Musodikun, Pioneering Organic Farming on Swampland

Jumarto Yulianus

· 6 minutes read

When Musodikun, 48, started an organic farm seven years ago in Danda Jaya village, only a few people spared him a glance and most looked down at his planting method. After seeing his success, many farmers are now interested in organic farming.

Musodikun has pioneered organic farming in Danda Jaya, a village in Rantau Badauh district of Barito Kuala regency, South Kalimantan. The farmer, nicknamed Sodikun, uses organic waste and manure to fertilize the crops he grows on his horticulture farm, built on swampland.

"At first, it was a trial. I wanted to reduce production costs by reducing the use of chemical fertilizers. It worked. In fact, the results were even better," said Sodikun during an interview on Saturday (13/7/2019) while he was out inspecting the rice farms in Jejangkit Muara village, Jejangkit district, Barito Kuala.

By using organic fertilizers, according to Sodikun, his horticulture crops grown on swampland became more resistant to disease and produced greater yields. "After using organic fertilizer, rice yields can reach 12-13 belek per borong [about 225 kg per 1/6 hectare]. Before, it was only 9-10 belek per borong, "he said.

If the soil acidity is very high, chemical fertilizers are still needed to accelerate plant growth. However, only 25 percent is [chemical fertilizer]. The rest is organic fertilizer.

Sodikun said it is not easy to manage an organic farm on swampland. The swampland in Danda Jaya and surrounding areas are especially challenging because they are highly acidic and contain a lot of pyrite (FeS2), a crystallized form of iron sulfide.

"If the soil acidity is very high, chemical fertilizers are still needed to accelerate plant growth. However, only 25 percent is [chemical fertilizer]. The rest is organic fertilizer," said the father of two.

Sodikun started learning about organic swampland cultivation methods on his own, and then continued to build his knowledge through attending various government-sponsored training workshops.

He said he learned a lot from the Barito Kuala Food Crops and Horticulture Office, the Barito Kuala Plantation and Livestock Office, the South Kalimantan Agricultural Technology Studies Center, the South Kalimantan Food Crops and Horticulture Protection Center and the Banjarmasin Community Training Center.

"After three years of organic farming on my own land, I could finally see the results. Then, the organic fertilizer that I used was examined at a laboratory. It turned out the fertilizer could be used for general agriculture," he said.

Two types

Sodikun made both solid and liquid organic fertilizer for his crops. Solid fertilizers are made from livestock dung, such as cow manure, goat manure, and chicken and bird droppings.

To make powder or granular fertilizers, the animal dung is mixed with other materials like the wood chips used in mushroom farming, lime or ash.

Sodikun said powder organic fertilizers were more suitable for horticultural farming, while the granular fertilizers were more suitable for growing crops in permanent wetlands.

"In a month, I produce on average 30-35 tons of solid organic fertilizer. The fertilizer is distributed to other parts of South Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan," said Sodikun, who chairs the Danda Jaya Wijaya Kusuma Livestock Association.

Liquid organic fertilizer is suitable for applying to both horticulture and food crops. Liquid fertilizer-pesticide mixes are very effective at repelling the rice ear bug.

Sodikun produces liquid fertilizer from cow or goat urine and makes two types: fertilizer and a fertilizer-pesticide mix. He produces the fertilizer-pesticide solution from livestock urine mixed with sugarcane, lemongrass, galangal, white onions and tobacco for a monthly average output of 1,200 liters.

"Liquid organic fertilizer is suitable for applying to both horticulture and food crops. Liquid fertilizer-pesticide mixes are very effective at repelling the rice ear bug," he said.

Because Sodikun’s solid and liquid fertilizers have been tested at a laboratory, they are licensed for sale. The solid fertilizer costs Rp 1,500 per kilogram, while the liquid fertilizer costs Rp 50,000 per liter. "These prices are for [agriculture] projects. The prices are different for farmers," he said with a laugh.

Sodikun subsidizes his fertilizers for farmers at Rp 500 per kilogram for solid fertilizer and Rp 20,000 per liter for liquid fertilizer. Thus, he sells his fertilizers to farmers at Rp 1,000 per kilogram for solid fertilizer and Rp 30,000 per liter for liquid fertilizer.

Knowledge transfer

Sodikun has been farming organically for several years to prove the method’s success in organic farms on highly acidic swamplands. In 2015, he started encouraging other farmers to try organic farming.

"When I teach other farmers about organic farming, it’s not about showing off. I just want them to also adopt organic agriculture methods so they can reduce production costs and increase productivity," he said.

Sodikun never pushes other farmers to buy his organic fertilizers. It is more likely that he would teach them how to make their own fertilizers so they would not need to buy fertilizers at all.

"I don\'t have to always talk business, but rather about how to transfer knowledge so it can be applied and benefit the farmers. Hearing about farmers that have succeeded in organic farming is my reward," said Sodikun, who was born in Kebumen, Central Java, and migrated to South Kalimantan in 1983.

Sutiknyo, 33, a Danda Jaya farmer who is also the secretary of the Pandawa Farmers Group, said that the group’s farmers started using organic fertilizers for citrus trees and rice in 2018. Organic fertilizers reduced the production costs and increased the productivity of citrus trees. Around 30 hectares of citrus tree farms now used organic fertilizer.

"When I used chemical fertilizers, the fertilizer cost was Rp 5 million per hectare. After switching to organic fertilizer, the cost is only Rp 2.5 million per hectare. The yield for oranges during the peak harvest has also increased significantly, from Rp 20 million to Rp 35 million per hectare," said Sutiknyo.

Sodikun is very happy to hear the stories of farmers who have successfully implemented organic farming. He is always open to anyone interested in learning about organic farming so that the number of organic farmers groups can continue to grow. "I want other farmers not to just imitate me, but to be better than me," he said.

Musodikun

Nickname: Sodikun

Born: Kebumen, 6 September 1971

Education: Senior high school, Rantau Badauh (Class of 1996)

Occupation:

- Organic farmer

- Chairman, Danda Jaya Wijaya Kusuma Livestock Association

Wife: Siti Sunarti

Children: Rahmat Abu Ghifari (22), Taufik Muzaky (17)

Editor:

kompascetak musodikun