Sustainable Wetlands and Agro livestock Management Project (SWAMP) towards Food Security and Social Transformation in South Sumatra

22-0806-15

Project Profile           

This project will empower 300 impoverished farmer communities in Air Sugihan sub-district of Musi Banyuasin, South Sumatra province. Farmers’ empowerment through Values-Based Community Development will bring food security, sustainable livelihood and community transformation for this poor sub-district. The 300 original families will receive 900 goats, horticulture seeds and trees.  An additional 600 families will benefit from “passing on the gift.” The project will provide both technical and non-technical trainings. Non-technical trainings will include organizational strengthening, project management, Heifer Cornerstones and the Values-Based Holistic Community Development model, capacity building, post-harvest management and social analysis. Technical trainings will include livestock management, organic farming, water harvesting and natural resources management. This project will be implemented by Yayasan Bimbingan Mandiri (Self-Reliance Guidance Foundation), or YABIMA, an NGO that works in Lampung and South Sumatra provinces.

Project Rationale – Local Conditions & Opportunities for Assistance

Air Sugihan sub-district is located in Ogan Komering Ilir district (OKI), South Sumatera Province with the population of 32,000. In this district, 28.56% population lived below poverty line in 2005, compare to 20.5 of South Sumatra Province and 16.7 of Indonesia population living below poverty line. The Air Sugihan sub-district consists of 19 villages with 18 of them are transmigration settlement. The population density is 12 people per km².

Before 1960, this area was inhabited. The commercial logging activity which started in 1970s triggered the initial residents for this area, since more people were attracted to reside in this site. The government of Indonesia resettled poor people from East Java to this area as part of transmigration program in 1982. With this scheme, urban poor from East Java were deployed to this site.

Livelihoods in this area vary and there have been many ecological and economical changes. Since predominant (64%) areas are swamp land, livelihoods in this sub-district can be categorized into in-swamp and off-swamp livelihoods. In-swamp livelihoods are livelihoods that depend on resources in the swamp area such as sonor (traditional rice cultivation), fisheries and charcoal production. Sonor is a major farming system that is predominantly practiced by poor farmers in this sub-district. With this, they only cultivate rice once a year in the period of 5-6 months. Off-swamp includes food crops cultivation, perennial tree cultivation.

Unsustainable swamp management happens during the preparation of sonor rice cultivation. Farmers use fire to prepare the land and burn organic debris. After burning they slash and cut the unburned vegetation. This condition has led to forest and swamp fires in Sumatra during recent years.

Opportunities for Assistance

Air Sugihan sub-district has economic potential of horticulture, food crops and livestock. Grassland is abundant in this area which can be utilized as fodder source for goats. Each farmer has 2.5 acres of farming land which could be utilized to strengthen food security.  There are few farmers raising livestock (goats and cows) and it inspires others. In addition, security conditions are getting better since villagers work together to tackle thief problems.  Available dry land can be utilized by farmers for kitchen gardens.

In this area, SHG have been initiated and some of them function well. The majority of these self-help groups have already practiced saving and credit activities and have regular meetings. The SHG will be strengthened to internalize values as strategic tools to achieve community transformation.

In addition to physical support such as goat, agricultural supplies, and trees, this project will also provide both technical and non-technical trainings. Non-technical trainings will include organizational strengthening, project management, Heifer’s Cornerstones and holistic community development model; capacity building trainings, post harvest management, and social analysis. Technical trainings will include livestock management, organic farming, water harvesting and natural resources management.

Training and Education Plan

Heifer Indonesia, Yabima, and other service providers such government units, will provide various training topics to enhance sustainable community transformation.

Training and Education Plan for project participants:

• Heifer Cornerstones (4 days)

• PSRP implementation (1 days)

• Leadership and group management (6 days)

• Improve animal management and health (4 days)

• Gender awareness (3 days)

• Social analysis workshop (4 days)

• Compost training (2 days)

• Gardening and herbal medicine (2 days)

• Cooperative Development Workshop (2 days)

• Post harvest and enterprise Development (2 days)

• Water monitoring (2 days)

• 30 selected project participants will be trained to be Village Animal Health Volunteer (6 days)

• Human nutrition (1 day)

• Improving stove (2 days)

• HIV AIDS discussion (1 day)

• House hold economic management (1 day)

• Rural Participatory Poverty Analysis (2 days)

• Rural Participatory Asset Mapping (2 days)

• Values Based Planning and Management for community (2 days)

• Wetland farming (1 day).

Training and Education Plan for project partner:

• Heifer Cornerstones (4 days)

• PSRP (3 days)

• General ToT trainings (4 days)

• Specific trainings relates to the wetland farming (2 days).

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