FOR decades, Javanese farmers have been faithful to titi kolo mongso (season) calculations contained in their primbon (traditional almanac). From sowing and planting seeds, treating crops with manure, to harvesting, they have followed the almanac reckoning.

However, the sky behaves more unpredictably. The seasons that normally repeat and serve as a primbon orientation this year don’t apply. Strawberry growers in Magetan, East Java, also misrea