Potato from dieng
By wisnu broto
26 Nov 2008
Dieng Plateau, Central Java, Indonesia has many places of interest and cultural heritage. Located in 2,093 meters above sea level area, Dieng is adorned with ancient temples and the beauty of the mountainous area. The name Dieng is derived from the Sanskrit Language, Di and Hyang means "abode of the God". It explains the presence of the many temples in the area formed many millennia ago by eruption of huge volcano.
The results of the vulcanic activity in the past time are lakes, craters, and fertile land to make a living for local people. Potato (solanum tuberosum) is the main agricultural product in this area. The local people began to cultivate potatoes in the 1980s. The potato booming happened in 1985-1995 period gave prosperity and wealthy to the local people. For potato growers, Dieng is their dream land. They are ready to do anything to keep Dieng for potato growing. The consequences are the forest has been cleared, trees felled, and the land turned into horticultural land for potato growing. Because of the potato growing, the hills in Dieng are completely denuded of trees.
Nowadays, Potato in Dieng is facing the dilemma. In one hand, Potato is good for local income and support national needs but in the other hand, it is not good for the environment because of the soil erosion.
5 responses
-
florian rainer said (27 Nov 2008):
i was there a couple of years ago and i wondered why the plateau was so "bald". thanks for the informative story.
-
wisnu broto said (27 Nov 2008):
that was the dilemma, florian..It is not easy to change local's mind to keep the plateau..
-
Karolus Naga said (29 Nov 2008):
menang??? lomba kentang kan ini ...
-
Agus Sarwono gave props (29 Nov 2008):
Apik Kang.........
-
wisnu broto said (1 Dec 2008):
@karolus :jelas kalah..hehehe
@agus : nuwun...
More Photo Essays
More stories by wisnu broto
Tamansari, the unique of the past
Photo Essay — 10 Jun 2008
After tossing a flower, Sultan will ask her to have a passionate time privately.
