DENPASAR, DEWATA.NEWS – The Kura Kura Bali Special Economic Zone (SEZ) has introduced a land and water-based planting initiative in collaboration with the Nukari Community of Serangan Village, aiming to optimize available space while promoting sustainability and community empowerment.
The program includes a land-based Planting Program and a Floating Garden developed within the SEZ area. The initiative is designed to ensure that unused land and ponds remain productive, green, and socially beneficial.
Under the collaboration, Kura Kura Bali facilitates the use of land and pond areas, while the Nukari Community acts as the technical executor of the program. Nukari is known locally for activities in plastic recycling, art installations, and plant nurseries.
Nukari representative I Wayan Darmaja said the community has been given space to cultivate various food crops, which have begun producing results after three months of planting.
“We were given the opportunity to plant various crops such as bananas, sweet potatoes, cassava, turmeric, vegetables, and chili. We truly enjoy it. Besides being able to harvest and consume the produce, we can also share it with other Nukari members,” Darmaja said.
More than a dozen food crop varieties are currently growing in the area, alongside approximately 700,000 other plants within the broader Kura Kura Bali SEZ. The crops are cultivated without chemical fertilizers. Lemongrass planted around the crops functions as a natural pesticide.
In addition to land cultivation, the partners have developed a Floating Garden within a 1,713-square-meter pond inside the SEZ. Previously decorative, the pond has been transformed into a productive green space.
With relatively low salinity levels and stable water movement, the pond has been identified as suitable for pilot floating cultivation. Six planting beds have been installed as part of the prototype phase.
“We first conducted a survey to determine which plants could grow in this pond. After that, we planted several types, including ornamental grasses and banana varieties. We are also testing fruit plants, such as water guava,” Darmaja explained at the floating garden site.
The collaboration has also begun a trial for rice cultivation using floating media in the same pond area. Although still in the growth stage, the rice adaptation trial is considered an important step in evaluating the method’s feasibility.
According to Darmaja, the initiative aims to foster local leadership or “local champions” in Serangan Village and encourage broader community participation in sustainable programs.
“Personally, I have felt the benefits. We are guided and supported through the development of local champions like this program. The relationship between the community and Kura Kura Bali is well established, and we feel acknowledged. I hope this program continues and inspires more local champions to collaborate positively,” he said.
Head of Communications at PT Bali Turtle Island Development (BTID), Zefri Alfaruqy, stated that community collaboration is a key component of the SEZ’s development strategy.
“This collaboration reflects our spirit to grow together with the surrounding community,” he said.
Zefri added that beyond improving land productivity, the company also focuses on empowering local residents, including providing employment opportunities so that economic benefits are directly felt by the people of Serangan and nearby areas.
Through the Planting Program and Floating Garden, Kura Kura Bali SEZ aims to create a sustainable ecosystem where environmental management, innovation, and community involvement can develop in balance.