The Rakawuta Community’s Struggle Against Agrarian Conflict and Ecological Disasters

Author: Kaoem Telapak Campaigner in collaboration with KAoem MUda

The Rakawuta community in Southeast Sulawesi is facing multiple layers of pressure, ranging from land grabbing and forced evictions to criminalization, while their farmlands are being converted into oil palm plantations.

Rakawuta is a village in Mowila Sub-district, South Konawe Regency, Southeast Sulawesi. As of 2024, the village had a population of approximately 891 people, consisting of 47 percent women and 53 percent men. Historically, Rakawuta was established as a transmigration settlement. In 1991, it was still part of Tondosari Hamlet III, Wuura Village, Landono Sub-district, Konawe Regency. At that time, Wuura Village was led by Mr. Jaenal Abidin.

Now, Rakawuta Village is a home to approximately 228 households. Its residents come from diverse ethnic backgrounds including Javanese (40%), Sundanese (30%), Buginese (20%), Tolaki (7%), and Balinese (1%).

The people of Rakawuta rely heavily on agriculture for their livelihoods. They cultivate a wide range of agricultural products, including vegetables, fruits, and medicinal plants. Farmers grow perennial crops such as pepper, cloves, nutmeg, coffee, coconut, areca nut, bitter bean, sengon, gmelina wood (locally known as jati putih), and local teak (jati lokal). They also cultivate seasonal crops and fruit trees, including chili, rambutan, durian, langsat, duku, mangosteen, and oranges. Since 1991, the community has managed and cultivated these diverse crops on their land, making agriculture their primary source of income. Their harvests are sold both within Mowila Sub-district and to markets beyond South Konawe Regency.

Oil Palm Expansion Threatens Community Livelihoods

The lives of Rakawuta residents became increasingly vulnerable when the oil palm industry expanded into South Konawe in 2010. One of the companies operating in the area is PT Merbaujaya Indahraya (PT MI), which manages oil palm plantations and processing facilities. In 2023, PT MI obtained certification under the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) scheme through PT TÜV Rheinland Indonesia.

The company controls approximately 6,517.17 hectares of oil palm plantations spread across nine sub-districts: Laeya, Palangga, South Palangga, Lainea, Mowila, Landono, Sabulakoa, Angata, and West Ranomeeto.

During its expansion, PT MI has been accused of carrying out forced evictions, taking over community farmland, and criminalizing local residents. Approximately 68 hectares of community-managed land were cleared under claims that the area belonged to the company, despite the fact that local farmers were actively cultivating pepper crops on the land.

The conflict began in 2010 and remains unresolved today. Its impacts have been significant, particularly on the local economy. Many community members have lost access to the farmland that once served as their primary source of income. As a result, some residents have been forced to seek alternative livelihoods as daily laborers or migrate elsewhere in search of work.

Conflicts, Ecological Degradation, Climate Crisis, and Community Vulnerability

Since PT MI began clearing land in Rakawuta, the village and surrounding areas of South Konawe have experienced increasingly frequent floods and other ecological disturbances over the past decade.

In addition to its plantations, PT MI operates a crude palm oil (CPO) processing facility in Laeya Sub-district. Field monitoring conducted by Kaoem Telapak and Kaoem Muda in Southeast Sulawesi documented several concerning findings, including land clearing activities, oil palm cultivation along riverbanks, soil and river pollution, and foul-smelling liquid waste suspected to originate from the company’s processing facility.

As a result, water in community fishponds has turned murky brown and can no longer support fish farming. Rivers have also become increasingly shallow due to heavy sedimentation. This has contributed to recurring floods, as degraded soils and altered landscapes are no longer able to absorb water effectively.

The crisis escalated in 2025 when PT MI resumed land clearing on a much larger scale. The company reportedly cleared land that had already received official land certificates through the government’s 2020 PRONA land registration program.

By mid-2025, the total area of community land cleared had reached approximately 105 hectares, representing around 85 percent of Rakawuta Village’s productive land. More than 36 families lost their primary source of income, children faced increased risks of dropping out of school, and the village environment suffered from worsening river pollution and expanding flood-prone areas.

Land conversion is widely believed by local residents to be a major driver of the flooding that now regularly affects Rakawuta. As forests and community farmlands are converted into plantations, the land loses its capacity to retain water. According to community observations, conditions continue to deteriorate each year as plantation operations expand and more community land is taken over. The floods not only damage farmlands but also destroy homes and severely disrupt daily life throughout the village.

To this day, the Rakawuta community continues to defend its land and rights through various advocacy efforts at both the local and national levels. Working alongside civil society organizations, community members have engaged with government authorities, the company, and other relevant institutions in search of a fair resolution to the conflict. They have also documented the history and timeline of the dispute and submitted complaints to the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification body as part of their ongoing efforts to seek accountability.