The Persada farmer group in Kabali Dana Village, Wewewa Barat District, Southwest Sumba Regency is trying to cultivate horticultural crops for the first time. Persada farmer group decided to plant chili as their first horticultural crop. The potential for high chili prices in the market compared to other commodities is the reason chili plants are chosen by farmers. In addition, chili was also chosen to fulfill vegetable stocks and add variety because the majority of farmers prefer to grow tomatoes.

“If all farmers grow tomatoes, then who will be the buyers? Therefore, we chose to plant chilies so that we can fill each other’s needs. In a sense, if we need tomatoes, we will buy them from the farmer group next door. And vice versa,” said Markus Umbu Pati, head of the Persada farmer group.

This farmer group chose Dewata F1 chili varieties to be planted in the hope of producing quality chilies. Watering and spraying are also routinely carried out based on the knowledge obtained from agricultural extension workers and field officers (TFO) of Yayasan Bina Tani Sejahtera (YBTS) through Agricultural Livelihood through Integrated Approach (PERMATA) project supported by William & Lily Foundation.

“By participating in training from extension workers and YBTS staff, we gain knowledge about horticultural crop cultivation,” continued Markus.

There are many limitations faced by Persada farmer groups, one of which is the lack of water availability for chili plants. However, this did not dampen the enthusiasm of the farmer group, instead it became an inspiration to take advantage of the water source from the tank.

“We hope that there will also be support in the form of the need for agricultural equipment that can make our work easier,” said Markus for their village.