The rich earth of the volcanic islands of Java and Madura has nurtured its people for millennia: Sundanese in western Java, Javanese in central and eastern Java, and Madurese on Madura Island and the northeastern coastal areas of Java. Agriculture directly supports nearly three-quarters of the more than 32 million inhabitants of East Java, a province that consists of the eastern third of Java, all of Madura and a few smaller islands. The vast majority of these rural villagers are landless farm workers or peasants with little land. They mostly cultivate rice but also grow cash crops including tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, nuts and various ...