After 18 editions of the quarterly “Hanura” magazine published by the BITRA Indonesia Foundation, Medan has now changed its name to “Bitranet” Magazine… This change is caused by many factors that cannot be addressed one by one…
However, one of the reasons for the name change is the existence of a political party that uses the same name as our magazine’s initial name. So this creates confusion and suspicions that Bitra is partisan to one particular political party, often appearing in Bitra’s base. For this reason, we are determined to change the name of the magazine “Hanura” to “Bitranet”.
According to the rules set by the ISSN LIPI section (as the party authorized to issue ISSN), we must start this edition of our magazine with the initial edition (1st edition) because the ISSN LIPI regulations do not justify continuing the edition from a different name in the previous 18th edition. on Hanura magazine.
This 1st edition of Bitranet magazine presents the main report on “Neolib Economics Vs. People’s Economy”, various kinds of writings that discuss the contradictions between these two polar opposites of economic thought and practice are presented in this 1st edition of Bitranet magazine. Likewise, the regular columns that are presented do not eliminate the previous loyal readers of the magazine, and what looks different from other magazines is the news from the village as a space for the people to directly complain and express their work is an important symbol of the magazine with the motto “the people write, the people read”.
In the 2nd edition of Bitranet Magazine, the main report is about “Field Schools: The Path to Organic, Farmers’ Contributions to Environmental Preservation”. Field school is a pattern developed by farmers who are assisted by NGOs. It is a direct learning model on land intended so that the understanding gained from theory can be put into practice directly, including in observing pests when farmers do farming with organic patterns that can contribute to the carrying capacity of environmental sustainability and land.
Issue 4 of Bitranet Magazine presents the main topic “Highland Farmers Cocoa Auction Market” which discusses what and how the auction market is carried out, what is the length of the cocoa market chain in upland villages and how upland farmers come up with a new formula to cut the market chain. with the auction market pattern. In this edition, articles are published: Cocoa Auction Market for Upland Farmers, Table of Problems with Post-Production Polyculture Farmers, Auction Market Schemes, Releasing Cocoa Farmers from the Trap of Middlemen, With Chili Farmers Auctions, Regulations and Laws Related to Auctions & History of the World Auction Market.
Issue 8 of Bitranet magazine: Dozens of families affected by the construction project of the Kualanamu International Airport in Deli Serdang Regency, North Sumatra complained about the terror they had experienced recently and asked the President of the Republic of Indonesia to help stop it. The land they are cultivating is leveled by the development developer, so that the residents are threatened with starvation, while the relocation process has not been carried out.
If a person lives without human rights, can he act as a real human being? Of course this question requires long reflection, throughout the history of mankind. But it’s like getting lost in a dark maze, it seems that this human rights issue always hits a “black wall”.
Issue 1, Newsletter Bitranet raises HAM for the umpteenth time. It should also be informed to readers that Bitranet magazine for the first time in early 2012 was transformed into a Bitranet newsletter.
Since the United Nations Earth Summit (1992) in Rio de Janeiro introduced the three pillars of development, namely economic, social and environmental development, global discussions about the future of the planet have become increasingly lively. Even the future that humans want seems to be based on these three pillars. Nevertheless, the success of the development of these three pillars is certainly inseparable from the commitment of the international community, including the Indonesian people to adopt a sustainable development system. The green economy as a movement is certainly not meant as a contemporary project. Or as a mere economic movement. But it is hoped that it will refer to a cultural movement. For that we need a cultural strategy that can run the green economy as a movement that can be accepted by the community.
Several efforts made by independent parties, such as NGOs to promote organic farming among farmers since decades ago, are now being followed up by government efforts, such as the 2010 Go Organic policy, the holding of the Bogor Organic Fair (BOF) II in Bogor, West Java, June 2012, by the Indonesian Organic Alliance (AOI) in collaboration with the Bogor City Government, the Indonesian Social Entrepreneurship Association (AKSI), and the Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB). Even the provincial government of Bali has made big plans to build a sizable organic market.
In the midst of rampant food imports, concerns arise over food sovereignty which is considered difficult to realize if there is no strategic action from the government. Take, for example, the spike in soybean prices that had triggered a negative response from tofu and tempeh craftsmen who almost went out of business. The next impact, perhaps the food crisis will threaten. On the other hand, the issue of transgenic and organic food needs to be a deep concern of the government
In several studies conducted by environmental activists, it was found that many watershed conditions (DAS) are still problematic, namely DAS with Priority I (critical or unhealthy). This clearly affects the lives of people living along the watershed. The deterioration of watershed conditions proves that watershed management has not been carried out optimally. In addition, the synergy for this is still weak, so that watershed management has not been implemented properly and effectively.
What about the watershed conditions in North Sumatra, especially the Wampu watershed? Let’s take a look at the 07th edition of the Bitranet newsletter… Here….
Entering 2013, the phenomenon of climate change and the impact of warming Cover-Bitranet-08 Global is back to being a hot issue. Since the climate change conference (COP 18) which was held in Doha, Qatar, at the end of 2012, where as many as 200 countries agreed to extend the period of the Kyoto Protocol until 2020. This climate change occurs evolutionarily, slowly, so not many people want to make a fuss about it. . The level of pollution before the 2000s is considered to be relatively small and can be absorbed by nature and the air. However, the impact of climate change has clearly threatened the existence of human life and other living things on Earth. How are conditions in Indonesia, North Sumatra? What are the efforts made by the villagers and farmers to prevent this climate change…? Check out the 08 edition of the Bitranet newsletter. Here…
Along with the development of the people’s collective economy with a credit union (CU) pattern, the problem is even more complex. These problems such as bad credit, membership, turnover management, there are still moneylenders in the working area of CU, weak CU management, lack of training, regeneration, regeneration, coordination between CUs and so on. That’s why it takes a Parent CU that becomes a forum and overshadows the CU to discuss how to solve all the problems that exist in the CU. The importance of having a parent CU among small groups can be read in the 09th edition of the newsletter. Click here… Or on the cover of the newsletter.
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The increasing demand for organic food is quite encouraging. Unfortunately, this is not accompanied by the availability of sufficient organic farming land. Instead of the availability of land, cases of land conversion are actually increasing. Coupled with the lack of understanding of the farming community on the importance of organic farming. There must be a real policy from stakeholders by making various efforts, such as formulating it in legislation and promoting organic agricultural extension to farming communities. At the off farm level or the organic farming market needs to be fought for and better organized in the future. This issue can be read in the 10th edition of the Bitranet Newsletter. Click here… Or on the cover.
Health is a basic need for human life. In addition to the need for food, clothing, shelter and a sense of security, the need for health is also important, especially as a supporter of activity and productivity
Community initiatives with the presence of alternative health clinics are very important in the community, especially for rural communities who have difficulty accessing health services. Although it is not easy to provide an understanding, however, alternative medicine is still a legacy of the ancestors of the Indonesian people, so that it is more open or has the opportunity to be developed, easy and inexpensive.
Since the last few years, the use of (traditional) herbal medicines has continued to increase, both in developing and developed countries. In China, the consumption of traditional medicines reaches 30-50 percent of the population’s total drug consumption. The same thing happened in the United States and in Europe. In Indonesia, the prospect of this herbal medicine is also considered quite good and promising. The Indonesian people have inherited the habit of drinking herbs and other traditional (herbal) ingredients. With 9,606 types of medicinal plants, Indonesia has great potential to develop herbal medicines. The problem is that raw materials and simplicia are still imported from abroad, because the quality of some local farmers’ raw materials is considered not to meet the quality standards of the phytopharmaca industry. Communication between the research and development center and farmers is less intensive. Doctors in Indonesia have not recommended the use of herbal medicines
Masa During the New Order era, marginalized communities were rarely involved in decision-making. This is due to the dominant influence of the state. As a result, the development of the role of civil society tends to weaken. Likewise, the public policy planning process (at that time) was barely ‘touched’ by the wider community. Focusing on the spirit of organizing people’s power in order to strengthen its stronger position towards social transformation is an absolute must. The biggest challenge is how to increase people’s participation in public policy making? It is very important to involve marginalized communities through community forums organized in People’s Organizations (OR). To put him in a stronger position, and more organized social communication
Building food sovereignty is not enough with just a slogan. Must be coupled with Cover-Bitranet-Ed-14 availability of adequate agricultural land. Unfortunately, the conversion of agricultural land for food is actually increasing. Land conversion is estimated at around 80 thousand hectares per year. The campaign against land conversion also needs to be re-invigorated. Policies that hinder the rate of transfer of functions must be prioritized. There must be a participatory public policy from stakeholders, at the provincial and district levels. Formulating the problem of land conversion into local level regulations (Perda), as implementing policies of Law no. 41 of 2009 concerning “Protection of Sustainable Agricultural Land”, becomes urgent. The hope. There was a policy (Perda) on land conversion as the basis for agricultural planning to ensure the continuity of agricultural land.
______________________________________________________________________ Water resources management & conservation systems, especially the management of clean water sources, have not been carried out optimally. Environmental damage, deforestation, river pollution, global warming, industrial waste, & other environmental impacts, prove that water management systems tend to be neglected. In the future, the struggle for water resources is increasing. The threat of a water crisis has triggered various conflicts. Based on the records of the April 2010 edition of National Geographic Indonesia, from the total amount of water on the earth’s surface, only 1% of clean water will be contested by 7 billion people. Uneven distribution of water, access to clean water is increasingly scarce, it will have an impact on health, and even affect the economic, political, and socio-cultural systems of the community
The destruction that occurs to the environment always has an impact on the surrounding community who are victims. Environmental conservation is a shared responsibility between the government and the community. Law 23/1997 concerning Environmental Management states; the form of community participation can be in the form of social supervision; giving suggestions, proposals, opinions, objections to complaints; and submission of information or reports to competent parties. The community is in a strategic position in environmental management. It is very necessary for the active role of each environmental institution in the region to continuously develop and educate the community
In principle, integrated agriculture is combining various cultivation techniques from animal husbandry, fisheries and agriculture, which aims to support and provide energy sources (food) between cultivated plants or animals, so that agricultural production costs are lower and more efficient, because there are food chain (energy) for life in a mutually supportive agricultural system
Food is a human need that must be met. Food produced from agricultural activities is the basis and key for a country to meet the needs of its people in order to continue development. Agricultural activities are good and right, balanced and in harmony with nature, becoming a good image of the country. The reality says otherwise, Indonesia as an agricultural country, is predicted to experience a food crisis in the future. The Ministry of Agriculture has noted that around 100 of the 349 districts in Indonesia are potentially food insecure. Various things are the cause, the main one is the scouring of agricultural land at an alarming rate.
Based on records from various sources, there has been an increase in agrarian conflicts from year to year. In 2012 the number of agrarian conflicts was 198 cases, 369 cases in 2013, and increased in 2014 (472 cases). In 2004-2010 there were 1,520 agrarian conflicts with a conflict area of 6.5 million hectares. It is certain, that often the victims of this agrarian conflict are the farmers. There are many factors why the resolution of agrarian conflicts seems to have reached a stalemate. The government with a number of competent institutions is not able to resolve the agrarian dispute. Instead of solving it, the government ignores the farmers and often sided with the saboteurs of the people’s land (farmers)
Sejak UU No. 6 Tahun 2014 tentang Desa disahkan, semangat membangun pedesaan seolah tumbuh menjadi kegembiraan baru. Apalagi dengan berkembangnya wacana “1 milyar 1 desa” yang ibarat angin segar di panas terik. Kendati demikian, di balik dinamika UU Desa tersebut, muncul pula suatu kekuatiran, dana desa bisa menjadi jebakan bagi yang tak mampu memanfaatkannya secara kreatif dan produktif. Para aktivis pedesaan mengingatkan, bahwa lahirnya UU Desa ini bukan sekadar bicara soal uang. Karena hakikat UU Desa ini adalah mengembalikan martabat desa. Meskipun dana desa itu merupakan satu faktor yang mendukung pembangunan desa, tetapi dana desa jangan menjadi bancakan yang justru menimbulkan konflik baru. Simak Newsletter Bitranet edisi 20 berikut…
Ada sekitar 74.000-an desa di Indonesia yang memiliki potensi unik dan luar biasa dengan kearifan lokal yang mengagumkan. Mulai dari kekayaan alamnya, khasanah seni budayanya, sampai dengan geliat ekonomi sosial politiknya. Tentu ini semua dapat menjadi fondasi bagi pembangunan bangsa Indonesia. Untuk itu, negara memberikan kedaulatan dalam pelaksanaan pembangunan nasional hendaknya dimulai dengan merancang masa depan 74.000-an desa tersebut. Salah satunya melalui Rencana Pembangunan Jangka Menengah (RPJM) Desa yang nantinya menjadi pedoman dalam menentukan arah kebijakan pembangunan di desa. Simak ulasannya pada Newsletter Bitranet edisi 21 berikut…
Sejak UU Desa disahkan Januari 2014 lalu, berbagai diskusi soal UU ini menjadi topik hangat di kalangan masyarakat. Semangat membangun desa secara demokratis, mandiri, dan bermartabat, agaknya menjadi satu pola pikir positif dan ini merupakan kabar gembira bagi masyarakat yang memiliki citacita dan potensi untuk membangun desanya. Karena, saat ini, masyarakat desa adalah subjek bagi pembangunan desa. Banyak pihak berharap, dengan UU Desa ini, masyarakat desa mampu mewujudkan kemandirian desanya, baik secara ekonomi, sosial, budaya, politik, maupun berbagai potensi lainnya yang tentunya dibangun secara partisipatif. Simak ulasannya pada Newsletter Bitranet edisi 22 berikut…
Mulai sejak Agustus 2015, BITRA Indonesia bekerjasama dengan program Maju Perempuan Indonesia Untuk Penangulangan Kemiskinan (MAMPU), atas dukungan Australian Aid (AusAid) atas kerja-kerja pemberdayaan perempuan pekerja rumahan maka diterbitkan Permatanet, merupakan newsletter yang terbit 3 bulanan sebagai alat konumikasi dan informasi antar buruh pekerja rumahan perempuan yang memperjuangkan nasibnya dengan upah yang sangat murah dan tidak memiliki berbagai macam hak yang dimiliki buruh seperti layaknya secara umum. Simak Permatanet edisi 1 berikut…
Sistem informasi desa (SID) merupakan alat (sistem) untuk memudahkan berbagai kehidupan pemerintahan dan masyarakat di desa, terkait dengan data, pelayanan publik dan transparansi desa yang diamanatkan oleh Pasal 86, UU No 6 tahun 2014. Beberapa fungsi dan manfaat SID, antara lain: Pusat Data, Data utama desa yang komprehensif tersedia dan dapat terintegrasi dengan data kabupaten (online), Pelayanan Publik, SID dikembangkan guna mempermudah pelayanan pemerintah desa kepada masyarakatnya terutama dalam pemenuhan administrasi desa, Pusat Informasi & Publikasi, SID terintegrasi dengan halaman website dikembangkan untuk berbagi informasi komunitas desa kepada publik (umum/global), dapat diakses kapanpun, dimanapun dan oleh siapapun, Pengurangan Resiko Bencana, SID dapat dikembangkan untuk manfaat lain, pengelolaan informasi pengurangan resiko bencana dengan memanfaatkan ketersediaan data umum yang cepat (tidak berserak, rusak atau bahkan hancur, seperti kertas saat bencana), klasifikasi data kelompok umur, kesehatan serta penduduk rentan bencana. Simak lengkap pada Newsletter Bitranet edisi 23 berikut…
Salah satu syarat desa mandiri, mampu mengelola keuangannya sendiri, mulai dari tahapan perencanaan, pelaporan dan pertanggungjawaban. Keseluruhan anggaran, pendapatan dan belanja (APB) Desa dikelola, diimplementasikan dan dipertanggungjawabkan sebesar-besarnya untuk pembangunan dan kemakmuran warga desa. Termuat dalam pasal demi pasal UU No 6 tahun 2014 tentang Desa menghendaki pembangunan yang partisipatif dan tetap sasaran untuk kemakmuran masyarakat di Desa. Baca selengkapnya dalam Newsletter Bitranet edisi 24 berikut…
Pekerja rumahan merupakan fenomena yang kian mengemuka di Indonesia. Para pelakunya sebahagian besar adalah kaum perempuan dengan kerja sambilan yang dilakukan di rumah. NGO Mampu mencatat jumlah pekerja rumahan perempuan jauh lebih besar jumlahnya dari laki-laki, dengan kisaran upah Rp 200.000,- perminggu, atau Rp 800.000,- perbulan (Mampu, 2015), jauh dari UMP Sumatera Utara, Rp 1.811.875,-. Lebih ironis lagi, belum ada perlindungan dan pengakuan hukum dari pemerintah terhadap sektor pekerja yang menyediakan alat kerja serba swadaya ini. Simak selengkapnya pada Newsletter Permatanet edisi 2 berikut…
Era perdagangan bebas tidak bisa dielakkan lagi. Di desa-desa, menjawab tantangan era perdagangan bebas, masyarakat dituntut lebih kreatif menjalankan roda perekonomian, seperti mengidentifikasi dan mengkreasi produk unggulan yang mampu bersaing di pasar. Komoditi yang ada di desa harus menjadi sumber daya ekonomi yang dapat meningkatkan kesejahteraan masyarakat desa. Pemerintah desa dan masyarakat harus membentuk sebuah lembaga ekonomi keratif. Diamanatkan UU No 6 tahun 2014, desa wajib memiliki Badan Usaha Milik Desa (BUM Desa). BUM Desa juga dapat membentuk usaha bersama antar desa dan melakukan kerjasama dengan pihak ketiga. Ulasan dapat di baca pada Bitranet edisi 25, berikut…
Guna mewujudkan pemerintahan, pembangunan dan pelayanan masyarakat desa yang baik serta efektif, setiap desa memerlukan desa lain atau pihak ketiga dalam memenuhi kewajiban tersebut. Diperlukan kerjasama antar desa atau kerjasama desa dengan pihak ketiga agar masing-masing desa bisa saling memberi dan mendapatkan keuntungan dari desa atau pihak lain, sehingga pelayanan kepada masyarakat pun dapat dilaksanakan secara maksimal. Masyarakat desa di Indonesia memiliki basis cultural gotong royong, begitu juga kerjasama antar desa, semisal kerjasama saling mensuplai bahan makanan, bangunan dan kebutuhan lain, dari satu desa ke desa lain, saling menjaga dan merawat jalan antar desa, atau memperbaiki saluran irigasi antar desa. Ulasan dapat di baca pada Bitranet edisi 26, berikut…
Sejak Undang-Undang No. 13 Tahun 2003 tentang Ketenagakerjaan disahkan, sistem kontrak & putting-out system bagai “angin segar” bagi perusahaan, industri berskala kecil, perusahaan besar & multinasional. Sementara sektor informal, UU ini berdampak pada peningkatan perempuan pekerja rumahan. Karena cenderung terisolasi, pekerja rumahan banyak yang tidak mengetahui peraturan tentang ketenagakerjaan. Di lain pihak, tak sedikit pula pengusaha melalaikan hak-hak pekerja dan kewajibannya sebagai pemberi kerja. Alasannya, sudah membuka peluang kerja bagi perempuan di rumahnya. Bagaimana nasib para perempuan pekerja rumahan ini? Adakah regulasi (peraturan) perlindungan terhadap mereka? Simak ulasannya pada newsletter PermataNet edisisi 5 berikut…
BITRA Indonesia, Bina Keterampilan Pedesaan Indonesia 
Gending Jawa di tanah Sumatera 
