CWS News

CWS Indonesia participated in the Permaculture and Sustainable Agriculture training in Bali, June 7 - 12, 2010, facilitated by IDEP foundation, a national NGO addressing the urgent needs for sustainable food production and resource management as well as promoting environmental education for sustainable living.

participants receive education on planting technique
(M. rizal kaniu)

Permaculture or sustainable agriculture is a holistic approach in administering agriculture and animal husbandry. Its core ethic is to care for the community, the world and the future, and its basic principal is to work with nature and local culture to achieve environmental and nature conservation.

The Permaculture and Sustainable Agriculture training aimed to provide participants with knowledge on the ethic and principals of permaculture, to increase communities' sustainable lifestyles, and to identify strategic opportunities to apply it in the community. Participants are expected to be able to exercise permaculture design and planning, composting, seed saving, soil rehabilitation, acquired knowledge on integrated pest management as well as basic waste management.

Methods used in the six-day training were discussion, presentation, viewing a permaculture-related documentary film, and direct practice which followed every material presentation. The materials delivered were basic introduction to permaculture and agriculture, introduction to nature patterns and permaculture design, organic farming system, soil contour, water filter, wash water treatment and wash water garden, household waste management, soil management and rehabilitation system, introduction to rice planting method using SRI (System Rice Intensification), introduction to type and ingredients to compost making, and technology in integrated pest eradication.

Sodotonafo Waruwu, one CWS Indonesia participant from Nias, North Sumatra, was impressed with the training, "I gained so much knowledge and experience, and there are so many new things I received from the training, for example organic farming and fertilization, land or soil contour, waste management etc. But the most interesting subject for me was the rice planting with SRI method. I have been waiting to study more about the SRI method where with little usage of seeds and efficient time can result in abundant yield," he explained.

"I believe that when permaculture is applied in the community, there will be many positive outcomes in the community, especially increased knowledge on sustainable agriculture, an increase of the community's income and the community will be able to maximize the use of vacant land on horticultural farming. This will increase the nutritional status especially of children, not to mention the benefit for land and nature conservation," explained Waruwu

M. Rizal Kaniu, CWS staff from Poso, Central Sulawesi was also impressed with the training, "The training increased our knowledge in creating sustainable agriculture to keep nature safe. It is a holistic approach in improving the quality of human life that is eco-friendly and can be applied in not only the sector of agriculture and husbandry but also in water supply, housing, health, garbage management, energy, aquaculture, river and forest conservation, etc. Under the livelihood sustainability sector, the permaculture approach is an important alternative in producing healthy organic food, energy and healthy environment as well as a developing sustainable economy," he stated.

Blasius Halek, CWS Indonesia staff from So'e, Timor Tengah Selatan Office, expressed that a permaculture approach is a suitable approach for CWS' Livelihood program, "Conventional farming uses chemical pesticides and fertilizer, which is very damaging to the environment and people's health. But the permaculture approach recovers the damage that has been done through integrated agriculture activities. CWS has implemented some organic farming techniques such as organic fertilizer and pesticide and soil and water conservation. This training will strengthen our efforts and increase our knowledge, as well as provide a strong motivation for the program activities in the field," he conveyed.

"I recommend that CWS adopts and applies the permaculture approach in CWS livelihood program, in the assisted communities from household scale to a larger scale in the community," continued Halek.[LR/VI/2010]