“I Saw What They Could Do, And I Joined Them!” – Building the Skills of Female-Led Farmer Groups in Indonesia

By Anna Snider

Earlier this year a group of researchers from IPB University in Bogor Indonesia and University of Illinois trained 51 extension workers on extension techniques to strengthen female-led farmer groups in Indonesia. Since that training, the extension workers have been visiting farmer groups in their areas to implement the new techniques. In early November I had the opportunity to visit six of the groups, meet the members, and see their progress. It was impressive to see the range of products the groups are producing and selling and their enthusiasm for their work!

In Bogor City we met a group named Bina Tani which produces a wide range of products made from nutmeg. In addition to the nutmeg we are all familiar with and mace, the similarly flavored spice from the outer covering of the nut, the group makes products from the fruit which surrounds the spices. Some of their products include nutmeg jam, candies, crackers and syrup. The group of 30 women aged 17-70 have increased their sales by 30% since the training they received about writing a business plan. They say their husbands have seen them developing their skills and support them by helping out around the house.

Other groups are growing vegetables hydroponically and in gardens, producing bottled drinks, chips, rice cakes, mushrooms. Groups sell their products to local shops and businesses, and some even sell on the internet. Marketing activities for the groups range from word of mouth to Tik Tok videos and testimonials. There are signs of empowerment in the women, as they increase their leadership skills and gain the power to make the decisions that affect their lives. The productivity of these groups is impressive, as one man told us, “I used to underestimate what a women’s group could do. Then I saw what they could do, and I joined them!”

There is still more work to be done. While extension workers have reached an impressive number of groups in a short time, the 60 groups (representing 1500 farmers, most of whom are female) reached is only a small fraction of the 58,542 farmer groups in West Java Province alone. Participants work 2-4 hours per day on group activities, but in most cases income from their work is still quite low.

ADMI is grateful that ADM Cares has seen the potential in this project and has funded a scale out of the training activity. In January, the research team will start compiling lessons learned from the pilot project and prepare an improved training program which aims to impact 2000 farmers.