Apart from cultivation, Ahmad also concerned on the importance of coffee processing to increase the selling value for farmers. At this point, Astra facilitates training, education, financing facilities for purchasing the roasting machines and processing equipment, to marketing and promotion.
“The company helped us, the farmer groups, who wants to advance coffee harvesting and processing. In the past, farmers were never serious about coffee. We couldn’t even send our children to school. After Astra came, it helped us, both in the economic way and the communication to the local government and other villagers,” said Sutrisno, a farmer chief in Muncar village.
As a result, the income from coffee production increased, from Rp 18,000 (US$ 1.26) per kg of the green bean to Rp 125,000 (US$ 8.77) per kg of the coffee powder.
Besides coffee, Astra also support to develop the agriculture in other Temanggung villages. The firm facilitates training for local women to process and package the palm sugar, guide farmers in trigona bees cultivation. The company also implement the combined farming (the rice fields and the aquaculture) to increase the farmers income.
In 2019, the Muncar village has officially become the ecotourism village, which is known as Muncar Moncer Temanggung (in English : luminous and prosperous). The village self-branded as the Bali of Central Java, as it has wide expanse of rice fields. The village also promotes some natural beauties, such as the Curug Lawe waterfall, and It also promotes the waterfall of Curug Lawe, and the landscape of the sun rising over the mountains and residential on Mbelang Blawong hill.
In terms the infrastructure, Astra built Jembatan Sawah (the bridge over the rice field) for adding the aesthetics of the rice field. Ahmad said, the bridge becomes the creative hub for the local youths, communities, or even tourists to relax, sharing ideas, or just selfie and promote in the social media. At Mbelang Blawong hill, Astra also created a small gazebo for sightseeing the sunrise over the mountains and residential landscape.
The beauty of natures which enhanced by a simple infrastructure, have helped the villagers to make more income from accommodation and food for tourists.
Labor absorption in Muncar village and other 13 villages, increased from only 20 people in 2018 to 80 people in 2021. Villages income from coffee production was IDR 30 million (USD 2,103) per month. The combined farming and aquaculture was at Rp 25 million (USD 1,754.28) per month in 2021. Moreover, asset valuation for the villages reached IDR 1.1 billion (USD 77,144).
Ecotourism could be an alternative to impact investment
