PEKALONGAN, Indonesia — For decades, Sobirin provided for his family by picking flowers here on the north coast of Indonesia’s Java Island. Now in his 70s, much of the farmer’s income used to grow near the beach on a large plot of jasmine, Jasminum sambac, the so-called “queen of flowers” cherished by royal dynasties from Ancient Egypt to China’s Sung Dynasty. “This is the area for jasmine, the Kandang Panjang area,” Sobirin told Mongabay Indonesia at his home by the Java Sea. Jasmine is commonly used to flavor tea and as an offering in devotional ceremonies. The aromatic flower is believed sacred to Vishnu, a god in the Hindu religion. “The quality is second to none,” Sobirin said in the Javanese language, when asked to describe the flowers grown in this low-lying region of Central Java province. But in recent years Sobirin’s children have implored their father to move away from the coast of Kandang Panjang village, which is located around 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Semarang, the provincial capital. Like much of Java’s north coast, the land here is gradually sinking and the high tide is becoming higher. Sobirin has raised the floor of his house on three occasions since a storm surge inundated the community in 2010. The ceiling of his home, which once stood 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) high, is now just 2 m (6.5 ft) above the floor as a result of this repeated building. The father of five received 7 million rupiah ($450) from…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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