First publish : 28 September 2017

Landscape developmentis not only about nature. It is also about quality human resource, the managing party of the landscape. Human resource quality is an essential component in sustainable landscape development. In Saradan Village, Wonogiri District, which mostly consists of agriculture area, farmers play the biggest role in realizing sustainable landscape management. Therefore, the capacity and quality of farmers need to be enhancedt, whether through trainings on agriculture or life condition improvement of farmers’ families.

Life condition improvement can be achieved using several ways. Some of them are opening or easing the access to nutritious food. Some researches prove that sufficient amount nutrition leads to enhanced farmers’ productivity. Without sufficient amount of nutrition, farmers are prone to many illnesses, which consequently decrease their productivity.

With that in mind, on the 21^st of February 2017, KWT Wijaya Kusuma (Wijaya Kusuma Female Farmers Group) which is located in Saradan Village, Baturetno Sub-district, Wonogiri District, constructed a group vegetable garden. The 100 sq. meters garden is set on the yard of one of the group members’ house. The construction of the garden itself was facilitated by Business Watch Indonesia and involved 10 members of the group in the process. Around 20 families also construct their own vegetable garden on their front yard.

Within the activity, the female farmers plant chilies and eggplants. The plan is that crops from the garden will be shared communally as complementary food supply for group members’ families. In supporting the growth of the plants, the garden use organic fertilizer produced by KWT Wijaya Kusuma itself. Additionally, by reducing the usage of agrochemicals, the vegetables produced are healthier.

Women usually decide what to put on the table for the family. By making their own vegetable garden, female farmers can hopefully have more access to obtain and serve fresh and clean food supplies, which in the end contributes to the overall health of the family.

By cooking vegetables from their own vegetable garden, the families will be able to redirect their income to other needs, like paying school fee and health insurance. A research from 2011 by Pusat Sosial Ekonomi dan Kebijakan Pertanian (The Center of Socio-economics and Policy of Agriculture) states that a front yard-based vegetable garden offers four positive points:

i)                    Enhancing energy and protein consumption in the farmers’ household tangibly. The research concluded that the transformation of front yard into vegetable garden has caused a 11.90 – 20.46 percent increase in food consumption and DDP (Desirable Dietary Plan).

ii)                   Decreasing food consumption expenses. Our food consumption expense reduction occurs in, from the highest to the lowest, is as follows: vegetables, tuber, cattle-based products and fish.

iii)                 Increasing household income. The research also concluded that front yard crops contribute 6.81 percent of family income.

iv)                 Stimulating productive economics in the rural area, like (a) nursery business; (b) Arabic chicken eggs hatchery technology; (c) rice planting supplies store; (d) crops processing business; and (e) crops selling business.

The use of front yard still has many prospects to be developed. According to the data of Badan Penelitian dan Pengembangan Pertanian (Agricultural Research and Development Agency) in 2011, the total amount of front yard area in Indonesia is approximately 10.3 million hectare or 14 percent of the total amount of agricultural area. But most of the front yards have not been transformed into ‘plantation’ area, including vegetable garden.