Plant 1.000.000 Trees in Indonesia Damaged Forest

Since 2023, Yayasan INFEST, in collaboration with the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, has initiated a community empowerment program in forest-adjacent areas of Blora Regency, Central Java, and Ngawi Regency, East Java. The program focuses on strengthening local livelihoods while simultaneously supporting forest restoration and conservation. It integrates conservation objectives with community economic empowerment through a circular economy approach.

 In 2023, the program distributed 80 sheep to 20 members of forest farmer groups in Ngrawoh Village. In parallel, the program provided training on the development of small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs/UMKM), particularly targeting women’s groups. These activities aimed to diversify household income sources and reduce dependence on monoculture, seasonal crop cultivation within forest areas, which often contributes to land degradation.

The sheep grant also served as an entry point for introducing the agroforestry–agrosilvopastoral model as a conservation-oriented land management approach. The sheep are managed collectively under a group-based system, while daily care remains the responsibility of individual members. This livestock initiative is designed not only to generate income, but also to produce organic waste that can be processed into fertilizer, thereby strengthening a local agriculture–livestock circular economy.

The initiative has received a positive response from the community. By December 2025, the original grant had expanded to 245 sheep, which community members fully managed. Additionally, residents have started processing livestock waste into organic fertilizer for agricultural use, further promoting sustainable farming practices and reducing external input costs.

Overall, this program demonstrates how organizing communities around shared economic incentives can create strong entry points for forest conservation, enabling residents to become active stewards of forest landscapes while improving their economic resilience.

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What Do We Aim to Achieve?

Through this agroforestry initiative, INFEST, together with its partners and village communities, has set the following medium- and long-term objectives:

1. Restore 1.000 hectares of degraded forest areas in Blora Regency, Central Java, and Ngawi Regency, East Java.
2. Develop 500 hectares of agroforestry areas, integrating short-term production crops, long-term production crops, timber species, and other conservation plants to support ecological and economic sustainability.
3. Designate 500 hectares as wildlife protection areas, which will not be used for production purposes. These areas will be planted with endemic species, water-retaining plants, and vegetation that provides food and shelter for wildlife.

This approach is designed to ensure a balanced integration of forest ecosystem restoration, biodiversity protection, and improved local community welfare.

How Can You Contribute?

The sustainability of this initiative relies on public participation and the support of its partners. You can contribute by:

• Supporting the procurement of seedlings, community training, and planting activities in forest areas through donations via the GlobalGiving platform.

Your support will help accelerate forest restoration efforts, strengthen community capacity, and ensure that agroforestry and conservation areas deliver long-term ecological and socio-economic benefits.