IDEP Foundation

IDEP and KUN+ Support Economic Recovery of Earthquake-Affected Residents in Cianjur through Family Gardens and Seed-saving

All the participants along with IDEP and KUN pose for a photo together

IDEP Selaras Alam Foundation (IDEP), in collaboration with KUN Humanity System (KUN+), organized a training on Family Gardens and Seed-saving for residents affected by the earthquake in Cianjur in November 2022.

As part of the post-disaster recovery program carried out by IDEP and KUN+, this training is expected to provide a platform for sharing knowledge and skills that residents can utilize to manage gardens in their own homes. Moreover, through the learning from this training, residents are expected to become self-reliant as they can produce their own seeds. With self-managed gardens and self-produced seeds, the residents aim to fulfill their healthy food needs, reduce expenses on purchasing food and seeds, and even generate additional income by selling surplus harvest from their gardens.

The training will take place from July 18 to July 20, 2023, in Dusun Tunagan, Wangunjaya Village, Cugenang District, Cianjur Regency, West Java.

Participating residents build a communal seed dryer

Both trainings are designed based on the concept of Permaculture, which emphasizes designing sustainable ecosystems. In line with this concept, the curriculum for the Family Garden Training focuses on environmentally friendly garden management methods and components, utilizing local potential and natural materials, and, of course, maximizing harvest yields. On the other hand, the curriculum for the Seed-saving Training focuses on the process of maintaining and nurturing high-quality seeds.

According to the Permaculture concept, the seed production process is integrated and mutually supportive with the family gardens. The gardens become a place where quality seeds grow, and these seeds, in turn, help the gardens produce the best harvest. This way, the residents can gradually regain economic independence after the earthquake’s impact.

Furthermore, the technical training will emphasize participatory learning through hands-on practice (learning by doing). Anesah (46), one of the residents of Tunagan who previously participated in the Family Garden training, shared her experience of the benefits she and her family have experienced. She said, “The knowledge gained from this training is very beneficial when applied to our garden. It has increased our income, and we no longer need to buy certain vegetables. For example, now we grow our own spinach that we can cook,” she said. Anesah hopes to share the knowledge gained from this training with other residents.

Participating residents practicing seed saving

In addition to the Family Garden and Seed-saving Training, this post-disaster recovery program also includes Earthquake-Safe House Technical Training held on May 25-27, 2023, for residents and local craftsmen. Furthermore, there was an Introduction to Permaculture Workshop conducted on May 24-28, 2023.

Hilman Mulyana (31), a participant in the Earthquake-Safe House Technical Training, shared his plans, “God willing, I will try the techniques learned in this training and share them with the community here. We will try and apply them together with the community.”

The series of training held throughout the program, which will end in December this year, aims to support the local residents with the necessary skills, knowledge, and experience for effective recovery processes. Focused on resilience, sustainability, and community empowerment, the collaboration between IDEP and KUN+ is expected to leave a lasting impact and enable Cianjur to rise stronger and more resilient than before.

Article & Photo: Hamzah © IDEP Foundation

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