Hope for Better Life from Ecological Farming

Kompas/Jumarto Yulianus

Farmers in Lembah Hijau UU village, Nanga Tayap district, Ketapang regency, West Kalimantan, harvest chili at an integrated ecology plantation on Wednesday (14/2). The plantation was cleared without burning the land and the plantation produces organic products.

Farmers in Lembah Hijau II and Tajok Kayang villages, Ketapang regency, West Kalimantan no longer employ slash-and-burn methods in their farming activities. Having turned to integrated ecological farming, this has resulted in more bountiful harvests.

Farmers in Nanga Tayap district, Ketapang, had for decades employed slash-and-burn farming methods. However, over the last two years, they were taught to carry out integrated ecological farming. Now the traditional way of farming has been gradually abandoned.

The scorching sun did not deter women in Lembah Hijau II village, Nanga Tayap, about 350 kilometers from Pontianak, from going to the fields recently. They harvest mustard greens and spinach using integrated ecological farming methods on 2,500 square meters of land.

Chinese broccoli, spinach and watercress grow well in the garden. The stems are fat, the leaves are wide and the color is fresh green. "Vegetables here are neither given chemical fertilizers nor pesticides. We only use compost and manure. These are organic vegetables, "said Yatimin, 63, the chairman of Sinar Harapan Village Farmer Group in Lembah Hijau II village

According to Yatimin, they have begun to apply integrated ecological agriculture methods in a pilot farm involving people, comprising 10 women and 3 men. In addition to managing the pilot farm, they also have begun applying the methods in their respective gardens.

After the land is cleared, the grass is not burned, but milled with a machine to turn into compost. "Now, we no longer buy chemical fertilizer or pesticides," he said.

To keep pests away from the vegetables, farmers make natural pesticides from the foliage. They also plant flowers among the vegetables, such as “chicken comb” flowers and kenikir flowers. "The flowers are for the diversion of pests," said Purwati, 57, a local farmer.

Yatimin said organic farming not only produced good quality and healthy vegetables but it also benefitted farmers. For water spinach, for example, they spent about Rp 300,000 for the seeds. During the harvest they earned Rp 300,000 in net income as they did not have to purchase fertilizer or pesticides.

Better results

In the pilot garden, the farmers can harvest four to five times a week. They earn about Rp 200,000 from the sale of vegetables in each harvest. So, they can get Rp 800,000 to Rp 1 million per week. The proceeds of the sales are collected in the farmers’ joints savings.

For Yatimin, who has applied the integrated ecological farming in his own garden, can earn a daily income from his vegetable garden. "At least he earns Rp 60,000 a day. If there are many orders, the income can reach Rp 200,000 a day,” said the father of five children with 13 grandchildren.

In Nanga Tayap, the integrated methods are not only applied on horticultural crops, but also to food crops. The trial for rice farming is carried out at in a pilot garden of Tajok Kayong village. Ahmadi, 50, the chairman of the Bedulur Farmers Group in Tajok Kayong Village, said, they used the ecological farming to grow paddy on 1,0000 sq m of land as a pilot project. The paddy was planted in December 2017 and harvested on February 2 01 8. "The results are very promising, far exceeding our previous results. From 8 kilograms (kg) of seed, we can produce 200 kg of dry unhusked rice or a double from the production using a slash and burn method," said the father of four children, one grandson.

Ahmadi acknowledged that farming using the ecological system was more tiring than traditional farming. After the land is cleared, the soil should be plowed with hand tractors first, then planted with rice. "As the people are no longer allowed to burn land, we have to adopt the new way of farming. It is more tiring, but the result is better,” he said.

Collaboration

The vice president of agronomy at Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food in West Kalimantan, Junaidi Piliang, said the villages in Nanga Tayap that had implemented the integrated ecological agriculture were the participants of the company’s Desa Makmur Peduli Api (DMPA) Program, which encouraged people to protect forests from fires.

The DMPA program was established following the large forest and land fire 2014-2015, which caused losses both environmentally and economically.

About 99 percent of the fires were caused by the humans and only one percent by the nature (climate). "So, we build synergies and collaborations between governments, communities, and companies to achieve zero burning. The community is not just forbidden to burn in the cultivation of agriculture, but also given a solution with integrated ecological agriculture in order to increase the economy and welfare of the community," he said.

According to Junaidi, the Desa Siaga Api (DSA) program in 2016 had successfully reduced hot spots and fires in eight villages in Nanga Tayap, Tajok Kayong, Nanga Tayap, Lembah Hijau I, Lembah Hijau II, Siantau Raya, Sungai Kelik, Simpang Tiga Sembelangaan and Tanjung Medan.

"In 2017, the number of hot spots and fire spots in the villages joining the DMPA program dropped to 12 and seven, respectively from 23 and five in 2016, and 213 and 158 in 2015," Junaidi said. Junaidi said the integrated ecological farming that has been successfully implemented in the two villages under the DMPA program will also be introduced in other villages.

"By 2019, all participating villages of the DMPA program are expected to implement integrated ecological agriculture," he said. The head of the Nanga Tayap district, Dewanto, hoped that with the assistance of the Sinar Mas Agribusiness, the number of villages which used the  ecological agriculture can grow be increased from eight d to 12.

“In Nanga Tayap, there are 20 villages. All the villages in our area are located near plantation, timber and mining companies. So, these companies must also help to improve the welfare of the community," said Dewanto. The Integrated ecological agriculture program, according to him, should be introduced to the public.