A Women Who Contributes for Farmers
There are no differences from Zaitun (44), a housewife from Sigi Regency, Central Sulawesi, with other women. However, this woman with three children has done a lot for the farmers in the villages in the Palolo District.
Zaitun is a PPL (Field Agricultural Extension Officer) and Director of BUMDes (Village-Owned Enterprises) Harapan Baru in his village. As a PPL, she accompanies two villages: Ranteleda Village to help manage rice fields, and Bobo Village, a place where she lives, to accommodate cocoa. Unfortunately, in recent years, planting cocoa plants have no longer be productive.
In early 2018, Wahana Visi Indonesia (WVI) through the Moringa Project was present in the District of Palolo to increase the income of corn farmers. In collaboration with PT Syngenta, both made a demo plot (demonstration plot) of quality corn. Through this partnership, the demonstration plot began to produce 13 tons of corn per hectare. In fact, initially, the corn yield obtained by farmers was only 3-4 tons per hectare.
Seeing the results of the demonstration plot, Zaitun was interested in exploring the cultivation of feed corn and saw it as a new opportunity to develop farmers in Bobo Village. Moreover, since the demonstration plot is operating, many farmers have known NK corn seeds. In fact, there are some who have started planting but have to buy seeds in other villages that are quite far away.
Zaitun started to manage BUMDes by considering corn as an alternative commodity to be developed. Now, when he leads the BUMDes, he also directs the management of the village fund budget into 2 parts, where 80% of funds are managed for the benefit of savings and loans and 20% for productive economic development, namely corn cultivation.
The initial step taken at that time was to gather representatives of farmer groups and submit plans for the future development of BUMDes. It's just that the response of farmers is not as expected, because no one is interested in growing corn.
Zaitun doesn't give up. She asked a farmer to start trying to plant 4.5 kg of NK 212 seeds, which turned out to be able to produce a 2.2 tons harvest. The planted land is brown land that is no longer productive and has been converted to maize.
Now, after harvesting, farmers have become interested in planting NK seeds, only with access to seeds. Finally, BUMDes began managing the 20% fund for the provision of NK seeds.
WVI through the Moringa project then connected BUMDes Harapan Baru to PSP (Primary Service Provider) namely PT Syngenta, so that BUMDES can become an ISP (Intermediate Service Provider) of quality seeds at the village level. BUMDES also opens access to farmers' capital by providing loans for agricultural inputs that will be returned after harvest. At present as many as 40 farmers have access to quality seeds, and 19 of them access capital loans.
As a PPL, planting quality corn seeds adds insight to Olives, even now he has made an analysis of the corn business and educated farmer groups in Bobo Village. Zaitun really wants to advance BUMDes Harapan Baru to be able to reach out and provide benefits for farmers in his village.
Written by: Erawinta, Development Facilitator of the Moringa Project of Wahana Visi Indonesia
