Bioeconomy Model for Indonesia Part 2

In addition to using leguminoceae trees such as calliandra in the form of energy plantation, as described in more detail in the bioeconomy model for Indonesia part 1, bamboo trees can also be used as pioneering plants and impact the development of various bioeconomy derivative activities. Why can bamboo trees be used in this case? Bamboo trees belonging to the group of grasses (gramineae) can grow in almost all places in Indonesia and are resistant to dry conditions, this is also because bamboo plants are plant species with C4 photosynthesis. Ground water will also rise up to the surface by bamboo plants, so that areas that were originally dry can become fertile and water is easily available.

The damage to the environment generally starts from the destruction of the soil which has become dry and barren. This condition causes the land to be untapped and further worsens the damage so desertification can occur. Damage to the soil can be caused by the use of chemical fertilizers, lack of or not available water sources and unsustainable land management. Bamboo trees that are also easy to grow can be used to improve these conditions. For this reason, bamboo plantations need to be made to rehabilitate land and also benefit economically. It only takes about 3 years for bamboo trees to be harvested and can then be harvested continuously for more than 30 years.

Bamboo can be used for biomaterials, but of course the most economical use is sought. Bamboo can be used for the production of various types of products such as building materials, paper raw materials, energy sources, activated carbon, to high-quality textiles and for more detail can be read here. The number of products that can be produced from bamboo will certainly be its own driving force. Currently there are still a number of imported products, even though they should be produced domestically. Textile raw materials such as cotton and wool are examples of raw materials that are still imported in very large quantities, and this can also be substituted with raw materials from bamboo, even better quality.

With bamboo plantations that improve environmental conditions and economic aspects, further development can continue to be carried out later, such as the creation of fruit gardens and livestock, especially sheep. The fertile soil and water are easily available making various fruit trees grow well, so can the making of pastures with green grass. Rotation grazing techniques as the best grazing technique today can be applied in the pasture. The economic sector based on this has become more passionate and a real example of bioeconomy.

Starting from bamboo, the nation's economic sector and people can become strong. Strategic sectors such as food, clothing, shelter, and energy can be fulfilled and are not import dependent. There are tens of millions of hectares of land available in Indonesia, and can be used for these bamboo plantations. Indonesia's condition with a tropical climate with high rainfall also strongly supports bamboo plantations in Indonesia. Let us improve and save the environment as well as to lead in the bioeconomy era with bamboo plantations, its processing industry and its development.

Large Plantations and Large Farms

Fertilizer problems or soil fertility have always been the main topic or discussion for a large plantation business. This is very reasonable because maintaining productivity of crops can only be done by maintaining soil fertility or providing adequate fertilizer. For this reason, the budget for the supply of fertilizer is always a large portion of the plantation business. Then the condition leads to the question of how to make efficiency or save the fertilizer budget? Of course many techniques can be used for this purpose, but basically the selection or use of fertilizer that is appropriate and the effectiveness or absorption of fertilizer for plants is a key success factor in maintaining soil fertility. Let's try to answer the main question above.

When chemical fertilizers are increasingly abandoned because of their effects which damage the environment, there is no other choice but to use organic fertilizer. In large plantations such as oil palm plantations, basically there are also many biomass wastes from palm oil mills that can be used as fertilizer, such as fronds and palm oil trunks. But when these ingredients are also processed to become a particular product, and also the composting process of fibrous wood species takes a long time, the best choice is with organic manure. The question is where do you get livestock manure compost for the oil palm plantation? Actually there are more sources of organic fertilizer or compost that can be produced from palm oil mill effluent, namely from liquid waste. If the palm oil mill has an anaerobic digester, the biogas residue from the sludge can be used as organic fertilizer. At present there are not many palm oil mills that process liquid waste with the biogas unit, with the reason that the unit is considered expensive.

The history and experience of our predecessors before the use of chemical fertilizers can be used as a reference for this. At that time they were able to meet the fertilizer needs of their agricultural businesses, namely by sheep, goats, cattle and buffalo farming. The livestock manure is used for agricultural fertilizer and agricultural waste is used for animal feed. The basic pattern can also be developed for large plantations with several adjustment techniques to improve efficiency. Technical applications in the field that can be done, namely large plantations must cooperate with large farms or even ideally have a large farm to meet the needs of fertilizer for its plantations. For example, an oil palm plantation that has 2000 hectares of plantation area, 100-200 (10-20%) hectares are used for sheep farming. The sheep breeding, not by just being caged, but grazing in the fields of pasture.

Why is sheep farming done in the pasture fields? This is because by grazing the cost of feed can be suppressed very large or the business becomes very economical. The biggest cost component of livestock business is feed. If the availability and supply of feed can be overcome then the other components become easier. The pasture is in the form of grass and shade trees. Making grass always available is the essence of the business, even it can be said that the pasture is grass farming itself. Rotational grazing is the best grazing technique at the moment. When the grass is fertilized with sheep dung during the grazing, the dirt produced when in the cage can be used for fertilizer on large plantations such as the oil palm. The biogas unit can be used to optimize the utilization of dirt from the cage.

Basically, sheep farming can also stand alone and also be profitable. Therefore, sheep farming can be done separately. In the case when an energy plantation is used for the production of wood pellets, it is still constrained by various things such as the presence and supply of electricity, so the farm business can still be run properly. The production of large-scale wood pellets in various regions in Indonesia is currently still constrained due to the electricity supply. This will certainly hamper the growth of the wood pellet industry so there needs to be another way to overcome this, which insha Allah will be discussed later.

With this concept, not only increases plantation and meat production, but also a complete closed cycle business that is environmentally friendly and sustainable. Honey bee farming can also be added for optimization because obviously the bees besides helping the pollination process will also produce honey, a superior product of high economic value. Various food problems, insha Allah, can be overcome with this concept. This is because from the production side it can be made very efficient with the 2 biggest cost components being reduced significantly by fertilizer and animal feed with the integration of large plantations and large farms.

Although it has used compost from livestock manure, there are still more techniques that can be applied to improve fertilizer efficiency by using biochar. With biochar, the fertilizer will be retained in the biochar pores so that slow release makes it effective for fertilization. In addition, biochar will also hold the fertilizer from leaching due to high rainfall, so that the use of fertilizer can also be saved significantly. Biochar will also be the home of microbes to decompose organic matter into nutrients needed for plants. So, in short, with biochar, the productivity of plantations is high, but the use of fertilizer is minimal because it is efficient, especially when fertilizer is produced from the farm itself. This biochar can be produced by processing the plantation biomass wastes by pyrolysis. For more details about pyrolysis can be read here.

Migration From Fossil Based Economy to Bioeconomy

Completing the writings on bioeconomy at Go Biomass, Go Bioeconomy!, the short article below try to sharpen and provide various rules or guidelines and motivations for together  to catch  bioeconomy opportunities in shari'a concept by using the guidance of the Qur'an and Hadith. If in the era of fossil based economy, the oil-rich countries (petro dollars) become prosperous countries with abundant wealth, then in the next era of bioeconomy opportunities to switch to countries that have the most biomass wealth. The biomass of plants and animals will live and flourish well in countries with plenty of water and sun, so these are the best places in the future of bioeconomy. Key points that need to be considered, understood and managed properly include business, economics, agriculture, forestry, livestock, fisheries, food, energy, industry, biochemicals and biomaterials.

Europe launches bioeconomy by 2030. In the energy sector, renewable energy use in RED I (Renewable Energy Directive) with 20-20-20 target is 20% increase in energy efficiency, then renewable energy usage reach 20% by 2020, will soon end and the proposed RED II proposed use of renewable energy to 27% by 2030. The share of renewable energy in Europe both in RED I and RED II biomass holds a share of about 70% of it. North American countries such as the United States and Canada also launched massive renewable energy, such as the US Department of Energy and Agriculture to produce a dry biomass production of at least 1 billion tonnes by 2040. While in Canada a number of states have even closed coal-fired steam power plants and gas, and then using renewable energy, especially biomass. Alberta City in Canada proclaims the cessation of all coal and natural gas combustion by 2030. While in Asia, two countries in North Asia namely Japan and South Korea have launched massive renewable energy usage since 2012. Other Asian countries have also launched programs use of renewable energy, such as Indonesia on its National Energy Policy, Malaysia with the National Renewable Energy Policy and Action Plan, Thailand with theAlternative Energy Development Plan.

What kind of bio-economy we will do? What is the difference with bioeconomy applied in the West and other parts of the world? Why do we choose the bioeconomy? Bioeconomy with the basis of Al Qur'an and Hadith that is, bioeconomy that we will do. Not like in the West where is still confuse where food crops and which for energy? Confused which grain crop for human food and where to feed cattle? Grasses for example are obvious for animal feed, but grains can be for animal feed and more for human food. Fruits are generally for human food, but can also be in less amount for energy. Woods are mostly for energy. With a clear division of food, feed, and energy, we should not experience food crises caused by food being used for energy such as Mexico's tortilla melee, as well as the scarcity of soybeans due to China's sucking up of world soybean production to feed its livestock. Based on the mention of the verses of the Qur'an about food, fodder and energy, it will produce portions such as graph illustration below. There are at least 7 verses in the Qur'an that talk about food, 6 verses about the fodder and 2 verses about energy. The majority of crops for human food, then in almost the same amount for livestock feed and in smaller amounts for energy. Applications and explanations can be more detailed here and here.

Food, energy and water security  must be done simultaneously. And the important thing is this is our duty as Muslims. If we do not take this role, it is certain that the role will be taken by others. If that happens so stronger economic, political and other interests will dominate than to preserve life itself. Moreover Allah Almighty reminds us not to leave the weak generation (QS 4: 9), the duty to prosper the earth (QS 11:61) and to maintain the balance in nature (Surah 55: 8-9). As for carrying out the task Allah Almighty gives us instructions and explanations (QS 2: 185), in order to answer all the problems and challenges of our times (QS 16:89) -even Allah will also teach the knowledge we do not yet know, if we increase our piety (QS 2: 282).

With such a series of highly detailed guidelines, it is conceivable that the matters of maintaining food, energy and water security are managed by people who do not use His instructions. They will easily exploit human food needs, take over  the springs that are supposed to share interests and control the world's energy supply for the economic interests of a few people. This is a big and heavy problem, but if we leave it to others as we experience in these days, we experience a three-dimensional crisis at once, namely food, water and energy. So heavy as anything, we must begin to learn to bear it.

Thus it is easy to understand why the Prophet Muhammad Shallallahu 'Alaihi Wasallam reminds these people to syirkah (economic cooperation) in three ways: "The Muslims are syirkah in three ways, in terms of pasture (land), water and fire (energy) ". (HR.Sunan Abu Daud). The three things out there are called FEW (Food, Energy, Water), and become a seizure and even a reason for war, while in the Islamic world could even be the starting point to united.

Photo taken from here

Long before the modern world introduced the concept of bioeconomy, Muslims had for more than 1000 years prospered prospering the earth in most parts of the world, ie from the time in Andalusia and then continued by Ottoman Turkey - And only ended when Napoleon colonialist entered Egypt in the early 19th century. Then the Chinese Academy of Science held a workshop in Beijing some time ago, titled Workshop on Agriculture Culture and Sustainable Development in Asia with speaker Andrew M Watson, professor of Economic History from the University of Toronto-Canada. The professor is very much understood of the history of Islamic agriculture, since more than 30 years ago published the book "Agricultural Innovation in the Early Islamic World, The Diffusion of Crops and Farming Techniques, 700-1100" (Cambridge University Press, New York 1983).

The professor also admitted that in the very long span of time, it is Islamic agriculture that is advanced. He notes, for example, in the days before Islam, the agriculture of the Romans, Byzantines and so on, is still very simple. At best the land is only used once a year, and more often only once in two years. High tax of lands in the Roman region at that time also made it more difficult for agricultural activities. Even all the cool terms that are now loved by many modern farmers such as permaculture, organic farming, natural farming, sustainable agriculture and so on are actually only a small part of Islamic Agriculture covering a very wide aspect of the world of agriculture. So at the turn of the fossil-based economy toward the bio-based economy or bioeconomy this is the Moslem back victorious. Insha Allah.

Wood Pellet and AEC (Asean Economic Community)

Economic integration among ASEAN members in the AEC, which is planned to begin later this year, is an advanced form of AFTA relationship that is more thorough than just trade. The highest integration on economic aspects as well as in countries belonging to the European Economic Community (EEC) is the unification of the currency, but this seems pretty yet to be done in the near future on the AEC. AEC makes various ASEAN countries to make a regulation or rule together in the area of economic region. Trading blocs and the economy was a lot made today based on a specific area that is clearly also has a specific purpose as well. The economic integration in the AEC make various ASEAN countries competing to increase competitiveness in order to maintain the lead in the regional arena. Indonesia with the largest area and population (approximately 250 million) plus the abundance of natural resources is a tremendous economic potential or emerald equatorial country will be the main focus or attention on the AEC. 

Demographic bonus in the form of productive age population exceeds the number of non-productive age will also be another factor that will add to the attractiveness of Indonesia, which is the opposite condition with the condition of European countries, Japan and countries other strong economies. Of course with these conditions Indonesia should not only be market of various overseas products and a strong economy that makes the trade balance is not balanced and will always make Indonesia conditions worsen. Opportunities and challenges to be faced so that the necessary preparations should a serious and mature. ASEAN countries have set up ahead of time to deal with this AEC, but Indonesia has not seen seriously prepare to face this AEC.

Wood pellets have a strategic role in facing the AEC because of the high demand. The extent of land, fertile soil and tropical climate make the raw material for wood pellets which can be said to be one of the key success factors in the business of wood pellets, are not difficult to cultivate.A number of forest management area which is prepared for industrial plantations and can be cooperated with the private sector with tens to hundreds of thousands of hectares available. Besides the millions of hectares of marginal and unused land are also potential, considering the plant for wood pellet raw material is also very easy to grow and cultivated. Making the energy plantations that term used for the production of raw material for wood pellets have many advantages. In principle, create a mutually beneficial business between the various parties and does not destroy nature so that it can continue to be sustainable in any strongly held to be faced include these AEC.