In other areas, farmers could no longer afford pesticides and fertilizers when prices shot up as a result of the economic crisis. This meant that arguments for organic farming methods started making a lot of sense. Some farmers’ groups and NGOs see organic farming as a way of protesting against the destructive impacts of the green revolution, and of liberating farmers from green revolution domination and dependence on chemical fertilizers, pesticides and other inputs.

However, public awareness of what Organic Agriculture means and consumer demand for organic produce is very low in Indonesia. Also there is no national certification or labeling scheme for organic food, just as there is no labeling of GM (Genetically Modified) produce.

One of the few shops selling organic produce was set up in Yogyakarta in 1997 by the Consortium of Fair Trade Community, with funds from Oxfam. The shop owners, who return most profits to the farmers, say it is hard to find people willing to pay the higher prices charged for organic produce.

‘Sustainable’ means not just environmentally, but also socially, economically and politically sustainable. Practical projects are used as an entry point to help farmers gain control over land and more bargaining power in the marketplace.

“The project was aimed at providing an interest or occupation for unemployed informal labourers hit by the economic crisis. It started with a small piece of land, rented from a city-based land-owner, which was used to plant vegetable crops. The project then expanded to include some other plots owned by the farmers or, in the case of landless farmers, other people’s land.

The products were sold by a co-operative (farmers’ group) set up by the project through a box delivery system, which cut out the middlemen. The goods were priced somewhere between traditional market and supermarket prices. At first we sold the goods to NGO people, but then, by word of mouth, we were able to sell more and many housewives in the city started buying.

While we were doing this, we often got comments from older farmers nearby who, when they saw us using compost etc. said “What are you using those old methods for? We gave them up years ago!” However, these farmers were interested in the fact that we were not paying the high prices for chemical inputs and that we were cutting out the middleman to sell the goods.

The problem with organic farming, in our experience, is that we need a lot of organic fertilizers and as not all the farmers have cattle, they need to buy this. So our idea is to create an integrated organic farming system. But before we reach that stage, we should deal with the basic needs of the farmers. They cannot get enough money from farming activities, because their land is so limited.

Now there are more opportunities for work in the informal sector. Especially near the village, there is a growing demand for construction workers for building Chinese tombs. Most of the young men have gone back to work, but there is an ongoing dialogue with neighbouring farmers about the merits of organic farming and co-operative selling that we want to develop further into a more sustainable project.”

Konphalindo - konphal@rad.net.id

PAN Indonesia - biotani@rad.net.id

ELSPPAT - elsppat@bogor.wasantara.net.id / www.eslppat.or.id

Jaringan Kerja Kearifan Tradisional - rasdi@palu.wasantara.net.id

Jaringan Kerja Pertanian Organik - ganjuran@indosat.net.id

SPTN HPS - ganjuran@indosat.net.id

FSPI, SPSU - putratan@indosat.net.id

Sintesa - sintesak@indosat.net.id

Bina Sarana Bhakti - bsb_agro@indosat.net.id

Kehati Foundation - kehati@indo.net.id

INSIST - insist@yogya.wasantara.net.id