Unlike Honeybees, Why Does the Development of Energy Plantations Get Little Attention from the Goat/Sheep and Cattle Livestock Industry?

Along with the global decarbonization trend, energy plantations are increasingly developing in Indonesia. The creation of these energy plantations has the main purpose of producing biomass fuels such as wood chips and wood pellets. Wood chip production because it is easier and the production equipment is easier and cheaper is usually done before wood pellet production and for more details can be read here. In addition to the use of wood as the main product of energy plantations, by-products that can be produced from energy plantations are animal feed from the use of leaves and honey from honey bee farms. And with the utilization of all parts of the tree (whole tree utilization), the energy plantation-based business is not only more profitable, but can also remain sustainable.

The honey production that can be produced from the development of energy plantations will also be very large, namely tons or even hundreds to thousands of tons in proportion to the area of ​​the energy plantation. Moreover, the plants cultivated are red calliandra whose nectar will produce one of the best quality honey. Regarding the development of the energy plantation, even API (Indonesian Beekeeping Association) responded optimistically to the development of the energy plantation, because in the next 5 years it is targeted that honey production will increase by 300% so that the import of tens of thousands of tons of honey from China can be reduced and even be sufficient, more details read here. In addition to honey, several derivative products will also be produced from honey bee farming, namely royal jelly, bee pollen, bee wax and bee venom which also have many benefits. The motto "Gertakanlah" namely the Bee Feed Planting Movement is very much in line with the development of this energy plantation.

But this condition is different from the world of animal husbandry, especially ruminant livestock, namely goats/sheep and cattle. In fact, Indonesia's meat needs are also very large, most of which are still met by imports. Unlike beekeeping which is responsive to the development of the global decarbonization trend, namely more specifically with the energy plantation, the world or livestock industry players have not responded to this, even though the production of feed from this energy plantation will also be very large. Even the main element of animal feed from red calliandra leaves is protein and protein is the most expensive element of animal feed nutrition. In addition, with this livestock, it is also possible for integration to occur as in the diagram above. Integration will provide optimal benefits and production becomes efficient, thus providing even greater benefits.  

Leaf Pellets from Energy Plantations

Calliandra leaf pellets
With an estimated leaf volume of 1/4 of the wood but the price of leaf pellets is around 3 times the price of wood pellets. So the profit from utilizing leaves into pellets (leaf pellets) is very big, estimated at 1/2 to 3/4 of the turnover of wood pellets. Whereas calliandra leaves are usually only considered by-products or waste in energy plantations.

And almost the same as gliricidia leaf pellets, if these plants are planted in the energy plantation.

As a reference for indigofera zollingeriana leaf pellets:

Both calliandra, gliricidia and indigofera are groups of legume plants whose leaves are suitable for animal feed rich in protein. Protein is the most expensive nutrient element in animal feed.

Energy Plantations: Not Only Wood Pellet Production But Must Also Support the Livestock Industry

The concept of energy plantation or biomass plantation by utilizing the whole tree seems to be still unpopular at this time. But sooner or later, God willing, it will happen because profit-oriented wood pellet companies will certainly maximize this aspect or profit, of course as long as it does not damage the environment and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) will be pursued in other ways. The main orientation currently focusing on wood products for wood pellet raw materials is certainly a good thing, but it would be much better if the benefits of all parts of the tree could be maximized. If this can be done, the benefits will not only be in the energy sector but also in food and feed, important sectors that are essential in human life.

The main composition of energy plantation leaves such as calliandra and gliricidia is protein and this protein element is an important and most expensive component compared to other elements of animal feed. With a large volume of leaves from energy plantations, it should support the livestock industry and not just be thrown away because it is just a by-product or waste that is less useful. In fact, from the livestock industry side, the opposite is true. The utilization of these leaves can be used directly on livestock or processed into animal feed in a processing industry depending on the local situation and conditions.

Large farms can be made from the utilization of energy plantation leaves as well as animal feed factories from the leaves. Leaf pellet production can be done with a production process similar to wood pellet production so that a wood pellet factory adjacent to a leaf pellet factory is also very possible. Like export-oriented wood pellet products, leaf pellets can also be the same. Meanwhile, if a large farm is to be carried out, waste from the livestock farm or animal waste can be used as raw materials / substrates for biogas production. The biogas can then be used for drying in the production of wood pellets or leaf pellets or used for electricity production. The residue from the biogas will become organic fertilizer, either solid organic fertilizer or liquid organic fertilizer. A simple diagram as below.

 

Thousands of cattle or breeding cattle are imported into Indonesia from Australia and New Zealand and cattle fattening is a promising business in Indonesia because the need for beef has not been met until now. The shortage of beef is met by importing buffalo meat from India and beef from Brazil. Support for the availability of abundant and quality feed is one of the important aspects of self-sufficiency in this meat. In addition to cattle, the need for goats and sheep is also very large. Yogyakarta, a city that is also famous for its goat satay cuisine, needs more than 1500 heads of sheep per day. In addition, the need for aqiqah and Eid al-Adha is also very large. The sheep export market is also very promising, which until now has not been met due to various factors, one of which is the feed factor. Feed in the livestock business plays a very important role or even around 70% of the cost of livestock is the cost of the feed. And livestock is a link in the chain of food needs for humans so that it is inseparable.  

Pioneering the Export of Hay from Energy Plantation Leaf Waste

The high demand for feed, especially protein elements in Europe, on the other hand, is an opportunity in itself. Leaf waste from energy plantations in abundant quantities can be used as an export commodity to fill this opportunity. These leaves can be processed into hay and then compacted (biomass densification) into large boxes (cubes) and ready for export. Under tropical climate conditions, biomass production, especially for renewable energy, feed and food through energy plantations, is an ideal solution. Wood product will be used as bioenergy, especially into wood pellet product, leaf as an export commodity for animal feed, and honey as a highly nutritious multi-functional food. Millions of hectares of potential land for the creation of energy plantations so as to maximize the benefits of land use, especially with the tropical climate conditions that support.

Learn from the state of Oregon in the United States which is successful as an exporter of hay grass as a source of fiber in animal feed. It is recorded that more than 900,000 tons per year export hay grass from Oregon to the destination countries, namely Japan, Taiwan and Korea. The business has been around for more than 30 years. The mechanization of agriculture and the use of modern agricultural techniques have helped the business grow. A number of grass species that they cultivate include annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum), perennial ryegrass (L.perenne), bent grass (Agrostis spp.), fine fescue (Festuca spp), Kentucky blue grass (Poa pratensis), Orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata) and tall fescue (F.arundinacea). 

The difference between hay and dry straw (straw) is sometimes still confusing. Hay is made from fresh stalks, leaves and shoots of plants. Many plants can be used as hay, for example in Iowa, USA alfalfa and clover are most commonly used. If it is cut and packaged (compacted) almost all of the nutritional content is not lost and is used as animal feed. Meanwhile, straw is also made from the stalks and leaves of plants, but is cut after the plants are mature with their shoots or the fruit has been harvested for something else. This straw has very little nutritional value and is used primarily as animal bedding. The conditions for plants to make hay are fine textured, harvested at the start of the flowering season and harvested from fertile areas.

Hay production is carried out by cutting the forage (grass or leaves) then withering and drying the forage, then to facilitate storage, transportation and use, the hay needs to be compacted. Animal feed in dry form such as hay will make it able to hold out until the nutrients are maintained. The history of hay production is thought to date back to the late 19th century, when alfalfa was introduced to Iowa and became the most popular crop for hay production. Alfalfa itself comes from Central Asia which was first used for animal feed and then this alfalfa spread to various parts of the world. Legume leaves from energy plantations are also very potential as animal feed and processing them into hay will increase their utilization including their economic value. In the commercial hay industry modern mechanical devices are used primarily for compaction by making blocks or boxes with a high production target, as shown in the video in the following link here.

Production of Synthetic Boards*, Ruminant Livestock and Animal Feed Industry from Biomass Plantation

Synthetic boards such as laminate, particleboard, fiberboard and cement board can be made from wood produced by biomass plantation. In addition to the small size of the wood, it is also of low quality which currently does not have an adequate utilization value. Forests or biomass plantations can be used as the raw material for the synthetic board. With fast rotation crops with short rotation coppice and fast growing species, such as calliandra and gliricidia, it is very potential as raw material for the synthetic boards. The production of this synthetic boards also uses the same type of raw material as wood pellets, namely wood waste or wood worth as wood waste. Wood produced from this biomass plantation is included in the second group, namely wood worth as wood waste. Even on the other hand, the large wood processing industry that produces a lot of wood waste, not a few who process the waste for the production for wood pellets and synthetic boards.

However, it would be better if the source of raw material for the synthetic boards production comes from forests or biomass plantations so that not only wood is the raw material for the artificial boards but also leaves and flowers. The leaves can then be used as ruminant animal feed and even the production of animal feed as a separate industry. While the flowers from the plantation can be used for honey bee farming. In livestock business, especially ruminants, feed is the highest cost component which is estimated to reach more than 80%. The forest or biomass plantations cover an area of thousands of hectares and are capable of being the main feed source for large ruminant livestock. Even if there is a large surplus, the animal feed industry also needs to be made independent.

Animal feed in the form of hay and pellets is suitable for long distance use because transportation costs will be cheap. Basically all parts of the tree can be utilized so as to provide optimal benefits. To maintain the sustainability of the forest or biomass plantation, good management is also needed so that the productivity performance of the forest or biomass plantation can be maintained. Along with the increasing population, the need for housing and other means of living also increases as well as food. Forests or biomass plantations can help overcome both problems.

*Synthetic boards are laminated board, particle board, fiberboard and cement board. While plywood is not included in it, although plywood is also a type of synthetic board. Plywood production from veneer sheets derived from large diameter wood, is not like this biomass plantation.   

Sheep and Goat Farming Based on Energy Plantation

The need for food, especially animal protein, continues to increase along with population growth. Meat, especially from sheep and goats, is a source of animal protein that is a favorite of many people. It is estimated that the world's population will reach 10 billion in 2050 and especially Indonesia's population of 319 million in 2045. Greater Jakarta or Jabodetabek is the most densely populated area in Indonesia so that the need for food, especially animal protein, lamb and goat meat is getting bigger. Currently these areas bring in the needs of lamb and goat meat from Central Java, East Java and Lampung alternately depending on the availability of supplies for each area. This is because no single region is able to meet the needs of Jabodetabek alone. Or if these areas can always supply the needs of Jabodetabek on a regular basis then the business can continue to be sustainable and stable but of course it can overcome the obstacles in the sheep and goat business.

It turns out that a number of problems surround the sheep and goat business including the availability of seeds, breeding skills, availability of feed, marketing chain and so on. Simple things such as the availability of seeds. Although breeders in general have not used superior seeds, the availability of seeds is also a problem because many productive females are slaughtered. This is mainly due to the business competition factor, because the price of males is more expensive which makes female goats slaughtered even though this disrupts the sustainability of the livestock business. Aspaqin (Indonesian Aqiqah Entrepreneurs Association) noted that 63% of the female members were slaughtered from a total of 331,693 slaughtered tails. Of course there are still many who are not recorded because there are still many aqiqah entrepreneurs who are not members of the Aspaqin. In addition, there are also many restaurants for eating lamb dishes, such as satay that still slaughter productive female goats.

Of course it would also be better if the sheep and goat that became the seed was the preferred or superior sheep and goat so that the quantity and quality of meat was better. The feed-to-meat conversion factor in superior sheep and goat is also higher, making it more profitable. And this is mainly the responsibility of research institutions. Dorper sheep and Bohr goats are the superior types of sheep and goat. However, there is an easier way to maintain the sustainability of the sheep farm, namely by reducing or even prohibiting the slaughter of productive female sheep and goat. In this way, the continuity of sheep and goat seeds can be maintained and even more developed. To be able to realize this, of course, requires efforts from all parties. Providing incentives or sanctions can be done to support this.

The problem of skill of the breeder is also another obstacle. Most of the sheep and goat breeders are small farmers with traditional farming techniques. This makes it difficult when used to meet routine requests, especially large quantities. Modern farming patterns must be carried out to become a reliable livestock industry as the foundation of the livelihood of these farmers. Only with this effective pattern and efficient farming can be implemented. With good preparation supported by these skills, sheep and goats livestock industry players are able to carry out sheep and goat  farming intensively so that they are expected to be able to supply the meat needs.

Sheep and goats farming is not only an effort to fulfill food sources, especially animal protein in the form of meat and milk, it is also a part of perfecting Islamic law. The population that continues to increase means that Muslim babies born to their parents are ordered to perform aqiqah. In addition, the celebration of Eid al-Adha which is held every year also requires sheep and goats as a sacrificial animal. Sheep even as sacrificial animals have many advantages over other livestock even though they are both halal such as goats, camels and cows. In the verse (Qur’an 6:143-144), the eight pairs of animals (4 pairs) are two (pairs) of sheep, a pair of goats, a pair of camels and a pair of cows. Rules in the Qur'an, something that is mentioned first has precedence over what follows. Another indication of the virtue of sheep can also be found in the event of Qurban, namely when Prophet Ibrahim was ordered by Allah SWT to slaughter his son, Ismail, then by Allah SWT saved Ishmael and replaced him with a large sheep. Then we commemorate this event every year and become the law of Qurban on Eid al-Adha every 10 Dzulhijah.

The development of energy plantations, which is increasingly being echoed lately, with the main product in the form of wood for the production of biomass fuel, both wood chips and wood pellets, will also produce waste or by-product in the form of leaves. The leaves of calliandra or gliricidia are rich in protein content so they are very good as a source of animal feed for the sheep and goats. The number of leaves produced will also be very large so that the potential for sheep and goat farms to be developed will also be very large. Even to meet the needs of sheep and goat seeds, any import is allowed under current regulations. This can also be very similar to a large capacity beef cattle feedlot, where cow seed are imported from Australia, read here for more details. The focus of sheep and goat fattening can also be very effective and efficient or has advantages such as in beef cattle if it is carried out in Indonesia. Leaf waste from energy plantations can be a potential feed.

In addition to domestic consumption, sheep and goat can also be used as an export commodity. For domestic purposes such as qurban and aqiqah, generally small sheep and goats are used, which weighs around 25-35 kg. As for the export market, sheep and goats needs usually require a weight of 35 kg and above. The export market can be a separate segment and is also basically the choice of the farmer himself. Sheep and goat farmers from Indonesia have also exported sheep and goats to a number of countries including Malaysia, United Arab Emirates and Timor Leste as shown in the table above.

Beef Cattle Fattening (Feedlot) Based on Energy Plantation

The photo taken from here

Indonesia has the advantage of intensively fattening cattle. A number of factors such as the availability of agricultural wastes, agro-industrial wastes, forestry wastes and low labor costs, support these advantages. In addition to the price of seed cow, the feed factor is indeed the next determining factor. With these advantages, Indonesia can focus on fattening beef cattle. If this is done, it is not impossible for meat self-sufficiency or at least meat imports to be reduced. The increasing import of buffalo meat from India should be gradually reduced, in line with the readiness of the domestic beef cattle fattening industry. It takes time and effort is not simple, obviously but must be done.

Import of Seed Cows from Australia, photo from here

Ideally, seed cows are produced domestically, this is because Indonesia has the potential for this in the form of potential grazing areas in eastern Indonesia and palm oil plantations. But the fact is that the implementation is still very minimal or even those who are focused on working in this field do not yet exist. Based on a number of studies that cattle breeding is only effective and efficient in grazing areas. This is what makes Australia superior in the supply of seed cows. The large place and long time in the pasture are obstacles for Indonesia to be independent of seed cow. The export destination of seed cow from Australia is Indonesia and mainly supplied from northern Australia. This type of grass that lives in Australia is also not very suitable for fattening, so exporting it is one of the best options. Meanwhile, cattle fattening (feedlot) in Indonesia only takes 100-120 days with the use of limited cage space. The cattle population in Australia is quite large or almost the same as the total population or the ratio is 1 person to 1 cow, while in Indonesia it is much smaller. Cooperation in supplying seed cows from Australia to be fattened in Indonesia has also been going on for decades. There are efforts to reduce the import of seed cow, but it seems that it will still take a long time.

The development of energy plantation with the main objective of producing wood pellets or biomass fuel, has waste or by-product in the form of leaves. The leaves are very good for cattle feed especially with high protein content. With an area of thousands or even millions of hectares that has been declared, the by-products or leaf waste produced will also be very large, of course. With this alone, if Indonesia wants to focus on fattening, the opportunity to become a leader in the cattle fattening industry in Asia and even the world will be even greater. If that happens, the import of buffalo meat from India and beef from Brazil can be reduced or even stopped altogether. In addition, even when there is excess meat production, meat export is also very possible, including by processing the meat so that it provides greater added value. 

Opportunity to Export Animal Feed Protein Sources to Europe

Meat and milk are sources of protein for human obtained from animals, especially ruminants, then meat and eggs from poultry and meat from fish. Availability of sufficient animal protein is needed. Protein deficiency will be bad for health. The livestock industry plays an important role for the adequacy of animal protein today. To produce animal protein in the form of meat and milk, a protein source, namely vegetable protein, is needed in the feed source for the ruminant livestock. Gliricidia and calliandra leaves from energy plantations are a source of protein for the ruminants (sheep, goats and cows). The development of energy plantations should also encourage the livestock industry. This is important for the makers or entrepreneurs of the energy plantation to understand.

Learning from European conditions, according to a study conducted by FEFAC (European Feed Manufacturers' Federation), there is a protein deficit condition in the feed industry sector in Europe and for that they have made a number of efforts to obtain environmentally friendly feed protein sources and sustainable. Deficit is a condition where the consumption or use of protein for the feed has exceeded its production. This means that European production in the form of protein sources for animal feed is still far from its needs so that imports cannot be avoided as a result. Although it is estimated that they will not be able to replace 100% of feed protein sources by one mean alone, which as long as most are imported but reducing this dependence with local production of feed protein would be very helpful. Another motivation is to reduce dependence on protein sources from transgenic materials (GMOs), namely soybean.

Their first effort was the use of PAP (processed animal protein). The use of PAP is indeed high in nutrition, and the source of PAP for the feed is chicken and pork. Although a rule has been made that chicken PAP is not allowed to feed chickens and pork PAP is not allowed to feed pigs plus a tool to detect it, in practice this is difficult to be implemented. This is because feed mills that operate are generally multi-purpose feed so that it can be used for various types of livestock. Very few feed mills make specialty feeds. In fact, if it occurs, for example, PAP chickens for chicken feed and PAP pigs for pig feed, then a disease may occur in the livestock. An example is in the case of mammalian meat and bone meal (MBM). In 1996 with the crisis of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) because it was related to feeding from MBM for ruminant feed. The BSE-infected meat causes Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, which poses a high risk to the human food chain. After the epidemic spread, the use of MBM in animal feed was banned. This regulation causes a high dependence on imported raw materials such as soybean meal for the continuity of the supply of meat, milk and eggs.

The second effort is protein production from insect farming. Although it can be done and a number of insect species have also been approved, the fact is that currently there are very few insect farms there, so it will still take a long time to produce sufficient volumes as a source of protein in animal feed. The source of protein from these insects is mainly for fish feed. The third effort from energy plantations is from rapeseed trees. Rapeseed meal is another source of vegetable protein. But the availability of rapeseed meal depends on European biofuel policy. Canola oil is the raw material for biodiesel in Europe. The European biofuel policy is contained in the Renewable Energy Directive 2020-2030 where the contribution of biofuels from plants for the target use in the transportation sector is up to a maximum of 7%.

The fourth effort from the rejected and expired products of the food industry. The rejected and expired products of the food industry it’s mean from the food and food ingredients industries, such as the biscuit industry, instant noodles, chocolate bars, pasta and so on. But what is meant is not food waste from restaurants, or catering. EFFPA, the European Former Foodstuff Processing Association estimates that in the European Union around 3.5 million tons of food waste is processed into animal feed every year. The European Union encourages the use of rejected and expired food, including issuing guidelines to reduce food waste to become feed, because it is not fit for human consumption. They have also discussed protein sources from micro algae or single-celled plants, but they are not a priority at this time due to quality and some limitations. 

The importance of realizing the potential as well as improving the vision for optimizing the energy plantation. GMO problems, for example, the use of gliricidia leaves can be the solution, for more details read here. “Quality protein” is important because not all proteins are equal. Several parameters for protein quality are the amino acid profile and the absence of anti-nutritional substances. For example, soybean meal has high scores for all protein quality parameters including palatability, digestibility and safety. A case that can also be used as a reference, in 2007 there was a withdrawal of pet food because it was contaminated with melamine and cyanuric acid (which is high in nitrogen content and identified as crude protein) in protein elements that cause kidney failure. 

The use of nitrogen from the above chemical is also carried out in agricultural products and has also led to the withdrawal of agricultural products from China in South Africa, the European Union and the United States. Even America ordered the USDA to inspect all agricultural products from China. In 2008 and 2009 China focused on eliminating the problem of counterfeiting or mixing and the effects of the crisis. In 2010 a revised version of the feed and feed additive regulations was published to further ensure quality and safety. Even though China is the largest feed producer in the world, the need for feed raw materials still relies on imports, especially flour/soybean meal to support food needs in the form of meat, milk and eggs for around 1.3 billion people.

From a number of efforts by the European Union to plan for self-sufficiency in feed protein sources, it turns out that the source of protein from rapeseed energy plantataions has become a European priority at this time. Meanwhile, with Indonesia's condition which has a large area of land, there are many energy plantations that can be created, even the Ministry of Environment and Forestry has planned 12.7 million hectares for energy plantations as an effort to support the cofiring program at coal power plants in Indonesia more detail read here. Energy plantation by-products will also be abundant. The production of this leaf can be used as an export commodity to Europe, because the need is large. Animal feed production in Europe is estimated at 160 million tons per year or 16% of the world with 5000 units of feed factories. With the consumption of protein in the feed in the range of 30%, the need will reach 48 million tons. When the domestic feed industry has not been able to absorb it, export is the best choice.

Ruminant is herbivore so that their diet comes from plants, the case of MBM in Europe can be a valuable lesson that feeding from mammals actually creates new problems. Moreover, if the food category is najis, then the livestock will become jalalah which are prohibited (haram) to be consumed. Meanwhile, the case of mixing with hazardous chemicals that occurred in China with melamine and cyanuric acid is only to trick the protein content so that it looks high and is also harmful to the health of the human body. Islam is very concerned about food or food issues, even in the Qur'an Letter of 'Abasa: 24, Allah commands humans to pay attention to their food. The food that enters our stomach must be halal and thoyyib (good). Foods that contain harmful substances that can poison the body are not thoyyib foods. And one of the consequences of haram (prohibited) food is a barrier to prayer being answered.

Biomass Cofiring, Energy Plantation and Ruminant Animal Husbandry

Biomass cofiring with coal in coal power plants in Indonesia as a PLN (Indonesia electricity state owned company) program to support the use of renewable energy, especially biomass, could be the closest momentum for energy plantations. The program is also an effort to achieve the target of using renewable energy of 23% by 2025, while until now it is still less than 5%. In 2020 the cofiring program has been initiated with a target of 37 coal power plants but in practice 20 coal power plants have been implemented. While in total there are 114 coal power plant units owned by PLN that have the potential for cofiring, spread across 52 locations with a total capacity of 18,154 megawatts (MW) as a target of completion in 2024. The details consist of 13 coal power plant locations in Sumatra, 16 coal poer plant locations in Java, 10 locations in Kalimantan, 4 locations in Bali, NTB and NTT, 6 locations in Sulawesi, and 3 locations in Maluku and Papua. Meanwhile, the cofiring ratio ranges from 1-5% biomass with an estimated biomass requirement of 9-12 million tons per year.

 And recently there has also been an agreement between PLN and Perhutani (Indonesia forestry state owned company) and PTPN III (Indonesia agriculture state owned company) to supply biomass for the cofiring program, for further information, please read here. In this case, PLN is the owner of the coal power plants, while Perhutani owns the resources of industrial plantation forest areas both in Java (Perhutani) and outside Java (Inhutani) which can be developed as energy plantations or energy forests. Likewise with PTPN III with its land which can also be used for this energy plantation. Gliricidia sepium and red calliandra (calliandra calotyrsus) are two species of fast-rotating crops that are most likely to be used for these energy plantations. If every 4,000 hectares produces a production of 10,000 tons / month of wood pellets or 120,000 tons / year, at least 400,000 hectares are needed to meet the 1-5% cofiring target which is equivalent to 9-12 million tons per year. The potential of gliricidia leaves or calliandra will also be very abundant. And it should also encourage the growth and development of the ruminant industrial sector. Moreover, if in the future PLN increases its cofiring portion, for example 6-10% or even 20%, of course the energy plantation needed will be very large, as well as the abundant potential of gliricidia leaves or calliandra.

The Covid-19 pandemic is still ongoing with the increase in cases getting bigger in Indonesia and there is no sloping curve yet, even positive cases have penetrated more than 1 million people. It is predicted that this pandemic will become a long-term problem with indications, among others, that new variants are found so that the vaccine that has been prepared is not or less effective and the emergence of a second wave of covid outbreaks even after vaccination has forced cities and even the state to lock down. . How almighty is Allah SWT with all His will, which should further strengthen our iman and taqwa. The prolonged condition of the Covid-19 pandemic makes people afraid and avoids crowds or gatherings including professional activities such as offices and industry. This condition will also encourage the growth of efficient business activities by using various existing technologies.

Technology-based and efficient industrial developments should be the focus of the government to survive and even maintain sustainability in order to maintain the supply of goods needed by the community. Population concentrations in an area must also be reduced and properly distributed. Big cities are becoming less and less attractive. Efficient production units must be increased in number as well as their distribution should be more even. Outskirts, villages and even mountains are increasingly being enjoyed. The closer to nature or natural resource-based businesses, the more they enjoy it along with the distribution of business locations that is more evenly distributed or not accumulated in big cities. More and more world citizens also want a fairer system in regulating their lives.

Ruminants (sheep, goats and cows) farms are a potential business especially supported by the utilization of leaves waste from these energy plantations. The locations for these energy plantations are generally in forest areas which are quite far from urban areas. The leaves of gliricidia or calliandra can be processed into various forms (concentrate, hay, pellets, briquette, etc.) according to request or use. With the use of good technology, the leaves waste can be used optimally so as to support the progress of ruminant farming. The farm will also be very good if it is made near energy plantations as a source of food. To get a complete feed composition, community empowerment can be done.