In July, syntropic farmers from various Orang Asli villages gathered at Kg. Guntung Minum Chempedak for a special event which aims to be the first of many. The Program Jaringan Akar was organised – like its name suggests – to create a network of farmers that will be able to share and exchange their knowledge and experiences just like how roots do the same with nutrients and water.
This network is crucial for the Orang Asli syntropic farmers because unlike organic farming, syntropic farming can be a bit more challenging and the additional support from fellow farmers will be instrumental to the community. Program Jaringan Akar has been Global Peace’s biggest gathering of syntropic farmers so far and we are proud that the event succeeded in what it set out to do.
“Besides being a training ground, we’ve launched this network that we are excited about because these farmers can now support each other and promote it to others.”
Dr. Teh, CEO of Global Peace Foundation Malaysia
Fostering relationships, lending support
The event started off with a welcoming speech from Dr. Teh, CEO of Global Peace Foundation Malaysia and Pak Borhan, the Tok Batin of Kg. Guntung Minum Chempedak, followed by a quick ice-breaking session for the villagers.
After warming up, they were taken for a walkaround through Pak Borhan’s farm plots which is doing really well thanks to his and his family’s efforts in maintaining it, with loads of harvests that have been collected recently. The other farmers asked questions and even took some seedlings for their farm plots at home.
Following this, Mr Hon Kai Peng, one of the event’s distinguished guests, gave a talk on the different ways Orang Asli can protect their land rights – which is currently a pressing topic for the Orang Asli communities we work with. This topic evoked and highlighted the connection between farming and land rights as well and how important it is to use farming as a tool to safeguard their land.
The event continued with an appreciation ceremony where we awarded the syntropic farmers for their hard work and dedication that they put into their farm plots. Pak Jelita from Kg. Jenit who is a true fighter of his ancestor’s land and a believer of syntropic farming urged the others to keep their efforts despite slow progress. Mamak Amat also reiterated the same sentiment.
“Just like our land issue, we fight for our land and our rights to stay in this village, we do not give up. Same goes for Syntropic Farming, we don’t give up, just do it, plant more vegetables and fruits for our future!”
Mamak Amat, Kg. Patah Pisau
“Although my farm still does not produce much like everyone else’s plot, but maybe in a year or so, I’ll have enough produce that I can eat, sell and even share with other villages.”
Kasa, Kg. Batu Putih
“Thank you to Global Peace for their guidance, training and coaching in Syntropic farming. I’ve learnt so much over the past few months. I’ve even learnt that lalang (weeds) are not our enemy, but rather our friend in syntropic farming!”
Nenek Alan, Kg. Jong
Listening to their testimonies of grit and hope, the other Orang Asli farmers instantly felt motivated and stated that they can’t wait to go back to work on their plots.
Taking care of life underground for better life overground
Towards the evening, Dr. Teh took the stage for a session on soil health. He emphasized the importance of microbes and insects in the soil and how they help to create pockets of air underground for better movement of water and nutrients – resulting in land fertility and prevention against diseases, pests, flood and drought. Apart from that, Dr. Teh also highlighted the benefits of mulching and protecting the soil from the sun in syntropic farming.
After his insightful session, the marketing team took over for a survey session with the farmers. They were asked about their challenges and concerns regarding their produce and most of them voiced out their negative experiences with previous buyers. They then mentioned that most of their harvest in the next six months to a year would be mostly bananas, pineapples, tapioca and lemongrass and that they would need to learn how to process these products so that they can last longer.
The first day ended with a merewang (community cooking) session and a hearty dinner which consisted of corn, spinach and pumpkin from Kg. Guntung Minum Chempedak’s syntropic farm itself.
Increasing harvests, maximizing connections
The program continued the next morning with a compost-making session by Pak Jabar and his wife, who are syntropic farmers from Kg. Jong. They demonstrated the process with the help of the villagers and farmers at Kg. Guntung Minum. The next session was led by Mia and Chung Siu from Global Peace who demonstrated the steps to making fish fertilizer to enhance the growth of plants and trees in the farm plots.
By the end of the program, the syntropic farmers were connecting with one another and were more motivated to go back and plant more, especially vegetables, after seeing the abundance of vegetables growing in Kg. Guntung Minum’s farm plot. The spirit of “lawan tetap lawan” and not giving up was definitely instilled in the souls of the Orang Asli – whether it’s to keep fighting for their land or to keep working on their farm plots – through this program.
“We’re in this together as a team and we think it is a critical effort to uplift the Orang Asli community. As we are approaching the one-year mark of the start of this project, we are excited with what’s coming in the future for them.”
Dr. Teh, CEO of Global Peace Foundation Malaysia
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