Conservation of land for reforestation in Tolikara

Wamena (ANTARA) – Conservation of land – Tolikara District Government, Papua, asked 50 agricultural instructors in the area to invite farmers to conserve land to prevent landslides.

Head of the Tolikara Agriculture Office, Ir Palangsong Latucosina in Karubaga, said Tuesday that most of the area was prone to landslides and needed conservation, especially the land area after being tilled into plantations.

“Conservation of land for reforestation has become our main concern so far. So before clearing land, we always ask residents to see whether the land is suitable for gardening or prone to landslides,” he said through the Tolikara press release.

Dozens of instructors who are equipped with knowledge about agriculture, animal husbandry and conservation are placed in 46 districts.

“Our land has an average steep slope so that if the surrounding trees are cut down and the land becomes bare, it will certainly erode and be able to landslide. Our area is very prone to landslides,” he said.

The government appreciated the performance of agricultural instructors because during the COVID-19 pandemic they continued to go down to the villages and invited the residents to increase local food security through farming activities.

“Our instructors are very extraordinary because even though they are in a pandemic, they are enthusiastic about directing the farming community, the results are that we have already begun harvesting,” he said.

Previously the local agriculture office also ensured that local foods such as sweet potatoes, cassava and vegetables were highly available during the corona pandemic outbreak in the country.

Notes

Tolikara Regency is one of the regencies (kabupaten) in Papua Province of Indonesia. It covers an area of 5,588.13 km², and had a population of 114,427 at the 2010 Census; the latest official estimate (as at January 2014) is 140,801. The administrative centre of Tolikara Regency is the town of Karubaga. (Wikipedia)