Context and Project Objective

Youth in rural Indonesia continue to face high unemployment rates and limited access to sustainable livelihood opportunities. In East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), more than 1.1 million people live below the poverty line, of which 33% are youth (aged 15–34). Meanwhile, in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), approximately 23% of more than 700,000 people living in poverty are youth.

In both provinces, many young people earn less than US$1 per day. The poverty line stands at Rp 403,005 (US$24.83) per capita per month in NTT and Rp 459,826 (US$28.34) per capita per month in NTB. This highlights a significant gap between the potential of the rural youth workforce and the economic opportunities available, underscoring the urgency for interventions focused on sustainable income generation.

The Let’s Grow! Program is designed to address these challenges by prioritizing youth income generation through productive and sustainable vegetable farming. The program aims to increase participants’ income from a baseline of less than US$1 per day to at least US$4 per day (±IDR 60,000), with 80% of participants completing at least three planting cycles.

In addition to promoting Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), the program integrates life skills development—including discipline, financial management, and entrepreneurship—which are critical for enabling young farmers to successfully manage both their farming activities and daily lives.

To enhance productivity while reducing risk, the program combines leafy vegetable cultivation with companion crops within a demonstration plot (demoplot) system, allowing participants to optimize income streams and build more resilient farming systems.

The program is implemented through a structured learning cycle consisting of:

• Youth Selection: Selection based on interest, commitment, and economic background
• Youth Onboarding: Intensive initial training and orientation
• Demoplot & Monitoring: Hands-on practice with continuous technical support
• Refreshment: Periodic technical reinforcement and evaluation
• Youth Graduation: Transition toward independence
• Youth Sustainability: Continued support to ensure long-term impact

Since its launch in June 2022 as a Youth Upskilling pilot in Flores, the program has progressively expanded:

• 2022–2023 (Pilot): 200 youth in Flores
• 2023–2024 (Scaling Up): 865 youth across Flores, West Timor, Sumba, and Sumbawa
• 2024–2025: Additional 500 youth
• 2025–2026: 1,360 youth, including expansion to a new cluster in North Maluku
• 2026–2027: Program stabilization with a target of approximately 1,530 additional youth

Expected Outcomes

• Increased youth income through productive and sustainable vegetable farming
• Improved technical capacity in the application of GAP
• Strengthened life skills (financial literacy, discipline, entrepreneurship)
• Establishment of a connected and self-sustaining youth farmer ecosystem
• Replication of best practices through alumni serving as community role models

Partners

Funding Partners: Ganesha Foundation
Local Partners: Department of Agriculture and Food Security; village governments; local community

Project Periods

• June 2022 – May 2023: Youth Upskilling Pilot (Flores)
• June 2023 – March 2026: Scaling and multi-cluster expansion
• April 2026 – March 2027: Stabilization and impact strengthening phase

Location

Kupang, Timor Tengah Selatan, Timor Tengah Utara (Timor Cluster)

Achievement

As of 2025, the Let’s Grow! Program has reached 2,928 young farmers who have received training and technical assistance, with a balanced participation of: 1,464 female and 1,464 male farmers.