Integrated farming Kebun Kuncup

Integrated farming: Kebun Kuncup

Have you ever heard of a dynamic approach in sustainable agriculture which can be applied anywhere in the world?

On a quiet Sunday morning, we rode the motorbike north, blessed with the view of the mighty Merapi volcano on the horizon.

At Kebun Kuncup, we met with Mr Dedy and quickly realized that we share a common interest for sustainable agriculture.

For the past few years, Mr Dedy has been practicing integrated farming on this 3000m2 piece of land. A farm management system that he’s learned in South Korea.

What is integrated farming you ask? Since there are no short answers to this question, here’s a short explanation:

“The IFS [Integrated Farming System] takes account of innovation in farming for maximizing production through optimal use of local resources, effective recycling of farm waste for productive purposes, community-led local systems for water conservation, organic farming, and developing a judicious mix of income-generating activities such as dairy, poultry, fishery, goat rearing, vermicomposting, and others.”

From: Long-Term Farming Systems Research, 2020 by S.S. Walia, Tamanpreet Kaur.

So, how does it work at Kebun Kuncup? In a series of consecutive steps:

Water coming from the irrigation channel is stored and undergoes a natural treatment with tilapias, aquatic plants and other living organisms from this aquatic system. Then it moves along a trench where it receives catfish water outlet and chicken manure. This is not the only fertilizer on site, Mr Dedy has also used rabbit and goat urine as well as goat droppings on his plants and fruit trees. He makes use of crop rotation for his raised beds thus alternating the species over time to preserve nutrients in the soil. Examples of income-generating activities include selling fruit tree seeds, organic produce online as well as working with local fruit juice stalls where he collects their organic waste. The waste is swiftly devoured by the larvae of the Black Soldier Fly. Another great technology that you can bet you are going to hear more about soon from Ecotica!

Running an organic integrated farming system in a market driven economy is not an easy thing to do. It takes commitment and financial sacrifices to stay afloat. Such are things that Mr Dedy works as a consultant for various projects in order to provide for his family. We wish Kebun Kuncup abundant harvests and a prosperous future!

At Ecotica we raise awareness about integrated farming systems and other similar approaches. We also feel strongly that we need to take a holistic approach to farming to bring a sustainable solution to this world.