Medicinal Plants for Agrotourism

Esther Lince Napitupulu

· 6 minutes read

Nampurejo village is known for its mahogany aisles, which are cool spots for taking selfies. In addition, as an agrotourism village, Nampurejo has also begun to be known as a model for the cultivation of toga (medicinal plants) and rare plants that have health benefits. The agrotourism village has been developed by Subagyo, 54, a native of the village.

Entering the neighborhood of Subagyo\'s house in RT 002 RW 001, Nampurejo village, Purwodadi, Purworejo regency, Central Java, a variety of colorful plants cover an area of around one hectare. The green fennel plants (Foenuiculum vulgare) are conspicuous, neatly arranged to form a passageway for visitors. Many nutritious plants are arranged in the yard.

As we walked through, a variety of trees tempt visitors to pick and enjoy their fruit. Most are covered with tangerines.

Nampurejo village is known as one of the centers of citrus farming in Central Java. Subagyo\'s father, who served as head of Nampurejo village for 19 years since 1982, is among those who first planted oranges.

At that time, citrus yields were abundant with high selling prices. Subagyo continues to be a citrus and sugar cane farmer.

"I have always preferred entrepreneurship. However, in 2000, the community asked me to become a carik [village secretary]. When the Village Law was enforced, I was appointed as a civil servant in 2007," said Subagyo, a father of three children.

Agriculture is an inherent part of Subagyo and is a legacy from his father, who has a citrus and sugar cane plantation. He recalled even though his father served as village head, all of his children continued to help on the farm. At that time, citrus buyers came from several regions in Purworejo to purchase the crops.

"Today, the oranges are sold to neighbors who resell the fruits. They also need money, right? There are also buyers who come and pick the fruits directly," said Subagyo.

Subagyo said his hobby was caring for and growing plants. "Every time I see plants, I feel calm, especially if the plants taken from our place can function as medicine for others," said Subagyo.

Village Potential

For three years, Subagyo has been thinking about developing Nampurejo village into a agrotourism village. There are already several potential fruits with tangerine as the icon. He wants to develop an agrotourism village that is unique and educational. For this reason, he develops medicinal plants and rare herbs.

Furthermore, he wants to develop the village’s agriculture potential as a driver of the local economy. There are many factors that support the village’s development, such as the Jl. Daendels intercity road that crosses Purwodadi district and is an alternative route to the south, tourism at Jatimalang Beach and the opening of the Yogyakarta International Airport in Kulon Progo regency.

"The soil is fertile and plants can grow well. My wife and I often watch videos on YouTube about herbal plants. We thought of developing agrotourism around various plants, including toga and rare plants. I am trying to find plants that are not known so they can be cultivated," Subagyo said.

With the charm of the medicinal plants, Subagyo\'s plantations are open for everyone to visit. Those visiting from the health agency, the society health center and the PKK women’s group do not stop at Nampurejo village. The real attraction is the toga plantation.

In this garden are 116 kinds of toga, including toga that do not bear fruit and are grown for their leaves, including Binahong (Anredera cordifolia), Dewa (Gynura divaricate), Pegagan (Centella Asiatica) and even ginseng. Fruiting plants include Amazon (Burchonsia argantea), which reduces cholesterol and stabilizes blood pressure, and Nagami (Citrus crassifolia), which can be used for diabetes and boosting the immune system because of its vitamin C content. These are rare plants.

In 2017, Nampurejo village submitted Subagyo’s toga garden into a regency-wide competition, which it won. The garden then represented Purworejo regency in a Central Java province-level competition and also won first prize.

"Many people visit and look for medicinal plants here. Sometimes we just give them away if someone needs them. So, as a result, there are plants that are now not available. Now, we want to improve our management of the garden so that it can be better developed." said Subagyo, who chose to retire early from the civil service in 2018.

Presently, Subagyo collects medicinal and rare plants by searching with the community, both in the village and outside the village. For example, he looks for rare apple trees as far as away as Magelang, Yogyakarta and Kebumen. "If it\'s rare, it\'s hard to find at a seller. Sometimes, we find plants grown by people and buy them. Then, we will grow it so we have stock," Subagyo said.

Subagyo also encourages other locals to develop agrotourism in the village. At ceremonies or events, he does not hesitate to start conversations about medicinal plants. "Well, if the village develops as an agrotourism destination, I can ask locals to grow many other crops. Many people already grow crops, so there is potential for tourism," he said.

If many more people in the village grow toga, they can complement each other to make sure the supply is sufficient and varied for large numbers of tourists.

Luckily, in the past two years, his village has received support from Gadjah Mada University’s Field Work Program for Community Empowerment (KKN-PPM). The program’s field supervisor Sudaryatno, who is also a lecturer in the cartography and remote sensing study program in the school of geography information science, has helped develop Nampurejo village through a thematic field work program there.

In 2018, during field work, UGM students made an attractive design for the agrotourism park, including by equipping the park with an attractive gazebo and beautiful arrangement so that it could be Instagrammable. Then, this year, during field work also, the UGM students helped put name tags on each plant to make it easier for visitors to know the types and properties of each plant. UGM students have also written the book Keragaman Toga dan Tanaman Langka Desa Nampurejo (Varieties of Medicinal and Rare Plants in Nampurejo Village) to provide guidance for the people of Nampurejo village regarding the local and scientific names of plants and their morphological descriptions and various benefits.

In the future, Subagyo will also work with youth groups for parking management. He is optimistic Nampurejo village will become an attractive agrotourism village.

Subagyo

Born: Purworejo, 24 September 1964 Wife: Wiwik Latifah

Children: 3

Education: Bachelor in Law

Work: Village secretary (2007-2018)

; Chairman of the Indonesia Sugarcane Association, Purworejo regency

Award: Winner of the Central Java province contest for Best Regency in Medicinal Plant Farming (2017)

Editor:

konpascetak subagyo