Boalemo, InfoPublik – The Nantu Lestari forest farmer group is planting banana seeds in its members’ fields by working together. This activity is carried out in turns for each member.

The fields planted with banana seeds are fertile fields that have been neglected or received little attention. By planting fields, their agricultural productivity is expected to increase.

“Farmers in Tamilo Hamlet are increasingly enthusiastic after the global Environment Facility Small Grants Program (GEF SGP). “We received assistance from the Marsudi Lestantun farmer group,” said Kang Gepeng, chairman of the Nantu Lestari forest farmer group, Sunday (10/3/2024).

Even since the beginning of this program, the Nantu Lestari Group has created nursery locations for various plants. The seeds produced independently are what then fill the empty land in each resident’s garden.

“Suddenly we realized, there was a lot of potential around us. “We immediately exploit this potential to support environmentally friendly agriculture,” said Kang Gepeng.

According to Kang Gepeng, his group immediately used the cow dung that had been piling up behind the house to become bokashi fertilizer. It is easy to make, just mix cow dung with husk ash evenly, then spray with water that has been added with EM4. After that, cover it tightly with plastic tarpaulin.

“All this time cow dung has been piled up next to the drum, I don’t know what to make of it. “Since this assistance has been provided, we immediately saw it as an item of high value,” said Kang Gepeng.

By using bokashi fertilizer, Nantu Lestari group members do not need to buy expensive and rare chemical fertilizers. Just with the free bokashi fertilizer, the plants cultivated in the garden can grow fertile and productive.

Kang Gepeng assured his members that by focusing on increasing the productivity of their fields, income from fruit, vegetables, chocolate, jengkol, and so on would increase.

This increase in production is directly proportional to the increase in farmers’ income. Moreover, the average farmer in Tamilo has cattle or goats which can be integrated into an integrated agricultural system.

One of the assistants for the Nantu Lestari farmer group, Bunaeri, explained that he did not experience any difficulties when providing assistance because they were both farmers. Bunaeri also encouraged farmers to further increase the productivity of their land with crops of high economic value and not damage them.

“If the land is on a slope, we encourage planting with annual crops such as coffee or cocoa. “This plant is familiar to Tamilo residents,” said Bunaeri.

In slope areas, said Bunaeri, residents are prohibited from planting corn or other short-lived crops because they are afraid of landslides and harm to farmers. Farmers often witness landslides in agricultural land, so it is not difficult to encourage them to implement sustainable agriculture.

“This is just a matter of habit. “If farmers are accustomed to environmentally friendly farming methods, farmers’ long-term welfare will increase, and nature will also be preserved,” explained Bunaeri.

In Gorontalo Province, the GEF SGP program is implemented around the Nantu Wildlife Reserve (SM) and the Gorontalo Grand Forest Park (Tahura) area. This program is strengthened by partner institutions from universities, non-governmental organizations and community groups.

The introduction of the GEF SGP program to Tamilo really helped local residents in increasing their capacity. GEF SGP also helps increase the strengthening of local community institutions in facing ecological challenges.

The Nantu Lestari Group is a group of farmers in Tamilo Hamlet, Saritani Village, Wonosari District, Boalemo Regency. Saritani Village is directly adjacent to the Nantu Wildlife Reserve (SM).

Tamilo Hamlet is a preparatory village with its main village, Saritani Village. Land cover in Tamilo is dominated by secondary forest/dry land amounting to 1,759.5 hectares or 42.83 percent of the hamlet area.

Meanwhile, the land cover used as agricultural land and plantations consists of coconut plantations, gardens and mixed crops, rice fields and oil palms, with an area of 2,137.3 hectares or around 52 percent of the area of Tamilo Hamlet. The remaining 211.1 hectares are built-up land (settlements), bushes, water bodies (rivers and rice fields) and empty land/open land.

The area of agricultural and plantation land in terms of control is divided into two, namely land controlled by the community of 1,324.3 hectares, and land controlled by companies for managing oil palm plantations of 813 hectares. (mcgorontaloprov)