Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Although agriculture has decreased as a contributor
to Indonesia' is GNP , rice is still an important commodity .
Paddy land has expanded in most regions, but a substan-
tial increase in rice production has been achieved
through Green Revolution technology—-better hybrid
seeds, more fertilizer and pesticides, and better use of
irrigation—rather than with increased labor. In the 1990s,
the agricultural workforce shrank to less than half the
overall workforce for the first time.
Change in village life is endemic. In the traditional
way , all villagers participated in rice cultivation for a
share of the harvest. But with commercialization, agri-
cultural work was put on a pay basis, which broke the
patron-client relationships between landed and landless
peasants.
Another change concerns the number of young
women who seek employment in factories. Women are
paid less than men, partly because they do not have ac-
cess to jobs done by men. Moreover, they are usually less
educated than men as they are expected to be home
helpers until at least the age of 15. Generational shifts are
apparent in context of female employment in Indonesia:
embraced foreign-investment-driven, export-oriented
growth, it is aware that improvements in wages and work
environments will raise costs and impel investors to
move to lower-wage areas such as China or Vietnam.
The Chainsaw Massacre
Indonesia is home to 10 percent of the world' is rain
forests. Products derived from these forests such as
rattan, plywood, sawn timber, and wood furniture
are its most profitable export after oil and gas. The
biological diversity of these forests is astonishing—
more than 10,000 species of trees, 1,500 varieties of
birds, and 500 types of mammals.
One well-known endangered animal is the
orangutan—“man of the forest.” This animal is na-
tive to the forests of Sumatra and Borneo. They are
largely vegetarian, so destruction of the forest is de-
struction of their habitat and food source. Adult
orangutans are frequently shot and their offspring
are taken as pets or to be sold to zoos. Conservation
efforts exist in both Malaysia and Indonesia, but
these are small in relation to the actual devastation
of these and other precious animals.
Of 356 million acres (144 million ha), 74 mil-
lion acres (30 million ha) are designated as pro-
tected; 49 million acres (20 million ha) have been
set aside for national parks and wildlife preserves;
77 million acres (31 million ha) are “conversion
forests” for settlers; and the remaining 158 million
acres (64 million ha) are earmarked for logging.
However, millions of acres not so designated have
already been deforested or converted for use by
small land owners. Others claim that the logging
sections are not always suitable for logging.
Indonesian loggers are granted 20-year conces-
sions to log in areas ranging in size from 49,000 acres
(20,000 ha) to 247 million acres (100 million ha).
Many of these concessions are connected to
Chinese or military interests. Selective cutting is
supposed to be practiced in order to ensure a regen-
erative growth to allow another cutting in 35 years.
But the realities are often different.
The World Bank claims that Indonesia' s
forests are disappearing at the rate of 247 million
acres (100 million ha) a year (Figure 16-22).
About a quarter of that amount is attributable to
Ages 16-30: Many women seek employment in
large-scale manufacturing enterprises, often geared
to export. Unmarried women with no responsibili-
ties (assumed) who are willing to work long hours
for low wages are preferred by employers.
Ages 31-40: Often young mothers work in smaller-
scale, home or locally-based manufacturing enter-
prises typically geared to the domestic market.
Hours are regular or flexible and can be worked
around child-care responsibilities.
Ages 41-50: Women subcontract with firms and
conduct their work at home. Highly flexible from
the company perspective and more convenient for
women with more than one child.
Ages 51
: Home work, self-employment, or family
labor. Older women have a difficult time gaining
employment and usually are paid the lowest wages.
Factories are supposed to adhere to regulations re-
garding minimum wages and working conditions for
both women and men, but few are registered with the
Government Ministry that oversees these matters.
Bribery of inspectors to overlook poor conditions is com-
monplace. Protests and strikes draw police oppression.
Although the Indonesian government increasingly
appears to be sensitive to the unacceptable situation for
most factory workers, it has little room to maneuver
given the global reality of the marketplace. Having
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