.
A district head from a village near Kupang complains of lack of attention from the central government as well as lack of support from the area's legislative representatives. He wants to focus more on reviving local farming, he says, and make every household as well as school cultivate vegetable gardens. That way, they don't need to rely on transporting outside commodities in order to feed themselves.
The school I visit and practically every house I pass, has abundant vegetable gardens and pots growing tomatoes, carrots, mung beans, spinach and other popular vegetables they could readily eat themselves or sell. From donors such as the WFP, this local leader prefers assistance such as corn-grinding machines and corn as well as practical know-how.
No wonder the local parties' representatives don't really support him. After all, what benefit is there for them in terms of projects and kickbacks when they would actually help farmers become more self-sufficient?
The district head is also keen to have investors come and build a factory and get the economy going by creating jobs and alternative livelihoods. A Korean company is currently interested and is checking out the area. A good thing, surely, I say. Yes, he says, except that here there's not enough electricity around. How could you build a factory without electricity?
I see his point. Even in the best hotel in Kupang, the electricity keeps going off every ten minutes.
Desi Anwar is a senior anchor at Metro TV. She can be reached at desianwar.com or dailyavocado.net.
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