Residents of the peat swamp area of Paminggir District, North Hulu Sungai (HSU) Regency, South Kalimantan, are now building new hope through cultivating local fish like tauman. This venture emerged as an alternative livelihood and an effort to protect the environment after they decided to reject plans for an oil palm plantation several years ago.
The cultivation is carried out using a floating cage system placed in the swamp. Currently, there are four cages, two in Sapala Village and two in Bararawa Village, with a total of approximately 4,000 fish. Two business groups, KUPS Rawa Sejahtera in Sapala and KUPS Rawa Maju in Bararawa, are the main drivers of this program.
Harvested fish are sold for Rp35,000–Rp45,000 per kilogram in the village, and can reach Rp50,000 in Banjarmasin.
This program operates within the framework of Social Forestry, which grants village forest management permits for 30 years. This permit allows residents to legally manage swamp areas, not only to preserve the ecosystem but also to develop local resource-based businesses.
Mentoring is a crucial part of this process. Basrun, a field facilitator from the Indonesian Social Forestry Management Association (AP2SI), explained that once permits are issued, residents must understand forest management and the group's economic strategies.
"During these activities, the community began to truly understand how to manage the forest. They also began to understand what to do after the permit was issued, including group economic steps," said Basrun.
However, this learning process isn't always easy. Basrun said that limited Indonesian language skills make it difficult for some residents to express their opinions. "Communication barriers also make them tend to remain silent during discussions. This is a challenge in itself," he said.
Although harvests are still small and unstable, Basrun is optimistic that the residents have a sufficient knowledge base to develop their business. He believes that with ongoing support, this group can become an example of environmentally friendly swamp management that provides economic benefits.
*Government Emphasizes Feed Solutions and Downstream Processing*
Support for this program also comes from the local government. Iwan Ruswandi, Head of Fisheries Resources Monitoring at the HSU Fisheries Service, assessed that the fish farming carried out by residents is technically well-run. However, he cautioned that feed availability needs to be addressed from the outset.
"If we're going to pursue a sustainable farming concept, we have to consider alternative feed sources. We can't just rely on wild catches," Iwan said. He encouraged residents to start cultivating their own feed, such as by building special ponds or using maggots. If this isn't addressed, he worries that farmers will catch wild feed using environmentally damaging methods.
Beyond feed, Iwan appreciates the program's inclusion of marketing and processing. He believes a complete supply chain, from upstream to downstream, is crucial for sustainability. "As long as sustainability is consistently addressed, this program has bright prospects," he said.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Miftahul Pauji from AP2SI added that most of this year's targets had been achieved. However, he emphasized the need for intensive mentoring to strengthen the group's institutions and ensure women's active involvement in every stage of the program.
"The output of mentoring must be visible in the form of institutional strengthening and women's involvement," said Ahmad. He noted that the initial budget of IDR 200 million covers basic needs, from providing production equipment to business planning.
AP2SI South Kalimantan itself, Pauji said, has held workshops and business meetings bringing together representatives from the two villages with business actors and other stakeholders. These meetings are expected to formulate strategies for program sustainability and strengthen the group's position in the fisheries economic chain. The harvest is planned for December 2025 in the two villages.
