Food Security Indonesia Project #53284

Food security through organic farming in Indonesia

by Yayasan Usaha Mulia / Foundation for Noble Work

Project Report | Jun 24, 2022
We're finally certified organic!

By Yolanda Utami Nilasari | Project Leader

YUM Organic Farm certificate

Hi friends of the farm,

As you read on our title, we are officially certified organic! Since we started, we’ve been using only organic farming methods at our farm. From growing our vegetables to making our own compost, we make sure that we don’t use any pesticides and even make sure the materials we put in our compost are all organic as well. Thanks to your donations, we were finally able to start the process last December. After preparing all our documents and submitting all the requirements, an auditor came to our farm and stayed for a 4-day assessment. We’re so proud to finally have this recognition, and we’re now more confident in marketing our products to a larger market. Hopefully this will enable the farm to slowly increase our income.

Another wonderful news on our farm is that, due to a decrease in covid cases, we are now able to open for visitors. Our first visitors were students and teachers from the Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS). Around 30 high school students spent a few hours with us learning about sustainable agriculture, straight from our farmers. They also spent the day doing various projects around YUM’s community center, such as painting the playground and preparing food packages for the elderly. We believe that part of our work as a nonprofit organization is to reach out to the future generation to show them the impact that they can make by helping those in need as well as the environment.

We take this opportunity to thank you for helping the farm continue its work - we’ve come a long way since the beginning of this fundraiser. However, we still have another $20,000 to go in order to really make some big changes on our farm. Please still keep us in mind when you’re in conversation with your family and friends - every donation counts.

Sightseeing before the activity at the farm

Harvesting

Repainting the front wall of YUM Library

Repainting YUM Playground

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Mar 4, 2022
Vegetables baskets for those in need

By Yolanda Utami Nilasari | Project Leader

Vegetables basket distribution

Hello friends of the farm,

As you might know, our farm is situated in the rural mountains of West Java, among a population of farmers and families who struggle on a daily basis. During the pandemic, we found that more and more people around us were finding it hard to put food on their table. The families with a single breadwinner are the most affected in this situation, and it’s even worse for the elderly who live alone.

In order to provide support in nutritious food, YUM, the non-profit behind the organic farm, came up with several ideas: First of all, the farm would provide vegetables on a monthly basis to pregnant mothers to ensure that they remain healthy during their pregnancy. With one out of three babies born stunted in Indonesia, it’s crucial for the mother to have proper nutrition during her pregnancy (see our YUM project in stunting and its prevention ). And secondly, the farm would also provide vegetables to the elderly and other families in need, such as those with single parents. Since we began distributing baskets to this second category in July 2021, we have provided 313 baskets for those in need.

Our farm is more than just a learning facility or a commercial farm producing vegetables - our roots are deep in community service, and we do hope that with your help, we can continue to do just that!

We’d like to take this opportunity to let you know that next month, from April 4-8, GlobalGiving will be matching all your donations up to $50 at 50% for the #LittleByLittle campaign. We hope you’ll join us during this campaign - or better yet, become a fundraiser like our friend Lily!

Vegetables basket for the pregnant mother

Vegetables basket for the elderly

Vegetables basket for the street vendor

Tomato harvesting

Planting activity at the farm

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Nov 30, 2021
Unleashing the potential of young farmers

By Vanessa Reksodipoetro | Project Leader

Dear friends,

Due to the decrease in the number of covid cases in Indonesia, we're extremely happy to be able to reopen our doors to young farmers wishing to do internships on our farm!

Recently, we welcomed 10 students from a nearby farming high school. The students spent almost 3 months on our farm, working alongside our farmers. Besides field work, they also had the opportunity to have sit-down discussions with our head farmer to ask questions and review the day's work.

With only theoretical studies at school, the students were very happy to finally be able to get their hands on real farming action. What they realised while on the farm is that working with nature comes with many challenges. The change of seasons, which is nowadays more unpredictable due to the climate crisis, creates a need for different types of interventions, especially when it comes to organic farming.

Besides participating in the everyday tasks at the farm, the students were also able to learn about the marketing side of the business. Unline many farmers who go through middlemen, the YUM Organic Farm has its own website and clientele. This type of business comes with its own upside and challenges.

Indonesia lost around 5 million farmers between 2003 and 2013. The trend is expected to continue, and by 2063, we could lose all our farmers. That's why the work of keeping young farmers excited and enthusiastic is so important.

We take this opportunity to thank you for helping the farm continue its work, and ensuring that these internships for young farmers can take place. If you want to continue supporting this project, TODAY GlobalGiving is giving away one million dollars to nonprofits around the world as part of their #MoveAMillion campaign for #GivingTuesday.

By donating today, your generosity can help us unlock a share of those funds!

Warmly,

Vanessa

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