Let's Reform Indonesia Through Sustainable Agricultural Economics Strategy: Sustainable Agriculture Economics (SAE)
Tea plantation in Rancabali Bandung, West Java, Indonesia (The example of monoculture farming.) Did you know that a policy inherited from the Dutch colonial era has proven detrimental to the environment but is still being used in Indonesia today? The clue, the colonial policy was a regulation made by Governor-General Johannes van den Bosch in 1830. Each village must set aside a portion of its land (20%) to be planted with export commodities, namely rum, tobacco, coffee, tea, and sugar cane. In addition, since the 19th century, the Dutch government also pioneered large-scale teak plantations to manufacture their warships and merchant ships. The Graaf Johannes van Den Bosch was the originator of the colonial era of forced cultivation in Indonesia. Raden Saleh made the portrait painting. So, what is this policy? Yes, you are right; this policy is called the Cultuurstelsel, which Indonesian historians call the Cultivation System. Monoculture (aka, Cultuurstelsel) is an economic policy leg