Paving the Way to Food Sovereignty with People's Schools and Nurseries

After obtaining a collective land certificate of 127 hectares through the TORA scheme, the Banten Farmers Movement (P2B) is now moving to utilize the land to increase the productivity and welfare of its members. P2B built a People's School and Nursery House at the DAMARA Swadaya Agricultural & Rural Training Center which also serves as a training center for 300 P2B member farmers in perpetuating sustainable agriculture.

The Banten Farmers Movement (P2B) has long been the spearhead of farmers' struggle to obtain and manage land in the Banten region. After obtaining a land certificate of 127 hectares through the TORA program, P2B is dedicated to improving farmers' welfare through sustainable collective land management to increase productivity and member welfare.

The People's School and Nursery House at the DAMARA Self-Help Agricultural & Rural Training Center are learning facilities for P2B members in agricultural cultivation and a mutual cooperation-based training center. In the agricultural demonstration plot, food crop nurseries, horticulture, and compost production from organic materials are carried out. P2B members are also trained to manage land collectively and produce superior seeds to support their community's food sovereignty.

Mutual cooperation is the main foundation of P2B. Each member is scheduled to work together in the construction of a nursery house, a seedling place, and an inoculation house. Several facilities have been completed, including a 6x8 meter nursery house, a compost house, and a 6x12 meter nursery. Now, the People's School and Nursery House are a way for members to learn modern agricultural techniques without forgetting the local wisdom that remains their mainstay in farming.

"… Through the establishment of this people's education center, P2B members feel a change, namely an increase in the capacity of P2B cadres and administrators and the beginning of awareness to improve the organization's economy in a sustainable manner through meetings held at the Education Center."