Improved farming skills help local farmers of West Papua strengthening local economy and food security
Local farmers in Teluk Mubri village, North Manokwari, West Papua, are now able to increase their productivity and income during the pandemic. The introduction to proper and sustainable farming methods by the ILO’s skills training programme, as part of the UN joint programme, has helped them improving their farming skills.
The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the life of Suyono, 45 years old. A significant drop of
income as a construction worker and a contractor has inspired him to
utilize the land around his home in Teluk Mubri village, North Manokwari
district, Manokwari regency, West Papua.
In his 2,300 square meter land, Suyono plants various vegetables including water spinach, spinach, corn, and lettuce. With his wife, he sells the crops at the Sanggeng Market in Manokwari regency. The income gained from farming, although not as much as he expects due to the pandemic, could support his family and he can also fulfil the dietary needs of his family with produces from his land.
We as farmers must be equipped with the ability to work our land using suitable agricultural technology, plant various vegetables commodities with proper method and produce high-quality crops so that we can gain higher income and fulfil market demand."
Suyono
“Farming is absolutely the right choice for me as it is my own venture.
The outcome is mostly predictable and allows me to live healthier. I
found that having my own vegetables and tubers in my garden really
helpful to support my family when my income plummeted,” said the father
of three.
His new profession and passion as a farmer made him
interested to participate in an agriculture training hosted by Mnukwar
Papua and North Manukwari Agriculture Supervisory Centre in June-July
2021 to improve his skills. He hoped that the training could help
farmers in his village to navigate through financial difficulties during
the pandemic.
“We as farmers must be equipped with the ability to work our land using
suitable agricultural technology, plant various vegetables commodities
with proper method and produce high-quality crops so that we can gain
higher income and fulfill market demand,” he said.
The training is a part of the Employment and Livelihood joint project,
jointly organized by four United Nations (UN) agencies in Indonesia,
including the ILO. The joint project is funded by UN COVID-19 Response
and Recovery Multi-Partner Trust Fund (UN MPTF).
“Agriculture
remains one of the priority sectors in Indonesian economy. Assisting
farmers to enhance their skills is one way to drive post-pandemic
economic recovery while, at the same time, training them to be more
resilient, self-sufficient and continue to grow,” said Navitri Putri
Guillaume, ILO’s project officer for Employment and Livelihood regarding
the importance of the training to support the agriculture sector,
particularly in the Eastern part of Indonesia.
Assisting farmers to enhance their skills is one way to drive post-pandemic economic recovery while, at the same time, training them to be more resilient, self-sufficient and continue to grow."
Navitri Putri Guillaume, ILO’s project officer of the Employment and Livelihood Project
During the training, the participants were taught to use agriculture
machines and tools to work on their land in a more efficient and
productive way. They also learned about polyculture farming techniques
and how to produce their own organics pesticide and fertilizer.
Although Suyono already has some experience in farming, he said that
the training has honed his skills in using farming equipment. The
training also helped him and other villagers to know the proper and
better farming methods.
“The training has helped changing the
mindset of my villagers about farming. They have now realized that they
can generate maximum outputs from their front or backyard and do not
have to open new land in the mountain to start farming,” he told.
Known as a leader in his village, Suyono also likes to share his new
knowledge from the farming training his neighbours and other local
farmers. He continues to encourage and support them to utilize their
land for farming. He also helps them managing their land by assisting
them in opening the land with tractors, raising crop beds as well as
planting and caring for the plants.
As a result, up to one
hectare of the communal land in Teluk Mubri village has now transformed
into farming land planted with various commodities, such as spinach,
water spinach, sweet potato, cassava, and corn. The crops are expected
to help the farmers gain higher incomes and have better livelihoods.
“Teluk Mubri farmers are actually willing and have high curiosity on
the correct farming methods, but they do not have sufficient farming
tools. We need to take turn in using the available equipment that
becomes a hindrance in boosting our productivity,” said Suyono.
The knowledge on producing pesticide and fertilizer using organics
ingredients that can be easily found, more affordable and
environmental-friendly has also contributed to the increased income
gain. Farmers are now able to save money and reduce production costs by
switching from more expensive chemical fertilizer to more affordable
organic ones.
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