Salman from Bireun, Aceh Province

Salman (36) is a young cocoa farmer from Bireun, Aceh Province. After graduated from University, he returned home to start cultivating cocoa. He is thanking all valuable skills learned from the trainings in 2010 during PEKA continued to SCPP, where he managed to triple the production from 500 to 1.500 kg/ha/ year.

In 2012, after participating in Farmer Field School (FFS), Salman regenerated unproductive trees by adopting the techniques of side-grafting using superior clones. The next year he stumbled across two cacao trees producing different colored pods, the new clones were named after the area of Kubang Itam (KI) near his village in Aceh province.

The KI01, produced bulbous red pods and big beans and the KI02 grew long, green pods with big beans. The farm size also improves from two to six hectares. Together with the other cocoa farmers, Salman founded Cocoa Cooperative (Kopbun) Bireun in 2015, to markets cocoa beans from local farmers and provides quality training to hundreds of farmers and students. “SCPP has brightened our future. I wish the cooperative soon to be able to directly exports the cocoa beans to other country from Aceh”, added Salman confidently.

 

Masrul & Haslinda from Luwu Timur, South Sulawesi Province

For the first time in 30 years, Pak Masrul (50), has improved the way he maintains his cocoa farm in East Luwu, South Sulawesi. In September 2019, he, and his wife, Ibu Haslinda, participated GALS (Gender Action Learning for Sustainability) workshop where they can visualize their dreams, create plan, and put them into practice. Their new set common goals not only have changed the way they are caring their 2-ha cocoa farm but also improve equality between women and men by sharing households’ tasks and roles. Haslinda reduced the expense for clothing and accessories and lending hand in pod sleeving in the farm and regular monthly saving IDR 500,000/ month.

They practiced polyculture to generate additional income they plant durian, pineapple, patchouli and raising goats.

“I can make planning and setting activities and gaining supports from my wife and child to achieve our dreams” said Masrul whos in spare time sharing his knowledge to forty farmers in the village.