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I Komang Sukarma: Elevating Karangasem’s Lontar Heritage into Sustainable Opportunities
Far from Bali’s busy tourist centres, the dry landscape of Karangasem, East Bali, is dotted with lontar palmyra trees (Borassus flabellifer L.). For generations, these trees have supported local livelihoods, providing the raw material for traditional palmyra sugar. Yet, despite its cultural significance, the industry has long struggled with low prices, limited market access and declining interest among younger generations.
For Australia Awards alumnus I Komang Sukarma, the lontar tree represents far more than tradition. It is an opportunity to create sustainable livelihoods, strengthen rural communities and demonstrate how local knowledge can drive innovation.
As the founder of the social enterprise Tarunira, Komang has spent the past several years working alongside farmers in Karangasem to improve production practices, expand market opportunities and build a fairer supply chain. Since 2021, Tarunira has engaged more than 50 palmyra farmers, including women, across the villages of Tianyar Tengah and Ban.
His work is helping preserve an important cultural heritage while creating economic opportunities for some of Bali’s most remote communities.
From English Literature to Community Innovation
Since childhood, Komang has envisioned building on his family’s involvement in palmyra sugar production. When he moved to the city to pursue higher education, he chose to study English, believing that strong communication skills would help him share Karangasem’s potential with a wider audience.
Many people questioned why an English graduate would return to agriculture.
‘That was the question of a million people. But agriculture has been stitched into my DNA since childhood. Even before I was in primary school, I was already helping my parents gather firewood to boil traditional palmyra nectar. That's part of my life,” Komang explained.
For Komang, studying English was never separate from his long-term vision.
When he returned home in 2021, he encountered a challenge familiar to many local farmers. Despite the physically demanding and often risky nature of harvesting nectar from towering palmyra trees, farmers continued to receive limited returns for their work.
‘Our farmers have to climb the lontar trees from 4am, and then climb again in the afternoon. With all that effort, the product is sometimes sold at an unfair price by middlemen,’ he said.
He also observed production practices that relied on chemical additives.
“I’ve also come across processing methods that involve the use of chemicals. This is quite dangerous and cannot be ignored. I feel compelled to address this issue,’ he said.
Creating New Opportunities for Balinese Palmyra Sugar
One of Tarunira’s most significant breakthroughs has been product innovation and shelf-life extension.
Traditionally, gula merah lontar was produced in solid blocks with a shelf life of only around six months, limiting opportunities for wider distribution.
Through intensive training and a capacity-building program, Tarunira introduced new production techniques that enabled farmers to transform traditional sugar blocks into granulated palmyra sugar, locally known as gula semut. This innovation extended the product’s shelf life from six months to two years, significantly increasing its commercial potential.
At the same time, Komang recognised growing international demand for healthier sweetener alternatives.
His efforts to explore global opportunities led him to participate in the Australia Awards Short Course, ‘Enhancing Market Integration with Australia for MSME Business Leaders in Creative and Cultural Industries’ at Monash University, Melbourne, in 2023.
The program provided exposure to international business practices and encouraged participants to think critically about innovation, market development and entrepreneurship.
‘What I was looking for was how we can learn more in Australia regarding their perspectives on the creative industry, especially in food and how they think,’ he said.
Beyond gaining new knowledge, Komang used the opportunity to showcase Karangasem's local products to an international audience. Drawing on research highlighting the relatively low glycaemic index of pure palmyra sugar, he positioned it as a promising alternative for health-conscious consumers seeking substitutes for conventional sweeteners.
Building Partnerships Through Trust
Before Tarunira was established, multiple layers of intermediaries significantly reduced the share of profits that farmers received. Collectors often purchased palmyra sugar for as little as Rp15,000 per kilogram, while prices increased substantially before reaching consumers.
Rather than dismantling the existing system, Komang adopted an inclusive approach focused on trust and collaboration. Former collectors were integrated into Tarunira's fair-trade model as facilitators and coordinators, helping strengthen relationships across the supply chain.
‘Did Tarunira decide to eliminate their activities? No. Instead, we actually embrace them to become part of our teams,’ he said.
Today, Tarunira works closely with farmers to address production challenges and improve product quality.
Preserving Traditions by Empowering Elderly Farmers
While many rural development initiatives focus primarily on youth engagement, Tarunira has intentionally prioritised supporting adult and elderly farmers.
Komang believes older generations play a critical role in influencing whether younger family members remain in rural communities or leave in search of opportunities elsewhere.
By strengthening the livelihoods of older farmers, Tarunira is helping preserve local knowledge while encouraging communities to recognise the value of opportunities available in their own villages.
‘When we educate the parents to stay in the village because we have potential, their children naturally follow. That is where we take our role,’ he added.
What began with just five elderly farmers has grown into a network of more than 50 farmers, including women, across the villages of Tianyar Tengah and Ban.
Building a Circular Economy from the Ground Up
After years of experimentation and refinement, Tarunira has developed a circular economy model designed to minimise waste while creating additional value for farming communities.
The by-products of palmyra sugar production are processed into liquid organic fertiliser rather than being discarded.
The enterprise is also repurposing discarded lontar fruit shells into biochar and environmentally friendly briquettes, while collaborating with partners to utilise other agricultural waste materials, such as cassava peels, unused sawdust and wastewater.
This initiative addresses a long-standing environmental challenge. Traditionally, local communities relied heavily on firewood for sugar production, contributing to deforestation and household air pollution. Alternative fuel sources help reduce pressure on forests while lowering emissions.
Tarunira’s sustainability efforts have attracted international attention. Following participation in a sustainability fellowship in the United States, Komang established a collaborative research initiative with the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Alabama to explore environmentally friendly packaging derived from lontar fruit.
The organisation also works with universities and local sustainability-focused enterprises to convert waste into biochar and organic fertilisers, creating a closed-loop system that supports both agricultural productivity and environmental conservation.
Tarunira's work has received international recognition and continues to expand through partnerships with sustainability-focused organisations.
For Komang, the enterprise demonstrates how collaboration, innovation and community leadership can transform local tradition into sustainable opportunities for food security, environmental stewardship and rural wellbeing.
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