FIELD IndonesiaFARMERS’ INITIATIVES FOR ECOLOGICAL LIVELIHOODS AND DEMOCRACY

Seeking Better PasturesThe impact of out-migration on agriculture and farming

households in two villages in Indramayu, West Java,

Indonesia

FIELD IndonesiaFARMERS’ INITIATIVES FOR ECOLOGICAL LIVELIHOODS AND DEMOCRACY

Seeking Better PasturesThe impact of out-migration on agriculture and farming

households in two villages in Indramayu, West Java,

Indonesia

Citation

.

Seeking Better Pastures: The impact of out-migration on agriculture and

farming households in two villages in Indramayu, West Java, Indonesia.

2009. FIELD Indonesia. 24 pp.

This publication was carried out with support from PEDIGREA (Participatory

Enhancement of Diversity of Genetic Resources in Asia) and Biodiversity

Fund, The Netherlands (Hivos and OXFAM-NOVIB)

FIELD (Farmers' Initiatives for Ecological Livelihoods and Democracy)

Jalan Teluk Jakarta 1, Rawa Bambu Pasar Minggu, Jakarta 12520, Indonesia

Tel./Fax (62-21) 7803470; 33101515

Email: fieldind@indosat.net.id

www.pedigrea.org; www.field-indonesia.org; www.alivefp3.org;

www.theFieldAlliance.org

Production in-charge: Nugroho Wienarto, Triyanto Purnama Adi, and

Engkus Kuswara

Editors: Ines Vivian Domingo and Arma R. Bertuso

Cover and Layout Design: Triyanto Purnama Adi

Photographs: Triyanto Purnama Adi, Engkus Kuswara, Lardian Isfandri,

Rendra Kusuma Wijaya, Wiwik Sriyanti, Setyo Untoro

Copyright-free publication. Readers are encourage to quote, reproduce,

disseminate and translate materials for their own use. Due

acknowledgment, with full reference to the article's authors and source

book is requested.

Setyo Untoro, Lardian Isfandri, Endang Sutarya and Arma R. Bertuso

A catalogue record of this book is available from the Indonesian Library

ISBN 979-98088-8-2

ii

Acknowledgments

We are deeply grateful for the farmer trainers, farmer breeders and farmer

communities of the Farmer Field School on Participatory Plant Breeding in

rice and vegetables and FFS on Goat Improvement. Without their

determination and commitment these series of publications would not be a

reality.

Acknowledgment is also due to the support extended by the Local

Government of Indramayu, West Java. Highly recognizable too is the

appreciation and support of the Indonesian IPM Farmer Associations, village

level governments and communities of Indramayu to the implementation of

PEDIGREA.

We are also grateful to FIELD's Advisory Board for their support and

guidance in the implementation of the program.

Our heartfelt gratitude to Ms. Ines Vivian Domingo for her perseverance in

editing these papers despite the short notice and making this readable to a

broader audience.

We also express our appreciation to the support and encouragement given

by PEDIGREA (Participatory Enhancement of Diversity of Genetic Resources

in Asia) Coordinators, Ms. Elenita C. Dano and Ms. Arma R. Bertuso, also to

the project partners, SRER Khmer in Cambodia, PPRDI in Philippines and

Center of Genetic Resources of the Netherlands.

We gratefully acknowledge Biodiversity Fund of the Netherlands (HIVOS and

OXFAM-NOVIB), Center of Genetic Resources of the Netherlands, and Food

and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for without their

support both financial and technical to FIELD these series of publications

including Seeking Better Pastures: The impact of out-migration on

agriculture and farming households in two villages in Indramayu, West

Java, Indonesia won't be made possible.

FIELD Management Staff

25 March 2009

Pasar Minggu, Jakarta

iii

iv

1

1 Project Coordinator, FIELD Indonesia

2, 3 Field staff, FIELD Indonesia

4 Co-coordinator, PEDIGREA Foundation

Migration is a global issue that extends to every corner of the world. The economic

trends- brought about by trade liberalization and globalization have contributed in

pushing and pulling people to migrate to cities and abroad in search of better

livelihoods. This increasing trend affects agriculture and farming households in rural

communities.

Migration is broadly defined as the movement of people across a specified boundary

for the purpose of establishing a new or semi-permanent residence, and is broadly

categorized as international (migration between countries) and internal (migration

within a country) (Population Handbook, 2004).

Migration has been an important livelihood strategy among the poor, whether they

are from the rural or urban areas (De Haan and Rogaly, 2002). Ellis (1988) shares a

similar view that migration is one of the most important methods of diversifying

rural livelihoods. However, the impact of migration on agriculture is also dependent

on the context, such as the seasonality of movement, educational levels of

migrants, the length of time spent away, assets and social structures and institutions

(De Haan, 2000). Migration cuts across all groupings. Both men and women, the

young and the older ones, and those with high or low educational attainments

migrate.

Globally, the data suggest that millions of people are migrating in one way or the

other. This situation is not different in Indonesia, where a significant number of the

population migrate to cities and abroad to find better employment. Many of them

work as domestic helpers and factory workers in the Middle East, Korea and Taiwan.

The impact of out-migration on agriculture andfarming households in two villages in Indramayu,West Java, Indonesia

Seeking Better Pastures

1 2 3 4By Setyo Untoro , Lardian Isfandri , Endang Sutarya and Arma R. Bertuso

2

There is also internal migration occurring, mostly from rural to urban. Jakarta, the

country's capital, is a favorite place for job seekers, including some of the other big

cities.

This phenomenon is also prevalent in the project site of PEDIGREA in the Indramayu

district located on north coast of West Java. Indramayu is one of the biggest rice

bowl districts in the country and is about 4 hours drive from Jakarta. The area is

part of the main target for Green Revolution program in the 1970s. As part of the

program, the government and some seed companies vigorously promoted the use of

hybrid rice seeds although the program is not quite successful due to less than ideal

yields, pest and disease problems and expensive inputs. Due to economic pressures,

many people including the women either work in off-farm activities, migrate to the

cities, or seek employment overseas to provide additional income to support their

families.

Given this situation, the PEDIGREA team decided to gain a better understanding of

the issues of migration and its possible implications in agriculture and the farming

households. Specifically, the objectives of the research are as follows:

1. To generate information on migration, and its relation to agriculture and

women in the communities of Indramayu; and

2. To examine the implications of migration on agriculture (with emphasis on

PPB), such as the contribution of remittances in farming livelihood; changes

in labor availability in farms; effects on agricultural productivity; changes in

leisure time of those left behind; and social effects on the family and

community.

The research was conducted in the two villages of Jengkok and Sliyeg Lor in

Indramayu in March 2008 using three methods such as secondary data reviews, case

stories, and workshop. The tools used were key informant interviews and focus

group discussions (FGDs). Secondary data review was also done. Fifteen (15) men

and women farmers who have experienced migrating for work were selected to join

the workshop (10 of which have experience going overseas). Four key informants (2

women and 2 men) were interviewed for the case stories. Information gathered

included migration types and destinations, patterns of migration, who migrates and

reasons for migration, experiences, income, benefits and consequences of

migration, and implications of migration to farming and to families left behind.

The workshop was facilitated by FIELD staff with assistance from the PEDIGREA co-

coordinator.

3

Map of Indramayu

Limitation of the study: The study was concentrated mainly in the villages of

Jengkok and Sliyeg Lor where international migrants predominate. Thus, a follow up

study is suggested to look at the seasonal migrants in the communities of Kroya and

Longkok where this type of migration occurs to be able to get information on effects

of seasonal migrants to the farming livelihoods.

About Indramayu and its farming characteristics

Indramayu is a coastal province in the Java Island which is located about 200 km

east of Jakarta. It is considered as Java's rice bowl. It has a distinct wet and dry

season, and within a distance of a few hours' drive from major urban consumer

Project Site in Indonesia

IndramayuDistrict

West JavaProvince

Jakarta

Sliyeg LorVillage

JengkokVillage

4

markets with population of a few millions. All production in Indramayu is based on

irrigation and the rice grown include modern varieties originating from the

International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Indonesian National Agricultural

Research Station (NARS, Sukamandi Rice Research Institute) as well as farmers'

varieties. Normally, two crops per year are grown. The rice produced, aside from

being used for home consumption, is often sold in the local markets although some

of it is also marketed in nearby cities.

Indramayu is also a major vegetable growing region. Local farmers recognize over

100 vegetable species that are either grown or collected in the area. Farmers raise

some 10-20 kinds of vegetables, mostly for the local market and for Jakarta mainly

through middlemen. Chicken is the most common farm animal raised by the farmers.

Women in Indramayu play an important role in farming alongside the men. They

contribute labor to most of the rice farming activities as shown in the table below.

Table 1. Women's and men's rice farming activities

Who are the migrants? What is the extent of migration?

Both women and men in Indramayu migrate at a certain time of their life. The

common age for migrating is between 15 to 45 years old which is a person's most

productive years. Among the respondents, the average age for migration for the men

is 19 years and for women, 23 years old. The average migrating age of married and

unmarried people are 22 and 20 years old, respectively. When migrants reach their

late 40s, most of them retire and stay at home.

Farming activities

Land preparation

Seedling preparation

Transplanting

Weeding

Spraying

Fertilizer application

Irrigation

Harvesting

Threshing

Drying of harvest

Women

-

-

Yes

Yes

-

Yes

-

Yes

Yes

Yes

Men

Yes

Yes

-

-

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

5

Between men and women, majority of those who migrate internationally are the

women as reflected in the table below:

Table 2. Estimated number and percentage of migrants by sex

in Jengkok and Sliyeg Lor

The table above shows the contrast in the percentages of migrant workers among

the men and women, especially in Sliyeg Lor where 90% of them are women. The

respondents said that women can easily get employment in the formal sector

compared to the men, so there are much more women who leave the village to work

elsewhere, especially abroad. Male migrants mostly go to cities, especially when

they are younger and single. Most of them return home when they get married.

From the interviews, most of the migrants are elementary and high school

graduates. None among the respondents finished college. They said that college

graduates had better employment opportunities in Indonesia so mostly they do not

migrate.

Why do migrants migrate?

The workshop participants enumerated several reasons for why people migrate. Such

reasons can be categorized into two, economic and social with the first one being

the main reason for migrating. Increasing income for household expenses and

education of the children is the most common reply of the interviewees. It was

surprising to note that funds for agriculture-related expenses is not a common

reason for migrating. On the other hand, it was also noted that marital causes

(getting divorced or being left by a spouse) is one reason for seeking work outside

the community. A person who is left by a spouse has a bigger responsibility to take

care of the family and with limited or no job opportunities in the village, they are

forced to leave for the cities or abroad.

Community

Sliyeg Lor

Jengkok

Total adult population

3,000

4,000

Number of migrants

900-1,000 for both men and women

1,600 for both men and women

Percentage of migrants by sex

90% women

10% men

65% women

35% men

6

Table 3. Main reasons for migrating

Where do migrant workers go? What kinds of work do they do?

Table 4 shows the destinations of migrant workers. Abroad, the most common places

for migrants are the Middle East and Asia. Middle East is a favorite destination for

those working in the domestic services, mostly as house help. In Asia, particularly

Korea, most of them work in factories (for men); many of those who go to Taiwan

and Malaysia also work in factories (both women and men).

Table 4. Destination of migrant workers in Indramayu

Type of migration

International migration and Internal migration (city)

Internal migration (seasonal)

Economic

? Increase income for household expenses

? Support for children's education

? Higher salary

? Difficult to look for job

? No job opportunity in the village

Social

? Frustration in marriage (husband left for another woman)

? Encourage from other migrants neighbors

? Looking for work experience

Type

International

Internal (rural-urban)

Women

Middle East:- Kuwait- Abu Dhabi- Saudi Arabia

Asia:- Korea- Taiwan- Malaysia

Java Province- Jakarta- Riau Province- Batam

Men

Middle East:- Kuwait- Abu Dhabi- Saudi Arabia

Asia:- Korea- Taiwan- Malaysia- Brunei

Europe:- Spain

Java Province:- Jakarta- Pulau Seribu- Cirebon- Bandung

Place of destination

7

On the other hand, internal migrants work mostly in the informal sector. Most of the

women are engaged in domestic work as house help and baby sitters. It is also

common for women to migrate seasonally for farm work, such as transplanter in rice

fields. The men usually get jobs as construction workers, street vendors and drivers.

The work commonly done by the migrants are shown in Table 5 below,

Table 5. Type of work of the migrants

* tricycle for 2 people, either motorized or pedal-powered depending on the place.

Most international migrants work for a specific time as they are based on two-year

contracts. Similarly, migrants to cities who work as factory workers are also bound

by 2-year contracts. However, those in the informal sector have no specific time.

Table 6 shows the average income earned by migrant workers. Typically, men get or

have access to jobs that pay higher than the women do, but still majority of the

migrants are women. From the discussions, women indicated that the lesser pay

that they usually get is not a hindrance for them to migrate. They do not mind even

if they have smaller income. The money they receive, regardless of the amount, is

already a big help to them and their families back home.

Type of Migration

International migration

Internal migration (city)

Internal migration (rural)

Internal migration (seasonal)

Female

House helper

Factory worker

Factory worker

Transplanter in rice paddy

Male

Family driver

Gardener

Factory worker

Street vendor

Construction

Driver (taxi, bajai/becak*)

Street vendor

Construction worker

Driver (taxi, bajai)

Type of work

8

Table 6. Average income from different types of jobs

How do migrants use their remittances?

As shown in Table 7 below, incomes earned by the migrants are usually spent for st nd

building houses (1 ) and purchasing vehicles (2 ). It is noted that the use of the

remittances for agricultural expenses, such as purchase of land and support for th th

farming production, is on the 5 and 6 priorities.

Table 7. Use of income from migrant employment

Boxes 1and 2 relate the stories of migrant workers who helped in buying farm land

for their families. However, agriculture-related investments rank low in the priority,

as illustrated in Box 3.

Types of jobs

International:

- House helper

- Factory worker

- Family driver

- Gardener

Internal (rural-urban):

- Factory worker

- Domestic work

- Street vendor

- Construction worker

- Driver

- Gardener

Women

IDR 1M-2M/month

IDR 5M-8M/month

-

-

IDR 400K-700K/month

IDR 200-400K/month

-

-

-

-

Men

IDR 5M-8M/month

IDR 2M-3M/month

IDR 2M-3M/month

-

-

No data available

IDR 25K-50K/day

IDR50K-70K/day

IDR 20-50K/day

Rank

1

2

3

4

5

6

Use of income

Build (or renovate) house

Purchase of vehicle (car, motorcycle)

Household expenses

Education of children

Purchase of agricultural land

Support for farm production (buy inputs)

9

Box 1 A migrant worker to the Middle East who helped her family (husband) purchase a farm land:

Ms. Dania is a migrant worker to the Middle East. She worked in Kuwait from

1993 to 1996, then in Abu Dhabi from 2004 to 2007. She is 39 years old and

separated from her husband. She had two sons. She finished secondary school.

During the processing of her papers, Dania had to stay for a month with the

travel agency in Jakarta while waiting for employment; this is a common

problem among migrant workers. In Abu Dhabi, she worked for a big family with

12 sons, so she worked for extended hours.

She worked 20 hours a day with no days-off and no holidays. She received a

monthly salary of 135 US dollars. Her reason for going abroad is to help her

husband earn an income. However while she was away, her husband took off

with another woman, taking with him Dania's earnings.

Her husband also left behind their sons, and they were taken in by Dania's

mother. Then another setback happened while she was abroad; one of her sons

died due to sickness in 2004. Her family kept it a secret from her for three

years, and only got to know about it when she arrived home in 2007.

Dania sent money back home, and the remittances were used for education of

the sons, support for her parents (household expenses), build a house, and buy

an agricultural land for the husband (before they got separated).

Box 2 A migrant worker in Taiwan able to purchase a land:

Warya is 32 years old from the village of Jengkok. He finished elementary

school. From 1997 until 1999, he worked as a migrant worker in Taiwan. He was

directly hired by the owner of the company. During the interview, he was asked

about his skills in handling machines, and his language comprehension did not

matter with his employer.

Warya was hired to work in a motorcycle shop that sells spare parts. His primary

reason for wanting to work abroad was to improve the finances of his family. He

specifically planned to use his income for capital when he would come back

home. He worked 8 hours a day, starting at 7:00 am and finishing up by 4:00

pm. However, if the company needed him to work overtime, he must do it or

else he would be sent home. He got one-day off weekly and a longer leave, for

a week, during the Chinese New Year.

He was paid 800 US dollars/month (equivalent to IDR 8.000.000). After his two-

year contract, he came home. The money he earned was used to buy a piece of

land (4 hectares).

10

Ms. Suswati from Sliyeg Lor village, Indramayu, is 39 years old and a divorcee.

She worked as a house helper in the Middle East. Prior to her migration, she

owned a warung (a small shop) in the village where her husband was the village

head. For addititional income, she also worked as a hired laborer in the

community during rice harvesting.

She went to Saudi Arabia the first time from 1997-1998, and the second time

from 1999-2001. This was followed by her employment in Abu Dhabi from 2003-

2004 and a second time from 2006-2007. Her salary is 250 US dollars a month.

The processing of her employment costs 200US dollars in 1997; the second time,

she paid triple that amount, at 600US dollars. However, the fourth time was

free as her employer paid for it.

The reason for her working in another country is to support her children as she

is a single parent. She got separated from her husband because of another

woman before she migrated. She had two sons, who were taken care of by her

mother when she had to go abroad. During her third employment (her first time

in Abu Dhabi), she had to come home because one of her sons died.

She sent money regularly for the education of her children, and to support her

parents. Most of the remittances were used for household expenses, and none

of it for agriculture as was the case with other families who invest in buying

farm land. During her last employment abroad, part of the remittance was used

to pay for the processing of his son's application to work in Korea.

Ms. Suswati feels that she was lucky because the family she worked for was kind

and she got along well with them. The family was also generous to her, because

they gave her clothes, bonuses, and presents. She worked from 5 am-1 pm, and

then resumed at 3pm-11pm. She had no days-off, but got a 1-day holiday during

the New Year. She also speaks Arabic which was an advantage in her work.

At present, she is helping three women relatives from her community to go to

Abu Dhabi to work as house helpers. This is mainly because the family whom

she worked for asked her to look for other Indonesians that they can trust to

work in their home. She feels and thinks there was no problem in her

employment abroad.

Box 3 A woman who worked in the Middle East with no contribution to agriculture:

11

What are the issues and problems in migration?

When asked about the problems that they experienced in the different stages of

migrating, the responses are shown in Table 7 below.

Table 7: Problems associated with different stages of international migration

Before migrating, the respondents said that processing-related matters are the most

common problems. Once they arrive in their country of destination, the most

common problem is the workers' difficulty with the foreign language, compounded

with their limited facility with English. Long working hours and strict employers are

also a common problem as illustrated in Box 4. But despite this, the respondents

said that they do not mind these hardships because the money they earn is needed

by their families back home. When they come home, the most common problem is

reconnecting with their families, especially the children.

Stages

Before

During

After

Problems in migrating

? Processing time takes too long

? High processing fee of agencies

? Difficulty in completing the documents

? Faking of documents

? Difficulty with foreign language

? Too long working hours (6am to 12 midnight)

? Deductions in the salary by the employer to cover the transportation expenses of the migrant

? Female migrants not allowed to go out of the house so they cannot make the money transfer in person

? When they get sick, the hospitalization expenses and medicine costs have to be paid for by the migrant

? Limited food rations (not enough) are provided by the employer

? Agency does not honor the contract; the female migrants are brought to work in the sex trade and not as house helper

? Migrants upon arrival in the country are still asked to pay some money for administration fees which are not clear to them and can be considered as illegal charges

? Difficulty in renewing relations with their children (the children do not know them) upon coming back to Indonesia

12

Box 4 A migrant to Saudi Arabia who had to work long hours with a strict employer:

Ms. Kunaenah from Jengkok village is 32 years old. The reason she went abroad

was that her husband left her and their children, so she needed to be able to

support her children. She spent around 800 USdollars for processing her

documents. She worked in Saudi Arabia for 2 years as a family servant.

The family had 2 naughty children. Her day would start at 5 in the morning to

prepare food for the family. Then at 7 am, the couple (husband and wife) would

go to work and Kunaenah cleans up the house. At 11 am, she prepares food for

the family. When they sleep, she can also take a rest.

For 2 years of her employment, the family did not allow her to go out of the

house. Everything she needed was provided for by her employer. Her salary was

180 US dollars/month (equivalent to IDR 1.800.000/month). With her savings

from this small amount, she was able to build a house and support the

education of her children.

Implications of migration

Migration has both positive and negative consequences. As mentioned earlier,

economic gains is the main push for migrants to seek employment elsewhere. They

use their income for investments like construction of a house, purchase of vehicles

and land.

In terms of social gains, the workshop participants said they can also learn the

language and,culture of their host countries (including culinary and other skills

required for their job), and the possibility of pilgrimage to Mecca for those who

work in the Middle East. The opportunity to visit Mecca is a big deal for Indonesians

as most of them are Muslims.

However, there are also negative implications of their leaving their families behind

which they have to seriously consider. When a family member leaves for work

elsewhere (especially overseas), there are accompanying consequences. What will

happen to those they leave behind (children, grand parents, husband/wife)? The

responses include the following:

? Husbands have to take over some housework, and they may feel “less

manly”.

? Husbands feel let alone because there is no one to take care of them.

13

? Children became spoiled with money.

? Grandparents have to take care of grandchildren left by their mothers.

In some worse cases, when the wife leaves, the marriage suffers and the husband

gets another woman so there is an increase in divorce rate among migrants.

Conversely, it (divorce or separation from the spouse) is also the cause of migration.

This case is observed in the village of Sliyeg Lor.

Farmer family in Jengkok Village

14

Another implication that was observed is the change of habits and norms of the

migrants when they come back from overseas employment. Because a lot of them

have experienced having disposable money while working abroad and can buy

anything they wanted, they usually bring back with them this new spending habit.

They tend to be consumeristic, thus taking on a lifestyle different from what they

had before. Some of them have not cultivated the habit of saving, which is another

reason why they need again and again to migrate for work. Another view is that

migrant workers generally have low educational attainments, thus most of them

rarely think and plan about the future.

The respondents stated that migration has implications on agriculture particularly in

the availability of labor for farming. Family labor is lessened so there is an increase

in the production costs when farmers resort to hired labor. When migrants leave

their village, especially the women, there is less labor particularly for transplanting.

In wetland paddy production, transplanting work involves prior uprooting of

seedlings from the seed beds. Handling seedlings is a delicate task because they are

fragile, so it is usually the women who perform this task.

15

Another big implication on agriculture is that some migrants have to sell their (farm)

lands to pay for the processing fees for migrating. Also, when migrants return home,

some of them are less inclined to go back to farming. Thus, it is important for a

migrant to weigh these positive and negative consequences.

Where do we go from here?

Involving migrants in the PPB work in Sliyeg and Jengkok villages

If poverty in rural communities continues, migration will also continue. Despite its

possible negative consequences, migrating is seen as an alternative, and perhaps

even a more attractive source of livelihood for millions of people, similar to the

case of Jengkok and Sliyeg Lor in the “rice bowl” district of Indramayu. In order to

curb this phenomenon, more employment opportunities must be established in rural

communities. Farming and farm-related enterprises must remain attractive for

people so that rural villages will continue to improve and create jobs that will stop

or at least lessen migration to cities and abroad.

16

To encourage the participation of women, particularly former migrant workers,

some activities were implemented in Sliyeg Lor. A women's group composed of 30

people are actively involved in different activities related to participatory plant

breeding. These activities include a community seed bank for rice and vegetables.

Aside from the community seed bank, the women are also busy with capacity

building. They meet once a month to discuss various topics from technical to social

issues such as sustainable agriculture, cooperation, and others.

The PEDIGREA project in Indramayu will continue its efforts in PPB, PAI and

participatory marketing that will involve men and women, migrant or otherwise, in

its activities. The women's group that had been established will continue in its work

in community seed banking as the women's counterpart in helping their husbands

and families to improve life in their rural villages. Organizing them in a group for

specific agriculture-related activities might revive and sustain their interest in

farming. And in the end, they will not have to migrate for jobs because the green

pastures are right at home.

Woman group in Sliyeg Lor Village

17

References:

De Haan, Arjan. 2000. “Livelihoods and Poverty: The Role of Migration A Critical

Review of Migration Literature”. Journal of Development Studies. 36(2).

De Haan, Arjan and Ben Rogaly. 2002. 'Introduction: Migrant Workers and Their Role

in Rural Change'. Journal of Development Studies. 38(5): 1-14.

Ellis, Frank. 1998. 'Household Strategies and Rural Livelihood Diversification'.

Journal of Development Studies. 35(1): 1-38.

FIELD

FIELD Indonesia Foundation (Farmer Initiatives for

Ecological Livelihoods and Democracy) is an organization

that supports people in marginal communities through

education for empowerment. FIELD Indonesia was

established on 1 June 2001. FIELD key staffs are former

members of the FAO Regional Program on Community IPM

in Asia (www.CommunityIPM.org) in 1998-2002 and were

part of the team that provided technical assistance over

12 years to the National IPM (Integrated Pest Management) Program, local

farmer organizations and the Indonesian IPM Farmers Associations. FIELD

activities make use of a variety learning approaches including the Farmer

Field Schools & Studies, Community Action Research, Sustainable

Livelihoods Framework, and Farmer Advocacy.

FIELD's vision is that marginal communities in Indonesia re-claim and re-

manage their public domains and improve their livelihoods. And its missions

are to facilitate marginal communities to be able to:

? Analyze and understand the conditions of the ecosystems that form

the basis of their livelihoods in technical, social and political

aspects.

? Organize themselves to conduct actions to enhance their

livelihoods in a manner that is both ecologically sound (just and in

harmony with the nature) and democratic (just and in harmony

with other people).

Specifically, FIELD as a partner of PEDIGREA is doing the conservation and

utilization of genetic resources by farmers on rice, local vegetables (sponge

gourd, bitter gourd and pumpkin) and animal (goat), participatory market

development, and policy advocacy within the framework of Farmers' Rights

and Ecological Agriculture in Indramayu District, West Java Province.

Currently, FIELD is also working in other programs, such as Sustaining Local

Food Systems and Agro-biodiversity, Community Action Research for

Advocacy Education and Local Policy Reform, Environment Services Program

Field Schools, Community Biodiversity and Livelihoods Field Schools, Home

garden Vegetable and Nutrition Field Schools as a part of Household Food

Security Program, Ecological Agriculture and Organic Farming, Ecological

IPM in vegetables, and System of Rice Intensification (SRI).

18

PEDIGREA

The Participatory Enhancement of Diversity of

Genetic Resources in Asia (PEDIGREA) is a project

that aims to strengthen the capability of farming

communities to manage their genetic resources as

part of local agro-biodiversity. The project

focuses on:

? participatory plant breeding aimed at the broadening of the

genetic base of rice in intensive production systems,

? participatory crop improvement of local and traditional vegetables

(i.e. pumpkin, sponge gourd, wax gourd, bitter gourd, eggplant,

string beans),

? participatory animal improvement aimed at enhancing the genetic

base of farm animals (i.e. pig and goat), and

? participatory market development aimed at creating and improving

market opportunities for local and regional farm products.

The purpose of PEDIGREA is to contribute to food sovereignty and to

strengthen farmers' genetic diversity and knowledge systems in the rice

based farming systems of Southeast Asia. It works on participatory

methodologies developed in the Farmer Field School (FFS) approach with

the partner farming communities. At the same time, the project build on

the comparative advantages of all key actors in the management of

genetic resources including those from the public sector.

PEDIGREA project is implemented in three countries, namely: Cambodia,

Indonesia and the Philippines.

PEDIGREA project partners are SRER KHMER in Cambodia, FIELD in

Indonesia and PPRDI in the Philippines, and the CGN, the Netherlands. The

project is coordinated by the PEDIGREA Foundation.

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SeekingBetter Pastures

The impact of out-migration on agriculture and farming

households in two villages in Indramayu, West Java,

Indonesia

ISBN 979-98088-8-2