Agrarian conflicts are conflicts that occur…

Agrarian conflicts are conflicts that occur between communities and other parties who have claims to land, natural resources, or living space. Agrarian conflicts often occur in Indonesia due to various factors, such as:

✅ Historical colonization and colonialism that resulted in the seizure of much of the people's land by foreign rulers or indigenous individuals collaborating with them.

✅ Development policies that prioritize economic growth without considering the rights of indigenous communities, farmers, fishermen, and other marginalized groups.

✅ Industrial downstreaming aimed at increasing the value of commodities by processing raw materials into semi-finished or finished goods.


Industrial downstreaming can have negative impacts on communities, such as:
🛑 Environmental damage due to infrastructure development, land clearance, chemical use, and waste disposal.
🛑 Reducing the availability of raw materials for domestic industries because most downstream products are exported abroad.
🛑 Increasing dependence on the global market, as the prices of downstream products are influenced by international demand and supply.
🛑 Triggering social conflicts with communities around the downstreaming location, due to issues such as land acquisition, customary rights, profit-sharing, and environmental impacts.

In conclusion, it can be inferred that agrarian conflicts related to downstreaming occur due to inequality and injustice in land and natural resource management in Indonesia.

The government must exercise greater wisdom and caution in determining downstreaming policies that are in line with national and sustainable interests.

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Captiion : The Coordinator of the Sustainable Sulawesi Alliance, Muhammad Al Amin, displayed the environmental damage caused by nickel mining in North Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi, on Saturday, July 8, 2023 (Photo: Screenshot/YouTube WALHI Sulsel).