The before-photos were taken in July, the first month when the garden started to be managed, while the after-photos were in September (Photos: Wayan Suartana)

When the pandemic worsened since last May, IDEP assisted seven communities in managing food gardens. They are residents of seven hamlets in Kemenuh Village, Bali. After three months of running, the community gardens show progress.

From gardens managed with a permaculture approach, community members can harvest vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers. The crops help to meet their family’s daily needs, both for food and for religious ceremonies, as they have lost income due to the closure of the tourism industry since March.

On average, the number of community members ranges from 15-20 people. They take turns in managing the community garden. Some of the lands they managed belong to individuals, while some of them registered under the customary land.

This assistance is part of the COVID-19 emergency response IDEP has been conducting to support the communities in Bali to adapt and recover amid the uncertainty of the pandemic. Until the end of August, IDEP intensively assisted them through short training, land assessment and recommendation, distribution of organic seeds and equipment, planting supervision, regular monitoring and evaluation.

IDEP expect that garden management provides a model that can be applied to support other communities and households to build food self-sufficiency. (Ed)