Yayasan Bina Tani Sejahtera (YBTS), supported by William & Lily Foundation (WLF), through Agricultural Livelihood through Integrated Approach Project (PERMATA) to hold a cooking competition of local delicacies in Weepatando Village, Middle Wewewa Subdistrict, Southwest Sumba Regency. The unique thing about this competition was the ingredients used for cooking, where the participants used vegetables and nuts cultivated in their garden plots. The local health service organization and the Mothers on welfare’s organization in Southwest Sumba also attended as the judges. They also gave the participants many tips on cooking healthy foods.

This event was a part of the program initiated by YBTS and WLF to enhance vegetable consumption and improve the living condition of the citizens. Not only did they get introduced to the good agricultural practices, they also learned about the nutritious eating habit. This program was aimed at decreasing the number of stunting cases in Sumba. “We want to motivate the citizens to always take care of the foods consumed by the family,” said the representative of YBTS, Junike Susan Medah.

One of the trained farmers, Martin Malo, expressed that he was thankful of the training given by YBTS and WLF. Over the past two years, Marten and Sumber Sejahtera farming group received training to perform good agricultural practices in cultivating several vegetable commodities. As a result, this farming group successfully obtained huge revenue, greatly improving their economic condition.

YBTS and WLF will continue collaborating to provide training to more farmers in Sumba. However, the success of the training program heavily depended on the participation of the farmers and their farming groups. The farmers must have strong willpower and the spirit to learn. We hope this program could improve the farming industries in Sumba and further improve the economic condition of the local citizens.