Cultivating the Land, Nurturing Love at Home
Apliana Dapa, a housewife who has four children. Apliana, affectionately known as Mama Arlin, contributes to the family’s economy by cultivating vegetables. Despite her husband working as a stonemason, Mama Arlin contributes by planting vegetables in the backyard of their home. She starts by growing various types of vegetables such as mustard greens and kale. The harvest from these vegetables is not only used for their family’s needs but also frequently sold to neighbors in the surrounding villages.
Through collaboration with the Agricultural Extension Office (BPP) of Wewewa Tengah District, Southwest Sumba province, Mama Arlin and the Women Farmer Group (KWT) Suka Maju were introduced to the Agricultural Livelihood through Integrated Approach (PERMATA) program implemented by the Yayasan Bina Tani Sejahtera (YBTS) and supported by the William & Lily Foundation (WLF). “For me, this is a new experience. Although I was born into a farming family, I still didn’t fully understand good planting techniques. For example, in the previous seedling process, many seeds failed to grow. However, with assistance from the PERMATA program and the field agricultural extension officer (PPL) support, 80 percent of the seeds managed to grow healthily, and we finally managed to harvest them," said Mama Arlin.
Mama Arlin also tried cultivating chili peppers, finding them to be very promising compared to her husband’s job as a stonemason. From the 5-acres of plot planted with chilies, she managed to make a profit of around Rp15,000,000. This success encourages Mama Arlin and KWT Suka Maju to continue planting in a larger area. "The income from this farming we use to meet household needs, pay children's school fees, and buy meat, fish, and eggs to fulfill family nutrition. By ensuring that our family's nutrition is met, we can carry out our daily activities well. I am happy because through this business of cultivating vegetables, we have successfully met the family's needs and contributed to maintaining the family’s financial stability,” she concludes.