AGROFORESTRY AND SUSTAINABLE VEGETABLE PRODUCTION

IN SOUTHEAST ASIAN WATERSHEDS: INDONESIA

Annual Research Activity Report

on Gender Objectives

(October 2007-September 2008)

Submitted by :

Trikoesoemaningtyas

Herien Puspitawati

Bogor Agricultural University

I. Executive Summary

In Year Three TMPEGS Indonesia focused on Implementation. The Activity of the Gender Team in Year Three was action research based on findings from the Gender Baseline Study in Year One and Gender Analysis in Year Two. The objectives for the year three activities are (1) to improve gender awareness among formal and informal village leaders, and (2) to facilitate women participation in vegetable production under VAF system. For the first objective, BAU Gender team conducted two Gender Awareness workshops in Nanggung sub District. For the second objective, the BAU Gender team conducted trainings and develop a program of saving and loan to strengthen women farmer group and to provide access to production input for vegetable production. The model develop with Bakti Wanita Tani in Hambaro village will be disseminated to other groups in Hambaro and other village in Nanggung.

II. Research Strategy and Developmental Objectives

The Gender Baseline Study and Analysis showed that women involvement in agriculture is mostly in rice culture and women involvement in dry-land agriculture in minimum (12.1%). The study also showed that men dominated the access and control over credits, production input, technology and labors. Only 12.9 % of women have access to credits andvery few women (3.3%) have access to production inputs and technology.

Only 9.1% of women have access to organization compared to 87.7 % of men although a higher percentage of women who have access to trainings is higher (14.5%) compared to access to organization. Most of those who have access to organization belong to religious organization. In the three villages of Nanggung, there is only one Women Farmer Group in the village of Hambaro, whereas there are none in the other two villages.

The access and control profile shows the extent to which women are impeded from participating equitably in the project. To facilitate the participation of women in Nanggung in the project the research was conducted as action research in line with the target of TMPEGS Indonesia of implementation in Year Three of the project. The developmental objectives are

  1. To improvetheawareness on different roles and responsibilities of women and men in VAF system including their different and unequal access to and control over resources, and to improve theskills in planning and implementing policies, program and projects to promote gender equal participation in the VAF system among village officials, elders, community leaders and women leaders
  2. to understand and strengthen existing women’s organization and to facilitate women participation in the project by initiatingsaving and loan and revolving credits among members of the only women farmer group.

III. Research Progress by Objectives

Objective 1 :

To improve the awareness on the importance of women participation in the VAF system, Gender Awareness workshops were carried out for village officials, community leaders, village elders and women leaders. In the workshop the participants were introduced to gender concept, partnership of men and women in the effort to improve family and village welfare, and the possible roles of women in the VAF system. The Gender Awareness workshops were conducted in two villages, Hambaro and Sukaluyu.

Discussion during the workshops indicated that most village officials and community leaders acknowledge the importance of women participation in social and productive activities, however, they do not have the knowledge and skill needed to develop program which will facilitate equal participation of men and women.

The response of village officials in both villages were very positive and they agreed to work with the Gender Team to develop program which will encourage more women participation. However, the response of village leaders and women leaders in the two villages were markedly different. Positive response was obtained from community leaders and women leaders in Hambaro but not from those in Sukaluyu. As results of the workshops, programs were developed for women groups in Hambaro which received full support from all the village officials and community leaders.

Objective 2 :

To strengthen existing women’s organization and to facilitate women participation in the project, an activity was designed and implemented to initiatesaving and loan and revolving credits among members of the only women farmer group in Hambaro, Bakti Wanita Tani.

The women of the farmer group were introduced to revolving credit system to provide and manage production input for indigenous vegetables production. Based on the recommendation of the Marketing team, Katuk was chosen as their first project. A total of 30 000 Katuk seedlings were distributed. Six women agreed to be the first recipient of the Katuk seedlings. After each harvest, these six women will sell the katuk harvestand return cuttings to the group which will be given to one other member of the group. All 25 members of the women farmer group have received training in Katuk post harvest and marketing from the Marketing team. The women of the Bakti Wanita Tani had their first harvest of katuk in 7 September 2008.

A training on saving and loan were conducted for the women of the Bakti Wanita Tani. The members agreed to form a saving and loan group within the Bakti Wanita Tani but manage separately. Each member paid a membership fee of Rp 10 000 ($ 1) to join the saving and loan. The group was given Rp 1 800 000 ($ 200) to manage as their first capital. Additional trainings were provided on management and record keeping for the elected officials.

The implementation of revolving credit and saving and loan in the Bakti Wanita Tani provide an understanding on the dynamic of women organization in Nanggung. This farmer organization has a very strong leader who inspires other members of the group. However, members of this group have independence to choose a different person to lead the saving and loan within the Bakti Wanita Tani. Most members of this group are neighbor in one Dusun.

The activity developed with the women farmer in Hambaro will be used as a model for other villages in Nanggung with adaptation suitable to each village condition. The main constraint in developing this activity in Sukaluyu and Parakan muncang is that there is no organization for women farmers and the leaders prefer any kind of assistance to be given directly to the farmers as has been done by other projects.

IV. Degree and Non-Degree Trainings

Ms Tin Herawati, one of the Gender Team from the Department of Family and Consumer Studies has received scholarship from the Department of Education for her PhD program at BAUGraduateSchool from academic year 2007-2008. Her dissertation topic is on empowerment of women in the Nanggung sub District through agriculture activity to achieve family welfare.

For non-degree trainings, the Gender Team of BAU conducted two Gender Awareness Workshops in the village of Hambaro and Sukaluyu, Nanggung sub district. The participants of the workshops were 19 men and 17 women in Hambaro and 22 men and 13 women in Sukaluyu consisted of village officials, community and women leaders. Training on saving and loan were conducted 3 times, the participants were 11, 25 and 8 women farmers and leaders of Bakti Wanita Tani , women farmer group.

V. Publication: Presentation and Other SANREM Products

The BAU Gender team develop a book on nutritional and medicinal values and cooking instructions of indigenous vegetables, “Resep Sayuran Lokal”, which was distributed to women in Nanggung to reintroduce indigenous vegetables. Other publication includes 5 power point presentations, two posters, one fact sheet and one report.

VI. Networking Activity

To broaden the activity of the project in strengthening various women organizations in the three villages of Nanggung, the team wrote a proposal on empowerment of women in the Nanggung sub District through agriculture activity to achieve family welfare. The proposal was granted funding by the Competitive Grant- Directorate General for Higher Education, Department of National Education for 2008-2010. The additional funding will be used to strengthen women organizations involve in health services, early child education and productive activities other than farmer groups.