Development of the Agroecology Education and Training Center (Pusdiklat) of the Frame Alamraya

Since its establishment in 2006, the Agroecology Education and Training Center (Pusdiklat) of the Bingkai Alamraya has become a center for farmer communities in Aceh Tamiang Regency to learn, practice, and improve their capacity in sustainable agriculture. Pusdiklat Alamraya is located in Tanah Berongga Hamlet, Tanjung Seumantoh Plantation Village, Aceh Tamiang Regency, and is a center for educational activities for farmer groups in three sub-districts in the regency.

The number of farmers involved in the Pusdiklat is increasing, and the Pusdiklat is no longer adequate. The multi-purpose hall and the boarding house at the Pusdiklat need repairs, and supporting facilities also need to be added. Yayasan Bingkai Alamraya (YBA) with the support of the Nusantara Fund Direct Funding also increased the supporting capacity of the Pusdiklat as a learning and training space for sustainable agriculture for farmers in Aceh Tamiang, especially in Karang Baru District. The program was implemented from February 12 to July 31, 2024 with a focus on renovating facilities, procuring supporting equipment, and increasing farmer capacity through various trainings.

Pusdiklat Agroekologi Bingkai Alamraya has been making solid and liquid organic fertilizers since 2008. The manufacturing process is still manual, chopped with a machete. Manual chopping is very time-consuming and labor-intensive, so that agricultural waste in the form of rice straw, banana stalks, corn stalks, soybean stalks and fresh grass, is largely unprocessed.

Organic fertilizers made by Pusdiklat are only sufficient for agricultural land in Pusdiklat. To increase the productivity of fertilizer production, the Nusantara Fund Direct Funding is also used to procure 1 unit of shredding machine. With the shredding machine, fertilizer production will increase so that additional organic fertilizer production results can be distributed to farmer groups. 

To improve the comfort and effectiveness of training activities, the boarding house, kitchen and dining room and the waist of the hall building were renovated. Along with the rehabilitation of facilities, socialization of local seed cultivation techniques and a series of farmer group management training on making organic fertilizers were carried out. Through socialization, farmers were encouraged to use and cultivate local seeds that were more suitable for environmental conditions in Aceh Tamiang because they were considered to have better resistance to pests and diseases.

YBA Agroecology Bingkai Alamraya itself has been educating about local seed cultivation since 2013. Until now, the results of crossbreeding of local seeds, namely SY-01, SY-02 and SY-04 have been used by 15 YBA-assisted farmer groups spread across three sub-districts: Bendahara, Bandar Mulia, and Karang Batu.

Organic fertilizer making training thoroughly examines knowledge about organic fertilizers, both solid fertilizers such as and liquid fertilizers. Local village farmers who are training participants practice directly making organic fertilizers in training. Organic fertilizer making training answers the problem of scarcity of chemical fertilizers. In addition, organic fertilizers have a lower risk to soil and environmental health. By reducing the intensity of chemical fertilizer use and switching to organic fertilizers, farmers can gradually free themselves from dependence on chemical fertilizers which are often scarce and have unreasonable prices, and are certainly more environmentally friendly.

A total of 64 people (41 men & 23 women) representing 16 (sixteen villages) from three sub-districts participated in a series of socialization and training. In addition, this program provides indirect benefits to communities in two districts and cities around the Pusdiklat location; Aceh Tamiang Regency and Langsa City. By using quality local seeds that are easily accessible and environmentally friendly local fertilizers, farmers in Aceh Tamiang can increase their harvests and reduce operational costs.

After the training, some participants made solid and liquid fertilizers in their respective villages using chili plants and vegetables. It did not stop there, the farmers who participated in the training began to share their knowledge. Slowly, they attracted other farmers who had not had the opportunity to participate in the training, passing on the knowledge of organic fertilizer processing and local seed cultivation.

Since the beginning of implementation, a learning ecosystem has been formed peer to peer among farmers in each of their villages of origin are also targeted. This program does not only target increasing the capacity of the surrounding community regarding technical knowledge of agriculture and sustainable management of local resources, but also active participation of the community to disseminate the knowledge and skills they have gained.

Learning ecosystem peer to peer very important in creating a network between farmers so they can share knowledge, build solidarity, and ultimately increase farmers' bargaining power in the market. When Aceh Tamiang farmers feel sovereign over their food production process, they will indirectly become more proactive in fighting for their rights related to food.