IN the fields belonging to Cahya, a farmer in Cikawung village, Terisi subdistrict, Indramayu, West Java, stalks of rice struggled to rise above tall wild grasses. On that Monday afternoon, April 7, 2025, the dry land revealed an unpromising contest, some patches of weeds growing taller than the rows of rice plants.

“Just yesterday, the Minister planted upland rice here,” said Cahya, a member of the Tani Jaya 4 Forest Farmers Group (