The Hialu Transmigration Area holds great potential in the agriculture and livestock sectors. However, to fully maximize this potential, the region requires innovation and data-driven research. The Universitas Gadjah Mada Patriot Expedition Team (TEP UGM) conducted mapping and led commodity design development in the Hialu Transmigration Area, North Konawe, as part of a strategic initiative by the Ministry of Transmigration of the Republic of Indonesia to achieve inclusive, productive, and sustainable development in the transmigration area.
Dr. Mohamad Rachmadian Narotama, Head of the Hialu Output 1 Patriot Expedition Team, explained that the main commodity in Hialu is currently oil palm. However, excessive expansion poses potential conflicts with other sectors, particularly due to overlapping mining business permits (IUP).
Although the area still faces major challenges in basic infrastructure such as clean water and sanitation, Dr. Narotama assessed that the environmental conditions in Hialu have great potential to be developed as a geosite or geopark area due to its unique landscape characteristics.
“Several key challenges remain, such as water sources drying up and being polluted by mining activities,” said Dr. Narotama in a statement released on Wednesday (Nov. 5).
Therefore, Dr. Narotama emphasized the importance of developing a circular palm oil economy model, for instance, by using palm waste as cattle feed. Additionally, a strategy for sustainable palm management is needed that considers both land conservation and ecosystem health.
He added that the Patriot Transmigration Program is a strategic initiative by the Ministry of Transmigration of the Republic of Indonesia aimed at promoting inclusive, productive, and sustainable development in transmigration areas.
The program was designed to address the challenges of transmigration area development, which has often been fragmented and lacked a comprehensive data-based approach, while strengthening the role of transmigration areas as new centers of economic growth in rural and border regions.
As part of this national strategy, the Ministry of Transmigration collaborates with UGM through the TEP UGM Program, which involves multidisciplinary academics in conducting field studies and formulating research-based development recommendations.
This collaboration represents a concrete step toward introducing a scientific, participatory, and evidence-based approach to evaluating and planning transmigration areas.
It also aims to strengthen synergy among the government, academia, and local communities to produce a regional development design that is competitive, equitable, and sustainable.
In 2025, one of the implementation sites of the Patriot Transmigration Program is located in the Hialu Transmigration Area, North Konawe Regency, Southeast Sulawesi Province.
“Through the involvement of the UGM Patriot Expedition Team, activities in the Hialu Transmigration Area are directed toward conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the region’s social, economic, ecological, and institutional conditions. This evaluation serves as a first step in formulating leading commodity designs and collaborative governance models that can strengthen community independence while ensuring the area’s sustainability,” he added.
The Regional Secretary of North Konawe Regency, Dr. Safruddin, emphasized the importance of holding Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) as a platform to bridge the gap between academic data and on-the-ground realities in transmigration areas.
During the FGD, he drew attention to the issue of land rights, which remains a major challenge for local residents. Although some community members already possess land certificates, much of the area remains designated as a forest.
“This causes overlapping authority and legal uncertainty. Therefore, I hope that the findings of the UGM Patriot Expedition Team can help resolve these issues and produce recommendations that truly reflect the people’s needs,” said Dr. Safruddin.
During the discussion session, sub-district heads and representatives from various agencies presented issues in their respective areas. Langgikima Sub-district Head, Tasruddin, highlighted the environmental impacts of mining and palm oil activities, such as flooding during the rainy season and dust pollution during the dry season. He noted that most of Langgikima remains classified as a forest area.
“Even the Langgikima Sub-district office is located within forest-designated land, making it difficult for residents to obtain legal land ownership,” he said.
Similar concerns were raised by Marwan, a representative of the North Laiwoi XIX Forest Management Unit (KPH) under the Regional Technical Implementation Unit (UPTD).
He stated that approximately 70 percent of North Konawe’s territory is still designated as a forest area. Land certificates can only gain legal force once the central government officially reclassifies the area’s forest status.
“Land status issues like these require attention at the highest structural level, namely the central government,” said Marwan.
Dr. Deva Fosterharoldas Swasto, who served as one of the FGD speakers, noted that the various issues in the Hialu Transmigration Area reflect the complexity of regional development, which requires cross-sector collaboration.
Therefore, regional offices in North Konawe are expected to enhance synergy in formulating transmigration area intervention policies to address these challenges.
“We hope that the results of this FGD can be followed up with concrete, community-oriented policies. The North Konawe Regional Government and the UGM Patriot Expedition Team share the same vision that the transmigration program should serve as the backbone of regional development, and that the Hialu Transmigration Area can serve as a laboratory for commodity development and a model for sustainable regional development in North Konawe Regency,” explained Dr. Swasto.
Author: Agung Nugroho
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya
Photograph: PT Propadu Konair Taruhubun