UNDIP, Tolitoli, Sulawesi Tengah (September 16, 2025) – This time, the journey of Patriot Expedition Team II stopped in the Basidondo Subdistrict (Transmigration Area), Tolitoli Regency, Sulawesi Tengah. The settlement is home to thousands who migrated from various regions to build new lives on once-quiet land. Today, Basidondo Subdistrict has flourished into a promising hub of agriculture and plantations, with rice fields, coconut groves, oil palm, coffee, and cocoa stretching to the horizon.
The primary mission of Patriot Expedition, assigned directly by the Ministry of Transmigration, is to map and recommend leading agricultural and plantation commodities in transmigration areas. The work extends beyond statistics, providing a comprehensive map that tells the whole story of community conditions, land potential, and business opportunities.
The mapping was conducted through field observation, interviews, and on-site data collection. The team visited farmers’ homes, traveled rural paths to production areas, and measured land productivity with soil sampling. This approach ensured that the information gathered was accurate and reflective of farmers’ daily realities.
“Basidondo Subdistrict is like a food warehouse. What we need now is a strategy so the harvests don’t just stop here, but reach wider markets,” said Roedloff, Head of the Tolitoli Regency Transmigration Office.
Informal meetings held under the shade of trees became opportunities to hear directly from farmers. The team fostered relaxed dialogues where farmers could openly share their concerns. A recurring question was: “What is the main strength of these plantations?”
Drawing from decades of experience, farmers responded candidly. They explained that coconuts have long been the backbone of life, cocoa provided additional hope since the early 2000s, and coffee has recently emerged as a promising crop thanks to rising demand.
From interviews and data collection, the expedition team identified three leading commodities in the Basidondo Subdistrict: cocoa, coconut, and coffee. Yet behind this potential lie challenges ranging from price fluctuations to limited access from production sites.
Coconuts, with their towering trees, have long been Basidondo’s icon. From the fruit, locals produce copra, and some process it into oil at a household scale. Cocoa brings significant supplemental income, although pests and post-harvest quality issues often hinder it. Coffee, cultivated more recently, is gaining ground as demand continues to grow.
For farmers, these three crops serve as the “three supporting pillars” of household economies. However, without technology and better access from production centers, this potential risk remains untapped.
Patriot Expedition team seeks to bridge these hopes. The team documented obstacles, highlighted opportunities, and drafted recommendations to be submitted to the Tolitoli Transmigration Office and the Ministry of Transmigration. Basidondo Subdistrict was opened as a transmigration area decades ago. Settlers arrived with the hope of building new lives, bringing wisdom from their homelands, and merging it with the soil they tilled. Now, the second and third generations of migrants have grown up, making Basidondo not only a land of hope but also a home rich with memories.
The farmers’ quiet concerns must be heard. They emphasized that development cannot stand alone but must involve the government, communities, and young people willing to participate. From Basidondo, the Patriot Expedition team learned that a region’s strength lies not only in vast lands or abundant harvests but also in the spirit of its people to persevere and progress.
Patriot Expedition Team II in Basidondo comprised Septrial Arafat, S.P., M.P.; Zaenal Abidin Puamimi, S.P.; Emanuel Clasius, S.P.; Risa Nurhaliza, S.I.P.; and Nok Ayu Nurasih, S.Pi.
This collaboration with the Ministry of Transmigration embodies the concrete spirit of “Noble and Valuable UNDIP”, aligning with the Ministry’s initiative of “Diktisaintek Berdampak.” (Public Communication/ UNDIP/ Team II Patriot Expedition in Basidondo ed. As)