We Live from The Corn
Lukas (42) is a farmer who lives in Kapaka Madeta Village, Bondo Kodi district, Southwest Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara. Since childhood, he was raised in a farming family. Now that he is married and has children, Lukas continues his family work as a farmer.
To fulfill his daily needs, Lukas relies on the corn plant which was inherited by his parents. He uses the money from the sale of corn to pay for food, school and if there is money left over, he will save it in the cooperative for his children's school needs in the future. In addition, he also grows rice in the same field in the hope of getting additional harvests to increase his income.
However, it is not uncommon for Lukas and his family to often feel deprived because the harvest does not match what they expected. The assistance provided by Wahana Visi Indonesia last April did not get a profit but a loss because of the large number of rat pests. Rat pests that occurred from April to May 2021 may be the result of the natural disaster of tropical cyclone Seroja which made the rats come out of hiding places and consume the existing corn plants. In April, he could only harvest 10 kg and it was different from the previous year's harvest.
Fortunately, a corn farmer assistance program fully supported by HSBC Indonesia and implemented by Wahana Visi Indonesia in the agricultural sector has helped Lukas. The assistance received was in the form of corn seeds with the best quality, namely BISI-18 (hybrid seed type), urea fertilizer, NPK fertilizer, and pesticides to eradicate caterpillar pests. Through this mentoring activity, Lukas also re-learns corn planting techniques, from seed selection, care to harvest.
“Now I know, I have to separate the rice and corn plants so that it is easier to control pests and weeds so that the two crops are not disturbed,” said Lukas, telling of the benefits he got from the training he participated in.
Through this assistance, corn harvest from Lukas's field has increased compared to before. The quality of the corn he harvested was much better so that the selling price went up. He also started to save regularly for his children's education.
“Thank you Wahana Visi Indonesia and HSBC Indonesia for providing this training to us, corn farmers. This training really brings changes to our household economy and is very beneficial for the education of our children," he concluded.
Written by Elisabeth Putri, Wahana Visi Indonesia Staff, Southwest Sumba Area Program
