The grass can also be greener on your side…   

Villagers in the green community garden

“It’s amazing to know how we can protect our crops from insects. And now that we know how to make organic fertiliser we can save our money from buying the chemical fertiliser” - Kharel Ola, Yustus & Mery. 

A group of men, women and children from 15 different villages searched for solutions to address the environmental problems in their area, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.

The community had used a traditional cropping system with the habit of slice and burn. This damaged the land and its condition was made worse by a rainfall season of just 2-3 months. A lack of knowledge and skills to develop an innovative system for dry-land farming caused food shortages most of the year.

When crisis came, people tried to substitute rice and corn. Some consumed unprocessed tamarind beans, while others ate the root of “Maek” - normally the food of livestock.

They agreed on a plan to train farmers and workers to increase agricultural productivity. The representatives visited similar successful projects, and afterward they went back to train people in their own villages. This training included demonstrations and practise on:
  

Villagers learning new cultivation techniques

• cultivation techniques
• seed provision
• production of organic fertiliser
• new irrigation system
• improvement of grain/stable storage
• marketing development

Now the area is productive and the communities are able to plant different kinds of vegetables. They can sell vanilla for the price of US$ 30/kg for un-dried vanilla and US$ 180/kg for dried vanilla. This enables villagers to send their children to school or renovate a house.