WartaBulukumba.Com – Sunlight creeps in through the old windows, giving warmth to the usually quiet room. The Bonto Haru Village Hall in Rilau Ale District, Bulukumba Regency, South Sulawesi, was seen crowded with dozens of farmers on Thursday afternoon, December 14 2023. A young man with a beard was holding a microphone. His name is Sri Puswandi, Chairman of Dana Mitra Tani (DMT). Slowly, in front of dozens of palm sugar farmers, he explained about cooperatives for farmers, restoration and protection of the Balangtieng watershed ecosystem, as well as collective work for mutual prosperity, especially improving the economy of palm sugar farmers.

“Currently, we will carry out an environmentally friendly Brown Sugar Producing Community Development and Assistance Program through Cooperative Business Entities to support the restoration and protection of the Balangtieng watershed ecosystem,” explained Sri Puswandi after the socialization event.

The program covers 12 villages in Rilau Ale District. With the presence of the village government, community leaders, palm sugar farmers, women farmers, youth, and various elements that make up the diversity of the local community, this event is not only an ordinary ceremony or discussion, but also raises hopes for change. In general, the aim of this program is to build collective action for palm sugar producers in developing human resources, strengthening institutions, increasing economic business results and adapting action, climate change mitigation and environmental preservation in the Balangtieng watershed area. “In this program, there are 12 villages in three sub-districts that are the focus, each of which is part of the Balangtieng watershed. “This is a big step for the Rilau Ale, Kindang and Bulukumpa Districts in protecting the ecosystem that surrounds us,” added Sri Puswandi in an enthusiastic tone. 

This program covers a number of villages in Rilau Ale District, namely Anrang Village, Pangalloang Village, Bonto Bangun Village, Bonto Haru Village, Karama Village, Swatani Village, Bajiminasa Village, and Bonto Matene Village. For Kindang District there are Tammaona Village and Orogading Village. Meanwhile, in Bulukumpa District there is Sapobonto Village. Supported by UNDP Not only DMT plays a role in bringing about change. A. Arfhan Syukri, ST, MT, Secretary of the Department of Trade, Industry, Cooperatives, Small and Medium Enterprises also provided color in this socialization activity as a resource person, bringing a broad and in-depth view of the ongoing process. “The big goal behind this program is to build collective action in developing human resources, strengthening institutions, and increasing economic business results,” explained A. Arfhan Syukri. However, behind that, according to him, there is a framework that has been developed jointly for climate change adaptation and mitigation as well as environmental preservation in the Balangtieng watershed area. The program launched by DMT is the result of a strong collaboration between GEF SGP, the Environmental Business Development Foundation, support from the UN agency, namely UNDP, and the Balang Institute as the organizing institution in an initiative that combines the great potential in Balangtieng.

Sri Puswandi emphasized that this was not an ordinary meeting or just socialization.

“This is a big step taken by the farming community in protecting, caring for and developing the potential of natural resources while advancing shared prosperity,” he stressed. ***

Source Article entitled “Farmers in 12 villages in Bulukumba together with Dana Mitra Tani and UNDP support the restoration of the Balangtieng watershed ecosystem”, in full with the link: https://wartabulukumba.pikiran-rakyat.com/ekobis/pr-877476293/petani-12-desa-di-bulukumba-bersama-dana-mitra-tani-dan-undp-mendukung-pemulihan-ekosistem-das-balangtieng?page=2

Artikel Petani 12 desa di Bulukumba bersama Dana Mitra Tani dan UNDP mendukung pemulihan ekosistem DAS Balangtieng pertama kali tampil pada SGP Indonesia.

Gorontalo is one of the national corn centres. Production continues to increase until it has doubled in recent years. Exports to the Philippines have also boosted people’s dreams of prosperity. Saritani is the remotest village in southwest Wonosari District, Boalemo Regency. The distance is about 30 kilometres from the sub-district office, and about half of the road is unpaved. This transmigrant village consists of several settlement units (SP). Saritani SP3 is inhabited by 55 families of local transmigrants from Gorontalo and 45 families who are transmigrants from several areas in Java. They all live in harmony side by side. They take advantage of the potential of corn as an agricultural commodity. The contours of the terrain are steep, making farming in this land not easy. Luckily the fresh wind usually blows away the scorching heat. 

Mbok (a nickname used to call an older woman) Waikem, a 51-year-old woman from East Java, is a determined individual who seeks a better life by joining the transmigration program in Gorontalo. She and her family, a husband and two children, previously tried their luck by leaving their peaceful hometown in Ngawi, East Java, for Kalimantan. After four months at the new place, they decided to return to East Java due to the worst condition of living. After returning, they worked on their 40 × 40 m² piece of land in their hometown. “Actually, the results were pretty good,” said Mbok Waikem. There were few chances to thrive, but it was sufficient for them. However, another problem disrupted this family. After getting back to Ngawi, Rohmat fell into a deep depression. Mbok Waikem tried to help her son, but her son did not show improvement.

One day, Mbok  Waikem’s husband, Muhyar, saw an announcement of a transmigration offer outside Java. One of the destinations was Gorontalo, Sulawesi. Mbok Waikem and Muhyar did not give up easily. They decided to, once again, join the transmigration program to Gorontalo. They hoped to strive for better opportunities and to heal their son, Rohmat. They believed that the similar demography between their current place to the Boalemo Regency would support their livelihood. 

In Boalemo, each transmigrant family got a house with a yard and a hectare of land. The land is about 1-2 kilometres from the house. The one-hectare land that the family of Mbok  Waikem got is sloping. Muhyar started working on the land immediately, planting corn. The Saritani transmigration settlement still needs to reach the ideal standard of living. They need to collect rainwater for any purpose, including drinking and cooking. A well is located far away, but the water is not suitable for consumption. This family received no social security for the first six months where they almost ran out of their savings. Initially the family received a ten-month support, but the social security support was discontinued.

Not wanting to sit idly in the uncertainty, Mbok  Waikem and his family planted their yard with little spices and seasonal crops. Mbok Waikem also produced and sold koro beans tempeh to her neighbours. The sales were small, but Mbok Waikem seized all opportunities she could find. Every day, Mbok Waikem and Muhyar go to the fields with Rohmat. Usually, Rohmat will return home earlier to bring the fodder for goats taken nearby the cornfield. Mbok Waikem and the communities choose to plant hybrid corn because it is easy to sell as collateral or to intermediaries. 

Due to its remote location, farmers need to travel far to the sub-district town to get agricultural supplies which are exceptionally expensive. Mbok  Waikem could produce 4-5 tons of corn from a 1-hectare, where she sells IDR 2,000/ kg. During the harvest season, the middleman will come to Saritani and pick the harvest from farmers. Some farmers, especially those from Java, also do intercropping.

UNDP, through its Small Grants Programme, funded by the Global Environment Facility, worked with the local communities to address the water shortage in the area. With support from Marsudi Lestantun Institute, Mbok Waikem and locals in the Saritani village worked together to create a clean water network distributed to residents. Through a program called Building a Sustainable Agricultural Model Sloping Land Buffer Zone Nantu wildlife reserve, from 2018-2020, the group has slowly changed the farming pattern to fit the region’s climate challenge.

Now that her son has recovered, thanks to the fellow residents of Saritani village and the Marsudi Lestantun Group, Mbok Waikem hopes that his son will find his soul mate in Saritani. After nearly 20 years of wandering about, this resilient lady wishes that she and her husband can return to Java someday or retire in Gorontalo. 

Written by Harijanto Suwarno & Aditya Widya Putri 
Photos credit by Edy Susanto
Edited for UNDP Indonesia website by Enggi Dewanti

https://www.undp.org/indonesia/blog/story-resilient-lady-saritani

Artikel A Story of the Resilient Lady from Saritani pertama kali tampil pada SGP Indonesia.

Senior advisor on environmental and climate-related issues at the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and Advisor to Norway’s GEF Council Member, Lauren Celine Naville Gisnås, and Norwegian Ambassador Rut Kruger Giverin visited two SGP projects on the Nusa Penida Island of Bali on 24 May 2022. They visited the SukaDanta Organic Farm and the Bukit Keker Learning House in Nusa Penida, where local communities are working with SGP and partners to restore degraded landscapes.

At the Bukit Keker Learning House, local communities are partnering with SGP to establish organic gardens, promote composting, waste management, recycling, and use of biogas systems. The Learning Centre is powered by solar energy and is a space for raising awareness about environmental issues, building local capacity in agro-ecological practices, and sustaining traditional knowledge and culture. The SukaData Organic Farm built an integrated organic farming system which relies entirely on chemical and waste free production.

“We saw an integrated farming system that fully utilize its natural potential. Everything that is planted here uses organic fertilizers, relies on rainwater, and learning is captured and disseminated to other farmers. In the future, we are optimistic that a model like this one is replicated across various regions in Indonesia and beyond to support food needs and improve the well-being of local communities” Lauren said.

“In SukaDanta, we noticed first-hand a promising potential to develop a waste and chemical-free food production system. Moreover, the initiative pioneered an alternative approach to the local economy, which relies heavily on tourism in Nusa Penida” Rut added.

SGP Indonesia National Coordinator Catharina Dwihastarini added that building the farm’s infrastructure relies on a saving scheme that sets aside funds for further investments, as illustrated by a recent plan to build a biogas unit. “Communities that take action together can do a lot of things and can create change on a global level. Hopefully we can continue to expand this work with the knowledge gained from traditional practices,” she said, stressing the importance of relying on bottom-up participatory approaches.

SGP In Indonesia

Since 1992, SGP has been providing financial and technical support to civil society and community-driven initiatives that address global environmental issues while improving local livelihoods in Indonesia. Over the past three decades, SGP Indonesia has supported 502 projects and worked with 200 civil society organizations and local community groups.

The SGP’s Sixth Operational Phase in Indonesia (2017-2022) applied the community-based landscape approach to enhance and maintain socio-ecological resilience of priority landscapes and seascapes in Indonesia. This work builds on the GEF’s focal area strategies as well as the UNDP’s Local Action service offer that supports local actors on three essential solution pathways: empowerment, resilience and investment. To date 95 community-based projects have been completed under this phase, 130,698 hectares of land are under sustainable production and 71,827 hectares of coastal seascapes are being managed as community conservation areas.

Local action = global impact

This year marks the 30th anniversary of SGP, a corporate program of the Global Environment Facility, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme since 1992. Currently active in 128 countries, SGP has supported over 27,000 projects led by local civil society and community-based organizations, including women, Indigenous Peoples, youth, and persons with disabilities, to design and lead actions that address global environmental issues.

Contact

Catharina Dwihastarini, National Coordinator, SGP Indonesia, dwihastarini@sgp-indonesia.org

Hugo Remaury, Regional Technical Advisor, SGP Upgraded Country Programmes, United Nations Development Programme, hugo.remaury@undp.org

https://sgp.undp.org/resources-155/our-stories/692-norwegian-ambassador-and-norad-senior-advisor-visit-small-grant-programme-initiatives-in-indonesia.html

Artikel Duta Norwegia Dan Penasihat Senior Norad Kunjungi Inisiatif Program Hibah Kecil Di Indonesia pertama kali tampil pada SGP Indonesia.

Artikel Menjaga Alam untuk Menerangi Gelap Gulita Dusun Tumba pertama kali tampil pada SGP Indonesia.

Entitled "A Small Gift for Us", the closing of the GEF-SGP Indonesia Phase 6 Project was filled with a Virtual Photo Exhibition and Book Launch. The photo exhibition opens virtually on Wednesday, March 30 2022, 10 p.m. 09.00-10.30 WIB. Link: https://GEF-SGPphotogallery.com can be accessed until April 10 2022.

The books launched include: Siasah, Traces of Local Archipelago Food, Traces of Archipelago Scholars, East Dawn to Twilight of Nusa: An Anthology of the Search for the Taste of Four Regions, Wakatobi in the Vortex of the Times: An Anthology.

For further information, contact number 0856 734 1172 (Meinar SW)

Entitled “A Little Gift for Us”, the closing of the Phase-6 GEF-SGP Indonesia Project was filled with a Virtual Photo Exhibition and Book Launch. The photo exhibition opens virtually on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, 09.00-10.30 (west indonesia time). Link : https://GEF-SGPphotogallery.com can be accessed until April 10, 2022.

The books that were launched include: Siasah, Footprint of Local Food in Nusantara, The knowledge journey of Nusantara, Eastern Dawn to Twilight of Islands: Anthology of the Quest for Taste on Four Regions, Wakatobi in the Vortex of Ages: An Anthology.

More info, contact at 0856 734 1172 (Meinar SW)

Artikel Penutupan Proyek GEF-SGP Indonesia Fase-6 :“Hadiah Kecil untuk Kita” pertama kali tampil pada SGP Indonesia.

Artikel Menelaah Sirkular Ekonomi dari Mata Industri pertama kali tampil pada SGP Indonesia.

Artikel Hari Air Sedunia – Temui Penjaga Air Yang Tak Terduga Di Desa Terpencil Di Indonesia pertama kali tampil pada SGP Indonesia.

Artikel Berita Call For Proposal ICCA GEF SGP Indonesia februari 2021 pertama kali tampil pada SGP Indonesia.

Link Photostory Mitra GEF SGP Indonesia Phase VI

Artikel Photostory Mitra GEF SGP Indonesia Phase VI pertama kali tampil pada SGP Indonesia.

Artikel Teras Mitra Adakah Diskusi Zoom Vol:82 Dengan Tema Zero Waste, Selamatkan Bumi pertama kali tampil pada SGP Indonesia.