FARMING PROPERLY ON REGENERATED DRY LAND

Living in a remote area does not mean we have to feel inferior. Even though we are far from the crowds and economic development moves slowly, we can still strive to do meaningful things for our families and the environment. I am one of the students at EBPP Darmaji School who feels proud and grateful. At school, besides studying academic subjects, we also receive very useful extracurricular lessons, one of which is organic farming on dry land.

In the school’s learning garden, my friends and I learn how to cultivate dry land using proper techniques, such as building terraces to prevent soil erosion, making organic compost, and planting various kinds of vegetables that I had never seen before. I then applied this knowledge to my family’s farm, something I had hoped to do for a long time. Using seeds provided by EBPP, I have successfully planted and harvested tomatoes, pakcoy, spinach, and kangkung (water spinach). Meanwhile, carrots, eggplants, and lettuce are still growing. I also planted various flowers to help prevent pests.

I feel very proud to see the pakcoy growing healthy and fresh. Almost every day, I harvest it to cook and enjoy with my family. I hope more people in Darmaji will adopt this regenerative permaculture new technic so that nutritional needs can be met and family incomes can increase sustainably.

By: Seriastiti, Grade 10, EBPP Darmaji School