Kota Malang Urban Farming Programme

1. General information

Location and description of the intervention

City or FUA

Malang

Region

Asia

Native title of the NBS intervention

Kota Malang

Short description of the intervention

Kota Malang is a city for which urbanization coupled with climate change caused an increase in its vulnerability to the urban heat island effect. One of the solutions found to address this issue has been urban farming which has been recognised and acknowledged as a top strategy to improve cities' resilience associated with social and economic co-benefit. Nevertheless, urban farming inventory in Indonesia is still limited (1). Currently, there are 21 urban farming plots throughout Kota Malang, with 210 active urban farmers involved. The city has adopted this trend since 2013 as part of an initiative called Kawasan Rumah Pangan Lestari (Sustainable Food House Region) and the Initiative of Urban Farming Malang. Alongside the local government, the major stakeholder groups are the Department of Agriculture and Food Security of Malang, Family Welfare Empowerment (PKK) Malang and Bank Indonesia (BI) (Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, which supports the local government in construction and development in Malang.
In Kota Malang, urban farming comprises five types of urban farming: nursery, allotment, residential, institutional and rooftop farming based on its characteristics (1). A recent report showed that urban farming could contribute to community resilience for feeding potential and nutrient sufficiency, especially for targeted populations with the highest risk during emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In the case of Kota Malang, the cultivation of specific vegetables could feed up to 50,000 inhabitants aged 60-64 years old (1, 2).

Address

Indonesia

Location

The NBS is a city-wide initiative, the GIS point marks the centre of the city

Total area

110100000.00m²

NBS area

2126980.00m²

Type of area before implementation of the NBS

Previous derelict area

Residential

Building

Website of the intervention

https://d-nb.info/121663145X/34

Timeline of intervention

Start date of the intervention (planning process)

2013

Start date of intervention (implementation process)

2013

End date of the intervention

ongoing

Present stage of the intervention

Ongoing

2. Objectives of the intervention

Goals of the intervention

The intervention was implemented with the below goals in mind:
-To address issues related to urban food security through urban farming, which provides food and improves food access and revitalizes the local economy, land conversion and environmental quality.
-To respond to the urban heat island effect, as Malang is particularly vulnerable to it.
-To contribute to expanding urban green spaces and reducing energy use and GHG emissions from transportation.
-To contribute to community empowerment strategies that contribute to community resilience (1,2,3,4).

Quantitative targets

-To benefit directly and indirectly 866,118 inhabitants
-To use 865 ha for urban farming parted into 21 plots
-To engage 210 farmers in the project (1,4)

Monitoring indicators defined

-number of people involved
-size area
-number of plots (1,4)

Sustainability challenge(s) addressed

Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)

Climate change adaptation

Climate change mitigation

Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)

Green space creation and/or management

Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)

Inclusive governance

Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)

Social cohesion

Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)

Sustainable consumption

Sustainable production

Climate change adaptation: What were the goals of the NBS?

Reduce the impacts of climate risks events on urban places and communities

Build resilience

Climate change adaptation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?

Increase or improve urban vegetation cover to help reduce outdoor temperature

Climate change mitigation: What were the goals of the NBS?

Reduce carbon footprint or emissions

Climate change mitigation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?

Sustainable agriculture practices to reduce energy use or carbon emissions

Implementation activities

Malang City Government runs an urban farming program to strengthen and improve food security and promote the welfare of the people. The program "Sustainable Food House Region and Initiative of Urban Farming Malang" has been started in 2013. Nurseries were implemented in 36 villages (targeted to be developed as desirable areas). Throughout 2018, recorded urban farming programs in Malang have been spread over five districts: Klojen, Lowokwaru, Kedung Kendang, Blimbing, and Sukun. The assistance provided to the citizens is the initial capital of the program activities of urban farming. Farmers received assistances or supervisory for three months. After that, farmers led these activities independently by processing or selling the harvest. In addition to financial sustainability, the activity of farming is expected to sustain the families to meet the food needs on their own. (1,2,4)

Type of NBS project

Creation of new green areas

Knowledge creation and awareness raising

3. NBS domains, ES and scale

NBS domain and interventions

Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented

Community gardens and allotments

Allotments

Community gardens

Please specify "other allotments and community gardens"

residential green space, nursery, verticulture

Type of Green Roof

Intensive Green Roof: depth 7 - 24+ inches; plants: Perennials, Lawn, Putting green, Shrubs and Trees, rooftop farming; High maintenance and costs

Please specify the number of plots or allotment gardens

21 plots (1)

Vegetation Type

Other

Amenities offered by the NBS

Unknown

Services

Expected ecosystem services delivered

Provisioning services

Food for human consumption (crops, vegetables)

Regulating services

Local climate regulation (temperature reduction)

Air quality regulation

Cultural services

Physical and experiential interactions with plants and animals

Social and community interactions

Scale

Spatial scale

Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)

Beneficiaries

Primary Beneficiaries

Local government/Municipality

Citizens or community groups

Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)

4. Governance and financing

Governance

Governance arrangements

Government-led

Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative

Malang City Government runs the urban farming program to strengthen and improve food security and promote the welfare of the people. Alongside the local government, the major stakeholder groups are the Department of Agriculture and Food Security of Malang, Family Welfare Empowerment (PKK) Malang and Bank Indonesia (BI) (Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, which supports the local government in construction and development in Malang. Local farmers also benefited from the program and are supported by the municipality through grants.
The government supported the initiative of urban farming by providing training and financial support, while citizens actively participated and collaborated with each other to emerge urban farming in their surrounding areas. (1,2,3)

Key actors - initiating organization

Local government/municipality

Public sector institution

Land owners

Public space owned by the city

Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)

Local government/municipality

Public sector institution

Citizens or community group

Financial institution

Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used

Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)

Co-management/Joint management

Policy drivers

NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy

NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan

Yes

Please specify the national regulations/strategy/plan

The urban farming is also supported by National Law No. 26/2007 mandating to employ 30% proportion of urban areas as green space and Law No. 18/2012 mandating diversification of food and nutrition. This initiative is also in line with the SDGs target for Indonesia for the next 10 years, especially Goal 2 for zero hunger. (1)

NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan

Yes

Please specify the "local regulation/strategy/plan"

Masterplan of Malang city 2010-2030. (1)

Mandatory or voluntary intervention

Mandatory (based on policy)

Intervention is mandatory

Spatial planning law

Enablers

Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project

Yes

Please specify

Masterplan of Malang city 2010-2030. (1)

Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project

Unknown

If there is a relevant strategy or plan, please specify the theme / type of the plan.

General municipal plan

Please specify other vegetation type

vegetable, edible plants (1,2)

Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project

Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project

Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project

Unknown

Co-finance for NBS

Yes

Co-financing governance arrangements

Unknown

Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?

Unknown

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?

Unknown

What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?

Unknown

What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?

Unknown

Please specify cost savings

Unknown

Please specify total cost (EUR)

Costs were not provided however, it was mentioned that in 2014 and 2015, the Food Security Service of the Malang municipality provided assistance to the urban farming programme in the form of distributing yard plant seeds and yard utilization contests. (5)

Source(s) of funding

Public local authority budget

Corporate investment

Type of fund(s) used

Earmarked public budget

Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Non-financial contribution

Yes

Type of non-financial contribution

Provision of labour

Business models

Local stewardship model

Green health model

Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?

Public actor (e.g. municipality)

Citizens / local communities

5. Innovation

Type of innovation

Social

Governance innovation

Novelty level of the innovation

The innovation is copied/derived from previous initiative(s) without substantial adaptation

Please specify novelty level of the innovation

It was mentioned that a similar approach was employed in Mexico city. (2)

Replicability/Transferability

Unknown

Please specify Replicability/Transferability

unknown. It is not mentioned if the innovation will be replicated.

6. Evaluation and learning

Impacts, benefits

Environmental impacts

Climate change

Lowered local temperature

Green space and habitat

Increased green space area

Description of environmental benefits

It was expected that the intervention will decrease the heat island effect although other information regarding this expectation has not been disclosed.
821 hectares were created therefore this space was transformed into green areas. (4) Manually delineated by Field Area Measure App through field visits and visualized by ArcGIS, there is 1.38ha of urban farming which is equal to 0.01% of the city’s area distributed in 21 plots. (1)

Economic impacts

Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)

Generation of income from NBS

Please specify other socio-cultural impact

Improved community resilience through food security

Description of economic benefits

It was expected that the intervention would be able to increase family income so that it could reduce costs for meeting daily needs. (5) This urban farming is to expect the society, especially families to meet food consumption independently. Additionally, the urban farming program can affect family expenditure, especially for those involved in implementing this program. (4)

Type of reported impacts

Expected impacts

Achieved impacts

Indicators

Number of farmers and villages
size area used (1,4,5)

Analysis of specific impact categories

Job creation: The NBS created ...

No information available

Environmental justice: The implementation of the NBS project resulted in ...

Positive distribution of NBS benefits

Improved access to green and/or blue spaces

Increased access to healthy food for humans and/or animals

Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?

Yes

What problem or concern was identified with the implementation of the NBS?

Other

Please specify other negative impact

Obstacles related to lack of monitoring and evaluation, as well as lack of support for locals to manage the gardens
Problems with pests
Lack of enthusiasm, willingness and mindset of locals (4)

Please specify the negative impacts

Some of the obstacles include the lack of monitoring and evaluation by the relevant agencies after the socialization program and technical guidance at the beginning of the establishment. Thus, some of the people who participate in the urban farming program only understand a little of the procedures of urban farming development. In addition, the weather and pests become a limiting factor in the success of the urban farming program. Furthermore, the other obstacle is the enthusiasm or willingness and mindset of the people that are still consumptive or prefer to buy rather than to produce their supplies offered in this program, namely vegetables and fish.(4)

COVID-19 pandemic

Urban farming activities in the Malang City area have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. (3)

Methods of impact monitoring

Process of recording NBS impacts

Conduct a baseline survey before and after NBS implementation

Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS

Interviews

Questionnaire surveys / online surveys

GIS data analysis

Evidence for use of assessment

Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process

Yes

Presence of indicators used in reporting

Yes

Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports

No evidence in public records

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

Impact assessment mechanism

Name of any specific impact assessment tools

Unknown

Use of GIS in mapping impacts

Yes

Citizen involvement

Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation

Unknown

Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation

Unknown

Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment

Unknown

7. Sources

References

List of references

1. Atmaja T., Yanagihara M., Fukushi K. (2020), Geospatial Valuation of Urban Farming in Improving Cities Resilience: A Case of Malang City, Indonesia, available at https://d-nb.info/121663145X/34 (accessed 1-4-2023)

2. Atmaja T., Kusyati N., Fukushi K. (2021), Community Resilience and Empowerment Through Urban Farming Initiative as Emergency Response, available at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353651344_Community_Resilience_and_Empowerment_Through_Urban_Farming_Initiative_as_Emergency_Response#fullTextFileContent (accessed 1-4-2023)

3. Nur Ahmad Said NST, Asep Nurjaman (2020), Food Security Improvement Policy in Urban Area Through Urban Farming Program in Malang (Studies in the Department of Agriculture and Food Security Malang), available at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340469841_Policy_Food_Security_Urban_Area_Improvement_Program_Through_Urban_Farming_In_Malang (accessed 1-4-2023)

4. Giriwati N. S. S., Citraningrum A., and Setyabudi I. (2018), Urban farming: people preference towards verticulture model in small housing type- settlements in Malang as sustainable landscape movement, available at https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/179/1/012025/pdf (accessed 1-4-2023)
5. Indonesian Government (no date), KAWASAN RUMAH PANGAN LESTARI - KRPL, available at https://diskapang.ntbprov.go.id/pages/kawasan-rumah-pangan-lestari-krpl (accessed 13-04-2023)

Comments and notes

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