VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A number of farmers in Southwest Sumba (SBD), East Nusa Tenggara Province -NTT produce their own organic fertilizers with the guidance from Yayasan Pengembangan Kemanusiaan (YPK) Donders.

The farmers in Goludapi, Weelonda Village, for example, make organic fertilizer from various leaves, banana stems, straw and dry corn stalks. The leaves and dried stalks are chopped. Then, these are mixed with wood powder, and compost in the form of Micro Local Organism fermentation (MOL) to be fertilizer. The types of plants such as rice, corn, cocoa, cashew and others are used. In collecting and chopping up the leaves and dry stems, the farmers are assisted by their sons after school or during school holidays. Children work and play. At the same time, they also learn how to make organic fertilizer.

Dewi Mandeta, an assistant from YPK Donders accompanied them to work on one of the organic fertilizer making processes that will be utilized by 26 farmers in the group. She also explained to Antara on Wednesday (13/6) that the Micro Local Organisms –MOL is mixed with one-ton substance of solid organic fertilizer that can later be utilized to fertilize plants about one-hectare land. This organic fertilizer mixture comprises leaves, fruits and stems. If this is used, it will decompose to fertilize the plants with respective parts, such as branches/trees, leaves and fruits. Micro Organism Local or MOL is a mixture of ripe papaya fruit, half-fermented rice, coconut water and brown sugar. All these materials can be obtained easily in the villages except brown sugar that must be bought at the price of Rp25 thousand per kilogram.

YPK Donders guides nearly a hundred farmer groups in four Sumba districts, including 36 groups in Southwest Sumba, in cooperation with several parties such as the Food and Agriculture Organization -FAO and Millennium Challenge Account-Indonesia -MCAI.