Poncokusumo is one of the villages located under the slopes of Mount Semeru with people from Javanese, Tengger and Madurese tribes. The majority of the people of Poncokusumo work as farmers, with their crops being fruits and vegetables. Poncokusumo itself used to be famous for its agricultural products in the form of apples, but now many apple farmers have switched to citrus fruit because it is easier to maintain with a selling price that is sufficient to meet the needs compared to apples. In addition to apples and oranges, there are still many other fruits such as bananas, guava, grapes, durian, jackfruit and many others. For the vegetables themselves there are also many types, there is one type of vegetable that cannot be planted in any place, namely watercress (sedaer), where this plant does not really need too much fertilizer but requires clean and plenty of irrigation so that is the reason this plant cannot be planted in any place.
Regarding the history of the establishment of Poncokusumo itself, there are many versions. According to Khoirul Anam as a resident of Poncokusumo Village who studied the history of the village for generations, he said:
”Actually, the history of Poncokusumo has many versions.
The first version states that in the past, around the apple monument, there was a fallen tree that was clawed by a tiger’s hoof. According to the people of Poncokusumo, the five claws of the tiger’s hooves (panca si cakar kuku simo) would later become a sign of a glorious age and that’s where the name Poncokusumo came from. Then, the second version states that the first residents who lived in Poncokusumo were five people. Then, there is another version that says that in Poncokusumo there are five types of flowers – and they are real flowers. In addition, there are still other versions listed in Babat Tengger (local history text). So, which story is really valid? Until now, it is not known for sure which one is the most correct, as there are still no articles or prasasti that can strengthen either version.”
Therefore, until now there is still no story that has been validated as the history of the founding of Poncokusumo. Starting from the story that there was a big tree in Poncokusumo village that was clawed by a tiger until it fell and now the place where the tree fell has an apple monument. The second version is about five people who lived in Poncokusumo village for the first time. The third version that is most often heard by the people of Poncokusumo itself is about the existence of five flowers, the meaning of Poncokusumo, ponco is five and kusumo is a flower.