They were taught everything from land preparation and soil management to making seedbeds. Only after that were they instructed on creating organic fertilizers and natural pesticides.
We also explained to the community the importance of organic vegetables for their health and the environment. During these discussions, we emphasized that while using non-organic fertilizers may result in abundant yields, in the long run, soil humus would degrade, and our bodies would become more vulnerable to diseases.
Since then, members of the Sanggase Okaba Hand Farming Group have taken charge of managing the land. Various crops, including eggplants, long beans, chilies, tomatoes, mustard greens, and shallots, are cultivated. Typically, these crops are planted three months before Eid al-Fitr and Christmas. Why? We realized that during religious holidays, the prices of these commodities would inevitably skyrocket.
The community has already experienced this phenomenon. In March 2022, the farming group earned approximately Rp7 million from selling chilies and tomatoes. We advised them to gather and distribute the money evenly among all group members, setting aside Rp2 million as capital for further production. The community members are free to consume the harvest to meet their families’ nutritional needs. Indeed, witnessing these results, the community was delighted and began cultivating previously fallow land for growing vegetables.
The Dahetok Milah Lestari Foundation encourages the community to develop further organic farming, which is beneficial for community health and safe for the environment, enabling sustainable use. This is intended to empower the community to achieve food security independently, leading to economic improvement.