While coastal regions of Java are often associated with marine tourism, the contribution of agriculture on sandy lands in these areas remains significant. In southern Yogyakarta, for instance, strong agrarian traditions persist alongside deep-rooted local wisdom. The community’s rich cultural character is seen as a key driver for agrarian development.
Four students from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) have formed a team under the Student Creativity Program for Social Sciences and Humanities Research (PKM-RSH) titled “Ngarit Jembar Nalar: Mapping the Economic Potential of Agriculture in Southern Java through a Socio-Historical Approach Based on Local Wisdom for Sustainable Development.”
The team is led by Rendy Dwi Nugraha Javanese Philosophy(Agricultural Engineering) with members Aril Kurniawan (Law), Muhammad Farid Usman (Accounting), and Danang Wijaya Priyadi (Public Sector Accounting). The research is supervised by Dr. Muhamad Khoiru Zaki, a lecturer at the UGM Faculty of Agricultural Technology (FTP UGM).
Beyond serving as the team’s name, the philosophy “ngarit jembar nalar” forms the foundation of their research framework.
The word ngarit represents perseverance in identifying and utilizing environmental potential, while jembar nalar reflects open-mindedness and adaptability to social and ecological changes.
Rendy Dwi Nugraha explained that the research aims to map the agricultural economic potential in the southern coastal region of Yogyakarta. According to him, a socio-historical approach allows an in-depth analysis of the local community’s social, economic, and institutional conditions.
“We aim to develop a more participatory and sustainable local wisdom-based development strategy for agrarian areas in southern Java,” said Nugraha, the team leader, on Tuesday (Oct. 21).
He added that the concept stems from the life practices of southern Javanese farmers, who have long relied on collective labor, mutual cooperation (gotong royong), and local innovations.
“We want to show that local wisdom is not outdated. It can serve as the foundation for sustainable development,” he said.
The study was conducted in three southern coastal regencies of Yogyakarta (Bantul, Kulon Progo, and Gunungkidul), each representing diverse agricultural ecosystems in karst and coastal landscapes.
The student research team adopted both quantitative and qualitative methods, including surveys involving hundreds of respondents, spatial data analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and in-depth interviews with farmers, business actors, and local leaders.
Team member Muhammad Farid Usman noted that agricultural development is often overly focused on macroeconomic figures, overlooking the community’s rich social and ecological knowledge.
“Through this research, we want to highlight the agricultural economic potential from the community’s own perspective,” he added.
Throughout the study, the PKM-RSH team conducted extensive fieldwork, engaging with local communities and documenting traditional agricultural practices.
They discovered numerous local innovations developed in response to the region’s karst geography, such as soil-based irrigation systems, sandland farming, and intercropping management.
The research results will be presented as an agricultural economic potential map at the village level, supported by social, institutional, and local historical analyses.
The next step will involve formulating a local wisdom-based economic development model that can guide regional governments in designing participatory and sustainable policies.
Nugraha concluded that the study also aims to inspire younger generations to see agriculture not as an outdated sector, but as a field of innovation and social reflection.
“We want to revive the optimism that being a farmer is part of thinking big. Ngarit jembar nalar is not just a concept. It is an invitation to view agriculture through a broader and more thoughtful lens,” he said.
Author: Hanifah
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya
Photographs: PKM Team on Ngarit Jembar Nalar and Antara