D' Gama Geardus

Field accountant

Swisscontact Indonesia/ Yayasan Sahabat Cipta

January 2011 to Actually working here

SwissContact Indonesia Foundation is training cacao farmers in Aceh in best management agricultural practices, so they can earn more from their crops and reduce their unsustainable use of forest resources.
Cacao is an important cash crop for smallholder farmers in Aceh. The crop also has great promise for future earnings, as international demand is increasing and conditions in the area are favorable.
Yet despite the potential, these farmers are not making a good living from their cacao crops. Yields are low, the incidence of pests and diseases is high, product quality is poor, and their access to markets is weak. To supplement incomes, people clear forests for more land or for timber to sell?an unsustainable practice that is destroying valuable forests.
Therefore, IFACS contracted SwissContact Indonesia Foundation (SIF) to run training programs in Aceh to help cacao farmers learn about sustainable agriculture and so get the most from their existing crops.
The SIF training model, developed over many years of experience in Indonesia, is highly practical. The training uses Farmer Field Schools (demonstration plots) and learning centers, known as Village Cocoa Clinics. In their training, farmers learn about intercropping, forest conservation, sustainable farming practices, and techniques to boost productivity. They also learn how to improve the quality of their final product, through proper fermentation and drying. This enables them to fetch higher prices.
Also trained are extension workers, ?champion? farmers and field staff, in a Training of Trainers program that multiplies and prolongs the effects of the initial program.
Yet the project goes beyond technical training. It also encourages farmers to organize themselves into associations and facilitates collaboration with certification bodies, NGOs, government, and research institutes. In addition, SIF helps build links with all actors along the value chain, including local traders and exporters, to give farmers greater access to markets.
As cacao farmers apply and benefit from sustainable agriculture, while learning about the value of forest ecosystems for their farms, they will have less interest in using the forest, thus contributing to forest conservation.
Outcomes
? 10% increase in incomes for 800 smallholder cacao farmers in Aceh Selatan and Aceh Tenggara
? 25% increase in use of best management practices for cocoa production and marketing
? Improved value-added processing of cocoa, leading to new market opportunities

Diploma 3 in Tours and Travel Management

Currently studying

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