Food security through organic farming in Indonesia

Dear friends,

We're thrilled to announce that the doors to our organic farm are wide open once again to agricultural students to do their internship program, and this time, we're breaking records with a total of 28 students joining us at the farm!

When students come to the farm to do their internship program, the aim has always been the exchange of knowledge and passion for organic farming. This time, 25 students come from local agricultural high schools and 3 students come from Indonesia’s prestigious agricultural university, Bogor Agricultural Institute (Institut Pertanian Bogor, IPB)

This number marks a significant milestone for our program. Over the years, we've had an average of around 30 students per year, making this the most extensive cohort we've ever had at one time.

Additionally, the internship program has always been about more than just farming. It's about nurturing the next generation of agricultural leaders who are passionate about organic farming, sustainable farming methods, environmental stewardship, and the future of food security. Each student brings their own unique perspectives, fresh ideas, and boundless enthusiasm, enriching our farm with their presence.

As they immerse themselves in the daily rhythms of our organic farm, these students will gain hands-on experience in every aspect of organic farming. From tilling the soil, to nurturing seedlings and crops, and to harvesting the produce that they have planted.

The personal development of each of the young farmers during the internship will extend far beyond the work in the farm. As they have come to stay in our facilities, they are also exposed to the responsibilities of living away from home—from ensuring the cleanliness of the facilities, cooking their own food, developing respectful friendships with one another, and eventually becoming valuable members of society.

So, as we welcome this record-breaking cohort of interns, we invite you all to join us in celebrating the growth of our organic farming community. Together, we're sowing the seeds of a greener, healthier, and more sustainable future. Stay tuned for updates and stories from our interns as they embark on this incredible journey of growth, learning, and organic farming.

NB: If you can, we would appreciate it if you could set up a monthly donation through GlobalGiving as this provides us with  a sustainable source of funds. New monthly donations (up to $200 per unique donor) will have their first donation matched at 100% after four (4) total payments.

Dear friends,

Nearly halfway into 2023, the community where the farm is located in Cipanas have made significant recovery from the earthquake that happened last November and the farm continues to receive enthusiastic agricultural students from nearby schools. Our farmers are eager to nurture and develop them to become confident and competent young farmers who have the advantage to go into the world and seek employment for themselves.

One of the missions of the farm is to ensure local farmers have stable income. However, sometimes someone comes along and surprises all of us at the farm. 

Meet A, a local farmer who has significantly grown as a farmer since he joined in 2018. Initially, A joined as a daily farm worker whose job was to cultivate the land, which includes hoeing and leveling the land. Not long since he joined, we quickly discovered how hardworking and open to learning he is.

Fast forward to today, A is now an expert in planting and harvesting vegetables. His knowledge increased significantly throughout the 5 years he has been working at the farm that he is able to contribute in teaching whenever there are workshops at the farm. That means, now, A not only has a stable income but also the skills which has enabled him to become a full-fledged farmer!

We’re eternally grateful for your generous contributions which keep the farm running and continue to support the community! 

NB: If you can, we would appreciate it if you could set up a monthly donation through GlobalGiving as this provides us with  a sustainable source of funds. New monthly donations (up to $200 per unique donor) will have their first donation matched at 100% after four (4) total payments.

Dear friends,

Some of you might have heard the news that last November, an earthquake hit our working area of Cipanas, West Java. Many people suffered huge losses and many have lost their homes. Based on data from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), there are more than 62,000 people in shelters due to the earthquake that occurred.

Though the farm was not badly hit, some of our farmers’ homes were damaged. Since then, humanitarian assistance has been urgently needed, from emergency tents, supplies for babies and children, medicine, clothes, food, to trauma healing.

From the onset of the disaster, the farm and all our staff have been doing our best to provide assistance, one of which is by distributing donations in the form of organic vegetables, rice and groceries, with priority to those who are most vulnerable like pregnant women, the elderly, the homeless, orphans, widows and daily informal workers.

Up till today, our farmers are still hard at work to ensure the farm is operating normally while also distributing donations to the people affected by the earthquake.

Thank you for your generous support to the farm! 

NB: If you can, we would appreciate it if you could set up a monthly donation through GlobalGiving as this provides us with a sustainable source of funds. New monthly donations (up to $200 per unique donor) will have their first donation matched at 100% after four (4) total payments.

Based on data from the Central Bureau of National Statistics, Indonesia is in a state of emergency for the farming profession. Of the total 32 million farmers, only 15% of farmers are young people aged 18 to 33 years old. Most of the farmers, more specifically 62%, are aged 45-65 years and over. This condition is an irony for Indonesia which has huge agricultural potential. That is why our organic farm is committed to being the center of community development and developing the potential of young farmers.

Thanks to your support, our farm continues to be the home for many aspiring young farmers to learn all about organic farming. 

At the farm, we continue to receive students who are doing their on-the-ground training, mostly young adults who are in agricultural high school or university students majoring in agriculture. On average, we can receive up to 20 students every month who stay at the farm for several weeks. Recently, a few university students majoring in agriculture just finished their time with us. One of them, Tika, was generous enough to share her story.

“I loved my Internship here at YUM Organic Farm. I gained valuable knowledge and experience that I didn't get from lectures (I mostly learn theory at my university) such as utilizing vegetable waste into compost, pest management using a combination of plants with a strong odor, as well as practicing good and effective organic vegetable cultivation practices.

I'm grateful to be here, where I feel welcome in an environment that supports me to grow. I hope YUM Organic Farm will continue to provide space for students to study here in the future so that more young farmers like myself can get the essential knowledge and experience in sustainable organic farming practices!”

Although we spend a great deal of effort to maximize selling organic vegetables to our customers in Jakarta, the profits are far from being sustainable. Every donation you make ensures the running of the farm and supports us to continue to provide a learning space for many more students to come.

In other news: YUM’s 2021 Annual Report has been published! Find out more about all our activities by going to YUM 2021 Annual Report

Hi friends of the farm,

As you read on our title, we are officially certified organic! Since we started, we’ve been using only organic farming methods at our farm. From growing our vegetables to making our own compost, we make sure that we don’t use any pesticides and even make sure the materials we put in our compost are all organic as well. Thanks to your donations, we were finally able to start the process last December. After preparing all our documents and submitting all the requirements, an auditor came to our farm and stayed for a 4-day assessment. We’re so proud to finally have this recognition, and we’re now more confident in marketing our products to a larger market. Hopefully this will enable the farm to slowly increase our income.

Another wonderful news on our farm is that, due to a decrease in covid cases, we are now able to open for visitors. Our first visitors were students and teachers from the Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS). Around 30 high school students spent a few hours with us learning about sustainable agriculture, straight from our farmers. They also spent the day doing various projects around YUM’s community center, such as painting the playground and preparing food packages for the elderly. We believe that part of our work as a nonprofit organization is to reach out to the future generation to show them the impact that they can make by helping those in need as well as the environment.

We take this opportunity to thank you for helping the farm continue its work - we’ve come a long way since the beginning of this fundraiser. However, we still have another $20,000 to go in order to really make some big changes on our farm. Please still keep us in mind when you’re in conversation with your family and friends - every donation counts.