Cargill, Cempaka Foundation, and USAID IUWASH have announced their collaboration in launching Climate Action and Sustainable Landscape (CITASAMA) to preserve the ecosystem of Mount Arjuno in East Java, Indonesia. The 3-year partnership aims to implement a forest conservation program with a multi-stakeholders approach. The program focuses on climate partnership initiatives through forest rehabilitation and implementation of regenerative agriculture, providing the community with access to clean water, along with capacity building on agroforestry for the local farmers and community.
“We recognize that enabling a reliable access to clean water and restoring degraded land relies on collaboration with multiple stakeholders. We choose to partner with the Cempaka Foundation and USAID IUWASH for our same level of commitment and expertise to effectively execute the program. In addition, we intend to establish a strategic partnership with the local government and the surrounding communities. Through the collective efforts, we aim to work through all the initiatives at the end of the program and bring more impact to the community”, said Arief Susanto, Director of Government Relations, Cargill Indonesia.
CITASAMA is scheduled to be implemented in the Kedunglarangan river watershed encompassing an area of 1,108 hectares within the forest area of Mount Arjuno. This forested area spans five villages in the Prigen district and is expected to benefit a total of 36,105 individuals. This is in alignment with Cargill’s commitment to enabling a water positive impact in our operations, supply chain, and communities by 2030.
The CITASAMA program is expected to deliver impact in the aspects of climate protection, water reserve and farmers livelihood.
Under climate partnership, the conclusion of the program is anticipated to result in carbon reserves within the forest totaling up to 185,435 tons of CO2 equivalent and initiation of a multistakeholder forum for managing climate action programs on Mount Arjuno.
To enhance access to clean water, the program will also restore Mount Arjuno’s water reserves functions. This includes the planting of 200,000 trees, management of 500 hectares agroforestry as well as the construction of 1,000 infiltration wells and 5,000 biopores. This is done with the aim to reserve 8.5 million m3 of groundwater per year and increase water flow for 8 springs to provide local communities’ access to clean water and sanitation.
In total, more than 7,000 farmers and locals, including women in the community, will be actively involved in the program. Throughout the program, they will be involved in educational programs on regenerative agriculture and community-based forest commodity entrepreneurship.
Carried out in cooperation with the Indonesian government, universities and local communities, the stakeholders will also jointly conduct research, and develop documentation to measure the potential carbon absorption and carbon stock.
Under this strategic initiative, Cempaka Foundation will act as key implementor with close coordination with stakeholders and local communities. Prior to CITASAMA, Cargill has been partnering with Cempaka Foundation since 2016 for conservation and community empowerment activities. Sarifudin Lathif, Executive Director of Yayasan Cempaka said, “We will always involve the community in this partnership so they can be more independent in carrying out conservation efforts to protect and manage natural resources in their environment. This will have a positive impact on the society and the environment today and in the future.”
“This partnership is an example of private sector and civil society involvement in addressing complex challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and water scarcity to ensure a sustainable future for future generations,” said Nancy Eslick, USAID Global Water Coordinator. “Multistakeholder cooperation is the most effective way to preserve the environment and maintain raw water sources in a sustainable manner. We hope what we do here can inspire the world.”
CITASAMA is the continuation of Cargill’s forest conservation program on Mount Arjuno. Since 2014, Cargill, together with the local communities, has planted 71,500 trees from 15 plant species on 201 hectares of land on Mount Arjuno and has succeeded in restoring 5 water springs to function as well as contributing to the community’s economy through agroforestry activities.