Recent activities of INRIK :

• In December 1998, INRIK's team completed a survey on rural economic institutions in Ciamis Regency, West Java Province, to identify the potential for further development of the home-based palm sugar industry. This project was done in cooperation with the West Java Planning Development Bureau (BAPPEDA-Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Daerah).
• In November 1998, INRIK's team completed a survey project in Serang Regency, West Java Province to assess the level of participation by community members in local development prohects initiated by the goverment and other agencies. This activity was in cooperation with the Institute of Public Service (Lembaga Pengabdian Masyarakat), Padjadjaran University.
• On September 14th, INRIK hosted a one day Workshop on "Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Development", at Padjadjaran University sponsored by Leiden Ethnosystems and Development Programme & Padjadjaran University. The topic of presentation include the evolution of indigenous knowledge reserach; indigenous knowledge-based agriculture technologies in Africa (a video film); medicinal plants reserach in Indonesia; community participation in the cultivation of traditional medicinal plants; and the role of ethnobotany in the documentation of indigenous knowledge. The seminar was attended by 42 representatives of NGOs, universitie3s and government agencies on the island of Java. The speakers were Dr.L.Jan Slikkerveer from LEAD (the Netherlands); Prof.Dr. Sidik, Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Padjadjaran University (UNPAD); Dr. Aseng Ramlan, Department of Biology, UNPAD; Prof.D. Schmidt-Vogt, Heidelberg University (Germany); Ervizal Zuhud, head of the Laboratory of Plant conservation, Faculty of Forestry, Bogor Agricultural Institute, Bogor; and Arif Aliadi, coordinator, Developmentand Training Program, The Indonesian Tropical Institute (LATIN), Bogor.
• In September Prof. Kusnaka took part in a seminar in Bogor entitled Property rights in forest management. Discussion focused on the role of 'rights' in Indonesia's changing policy enviroment regarding forest; on support for the development of local systems of management, and on the need for greater local participation in management.
• On May 4-6, 1998, an expert team consisting of Prof. Dr. Kusnaka Adimihardja (INRIK), Prof.Dr. Walter R. Erdelen (Departement of Biology,ITB-DAA), Dr. H. Moesdarsono (Dept. of Pharmacy, ITB) and Prof. Dr. Sidik (Laboratory of Pharmacognisy, UNPAD), presented the paper entitled "Biodiversity, Biogeography and Conservaton of Indigenous Medicinal Plants in Indonesia (See Abstract)", at The Third Ethnobotany National Seminar in Denpasar, Bali.
• INRIK has initiated discussions with the NGO, Lembaga Tropis Alam Indonesia to develop a program to support capacity-building for NGOs, researchers and Adat communities concerned about the protection of the intellectual property of Indigenous people. INRIK recently wrote to the Rainforest Medical Foundation (the Netherlands) expressing its interest in presenting the travelling exhibit ‘Rainforest for Health’ in Bandung (Indonesia).
• INRIK recently became a member of the users' advisory group (UAG) on biodiversity in Indonesia. The aim of UAG is to make information on biodiversity in Indonesia more accesible, and to foster an exchange of information between the providers of information on biodiversity and the users. For more information on the UAG, please contact : UAG, GEF-Biodiversity Collections Project, Puslitbang Biologi - LIPI, Jl. Ir. H. Juanda 18 Bogor-16002, Indonesia, Tel./Fax:+62-(0)251-334839.
• INRIK has begun to work with the NGO Lembaga Alam Tropika Indonesiato help develop a manual for Indonesian NGOs describing techniques for cunducting reserach on local knowledge.
• INRIK recently wrote to the Rainforest Medical Foundation (the Netherlands) expressing its interest in presenting the traveling exhibit 'Rainforests for Health' in Bandung (Indonesia).
• In February 1998, CUSO-Canada volunteer Marc Clemens and a Kasepuhan farmer from the Mount Halimun area of West Java will go together to Bangladesh for a two-week programme which includes a meeting of farmers and weavers, and a learning session on organic farming. This South-South exchanges is being supported by CUSO-Canada.
• Site surveys in Cilembu village, A village administration of Sumedang District, some 45 km eastern from Bandung. This observation is one of the efforts to reintroduce the organic farming system that have been lessening among local farmers in the last two decades due to the increasing pressures of "modern" farming system, Actually, INRIK’s team had already conducted a research study on the local cultivation system of Sweet Potato in Cilembu Village and its prospect for agrotourism development. This very special honey sweet taste of sweet potato of Cilembu is widely known in West Java as one of favorite snacks for tea or coffe time, also in some reputable Hotels in Bandung frequently served as a welcome appetizer. Publication for less amount of reimburstment will be available in the first half of year 1998.
• INRIK team had presented a paper in the national seminar entitled "The empowerment of informal institution in the development of rural communities". The seminar was held in Cikaniki Research Station of Mount Halimun Protected Area from September 27th-29th 1997. The organizing committe was the National Consortium of Mt Gede-Mt Patuha-Mt Halimun who has the sole authority to protect the chain of these three mount region from any excesses of development pressures in the close vicinity. INRIK is one of the members of the consortium.
• Organized by the same Consortium and in cooperation with KEHATI, a local NGO concentrating in the sustainability of natural biodiversities, a workshop had been conducted on 22nd October 1997 to redefine the development efforts which can be actualized in the protected area of Mt. Gede-Mt Patuha-Mt, particularly in supporting the restoration of environmental endangered area. Among others, INRIk has the task to propose : (1) the reconstruction of the boundary lines between traditional and non-traditional zones of land utilization, (2) the reconstruction and mapping of prior problem boundary in the respective region , and (3) the establishment of traditional region.
• The current effort of INRIK is to compile various local knowledge and technology practiced all over Indonesian archipelago, prior to be published sometime next year.
• Still in process of approval, a study on the changes of functions and structures of West Java’s home gardens from the last two decades, will be conducted next year. This study is to anticipate the "will be" functions and structures of home garden in its role to support family income of the local community towards years 2000.
• Also a joint research with West Java’s Governmental Development Plan Office, starting in January 1998, to study about the importance of social-traditional institutions in West Java. This study is one of the efforts in anticipating the empowerment of informal social institution to support the development of West Java.
• Also a current proposal to study on the development of agroforestry in Mt. Halimun Area is looking for funding agency. This effort should be involved two developed countries (Greece and the Netherlands) and three developing countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, and Kenya).

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