WOMEN AMAN PHD Tilung Indung: Integration of Indigenous Women's Literacy and Intercropping Agriculture

WOMAN AMAN PHD Tilung Indung is part of the Indonesian Indigenous Women's Association (PEREMPUAN) AMAN), which has a primary focus on advocating for the rights of Indigenous Women in the Meratus Mountains, South Kalimantan. The community was formed in response to the need for Indigenous Women to have their own platform to voice their opinions, protect their rights, and maintain ancestral heritage that includes traditional culture and practices. Consisting of 31 women from several local communities, PEREMPUAN AMAN PHD Tilung Indung is active in various advocacy activities, nature conservation, and community empowerment through education and resource management. The main issues they fight for include inclusive education and sustainable land management.

Of all its activities, WOMEN AMAN PHD Tilung Indung realizes the importance of an integrated program to address the basic needs of their community, especially in food sovereignty and Women's literacy. With this background, they designed a program of intercropping plantations and education for illiteracy for Indigenous Women. The program has two main integrated focuses: intercropping plantations and education for illiteracy of Indigenous Women. Activities are designed to address the essential needs of the Indigenous Women's community in Hinas Kiri Village.

In the intercropping plantation activity, Indigenous Women utilize one hectare of land that has been prepared together to plant various types of plants. Preparation begins with group discussions to plan the types of seeds to be planted, planting methods, and planting times. The seeds planted include cucumbers, long beans, sweet corn, and cayenne pepper. Planting activities take place in an atmosphere of mutual cooperation, where group members help each other plant seeds, ensure the soil is loosened, and create water channels to avoid puddles that can damage plants.

By implementing an intercropping system, the Indigenous Women's community maintains a diversity of plant species to maintain ecological balance. This model reflects sustainable resource management because it is able to minimize the risk of crop failure and increase productivity and soil fertility without damaging the ecosystem. The diversity of plants in intercropping suppresses the growth of certain pests naturally, so that indigenous women are able to maintain the stability of agricultural production and reduce dependence on chemical pesticides. In addition, collectively managed harvests strengthen community economic governance, where profits from the sale of harvests are partly used to support group activities and purchase additional seeds, creating a self-sufficient and sustainable production cycle.

In three days, the Indigenous Women's group can harvest around 25-40 kg of cucumbers, 2 kg of long beans, 1 kg of cayenne pepper, and several sweet corns. Part of the harvest is sold to the local community as an effort to strengthen food sovereignty and a source of income for the community. The sale of the harvest is managed collectively, the profits are used to buy additional seeds or gardening equipment, and some are allocated to the group fund. The rest of the results are shared with members, so that each family can bring home produce for daily needs.

In addition to plantation activities, literacy education is being conducted for Indigenous Women who have not had the opportunity to study. Education is a priority because many women in Hinas Kiri Village cannot read and write due to limited access to education and time-consuming household obligations. Education classes are held in the form of regular meetings, taking place eight times a month.

As many as 20 Indigenous Women are now able to read 2-3 words and write their names and family members, while 10 other Indigenous Women have successfully mastered the ability to read longer sentences. With their new skills, they are more confident in attending village meetings, filling out attendance lists, and reading labels or names of items in stores without having to rely on pictures or shapes alone. Indigenous Women who were previously inactive are now more confident in participating in community discussions and decision-making, increasing literacy skills among Indigenous Women will certainly change the dynamics of their participation in the community.

With the ability to read and write, Indigenous Women will better understand relevant information related to resource management and their rights. Literacy will also greatly help indigenous women broaden their horizons and understanding of sustainable practices. Both in sustainable land management and other aspects of life.