The Sheep of Struggle of the Sima Swatantra Indonesia Association

From the Kamsyaka or Kampak Inscription dated 851 Saka, it is known that the name of the land of the perdikan was Maha Samudra which included Dongko, Panggul, Munjungan, Prigi, and Kampak. Now, the five villages are included in the administrative area of ​​the sub-district in Trenggalek. In Old Javanese (Kawi) the perdikan area is referred to as the autonomous community. That is the origin of the naming of this community which later called itself the Sima Swatantra Indonesia Association (SSI). 

Since 2015, the SSI Association has focused its activities on identifying their residential areas, most of which are karst areas. Then, they learned that there was a mining business permit (IUP) for gold mining activities on 29.969 hectares of land in their area. Together with 25 civil society organizations (CSOs) in Trenggalek, they formed the Trenggalek People's Alliance (ART) to prevent ecological destruction from gold mining extraction activities.

In the difficult situation of fighting for the sustainability of living space, they face another problem, namely the economy of community members. So far, the community's operations have been based on self-reliance of members. However, with the majority of members working as farmers or plantation workers and the focus of the community's mission directly facing the interests of large capital, it has proven to be quite difficult for them to move.

Therefore, the SSI Association utilizes the Nusantara Fund Direct Funding to build the economic strength of its members through sheep farming. Sheep are chosen because they are relatively easy to care for, resistant to various environmental conditions, and can survive in dry areas such as Trenggalek. In order for this program to be successful, the community also receives technical training on livestock management, animal health, and environmentally friendly waste management.

The plan is, from the management of the sheep there will be a distribution of results that can support the community's operations. The amount of the distribution they planned: 60% for the manager, 20% for additional capital, and 20% goes into the organization's cash. Until the program ended, the profit-sharing plan had not been realized because the mother sheep would only produce offspring for eight months while the program's duration was a maximum of 6 months.

For the construction of the pen, the SSI Association involved the community network in the ART. The pen was built on 2 hectares of land. They ensured that the pen material could last for at least 10 years. The pen that was built had a capacity that could accommodate 100 sheep with a percentage of 70% female sheep and 30% offspring. Funds from the Nusantara Fund were sufficient to provide 25 female sheep. Before the construction of the pen, the community and village government seemed to underestimate the efforts of the SSI Association. However, that attitude changed to appreciation after they succeeded in building the pen and bringing in female sheep. This change in attitude boosted their confidence in managing the sheep farm.

The sheep farm program will directly impact 21 members of the SSI Association. The existence of the sheep farm will also provide financial support to the organization's operations. In this way, advocacy activities related to the threat of ecological and cultural destruction by mining will also provide wider benefits to the community and the Trenggalek Government.