The Cultivation System (Cultuurstelsel) in Dutch East Indies
📌 The Cultivation System (Sistem Tanam Paksa) was a mandatory policy during Dutch colonial rule where Indonesians had to dedicate part of their land for export crops or perform forced labor on Dutch plantations.
🏛️ Governor-General Johannes Van den Bosch (1830–1834) was the main architect who implemented this system, aiming to improve the deteriorating Dutch economy.
🌾 This system required villagers to cultivate crops in demand on the world market, such as tea, coffee, and sugarcane, often mandating that one-fifth of their land be used for these exports.

Implementation and Exploitation
💰 The system was designed to generate revenue for the Netherlands by selling colonial produce globally, essentially using native labor and resources for profit.
⚖️ Abuses included demanding more than the allotted land, forcing farmers to pay a lease tax on land used for export crops, and mandatory labor being enforced excessively beyond set times.
🧑‍🌾 Local rulers, such as village heads and regents, were leveraged by the Dutch government to mobilize farmers and enforce compliance, often receiving bonuses for successful implementation.

Consequences and End of the System
💀 The Cultivation System is considered one of the most exploitative economic eras in Indonesian history, causing immense suffering, loss of wealth, labor, and lives among the indigenous population.
📉 Deviations often meant farmers could not tend to their own subsistence crops (like rice), leading to widespread famine and hardship.
📜 The harsh system eventually ended following significant criticism, marked by the issuance of the Agrarian Law of 1870 and the Sugar Law of 1870, initiating an era of economic liberalization.

Key Points & Insights
➡️ The Cultuurstelsel was a brutal predecessor to VOC monopolies, driven by the urgent need for state revenue in the Netherlands.
➡️ Johannes Van den Bosch enforced the policy, demanding farmers dedicate significant land/labor for global cash crops like coffee, tea, and sugar.
➡️ The system's dissolution began with liberalization efforts initiated by the Agrarian Law of 1870, signaling a shift in colonial economic policy.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Nov 27, 2025, 13:37 UTC