Location: Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan
Donor: GIZ

After conducting a series of permaculture training sessions for model farmers and local extension agents, and supporting the development of three learning centers since July 2024, this month the implementation of the GRASS program, initiated by GIZ, focuses on following up on the previous training by expanding the reach of permaculture knowledge. Starting in September 2024, we are assisting model farmers and local extension agents in organizing Agroforestry, Food Forest, Seed Saving, and Post-Harvest training for self-reliant farmers in nine target villages located in Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan.

The topics of regenerative agroforestry, food forest, and seed saving are presented under the permaculture framework, aimed at equipping farmers in Kapuas Hulu with the knowledge and experience to develop sustainable small-scale farming/gardening models based on permaculture, with a focus on family homesteads.

Additionally, through the Post-Harvest production topic, we seek to improve household economic welfare by utilizing the local potential of Kapuas Hulu, such as aras leaves, cassava, wild guava (bellucia axinanthera), key lime, and more, by adding value to these products, which can become alternative income sources for farming families.

All these efforts are carried out with a gender equality approach in mind. We hope that these initiatives will promote an ideal division of roles within families. This is reflected in the fact that the majority of the model farmers and local extension agents are women.