Enforcement of Rights and Economic Independence by STS through DAMARA

The Sigi Farmers Union (STS) is a farmer community located in Sigi Regency, Central Sulawesi, which since its inception has focused on efforts to fight for agrarian rights and increase the economic independence of the community. Most of the STS members are farmers who have worked the land for generations but are still struggling to defend the land they manage from claims by outside parties.

One of the areas in Sigi, in Sibowi Village, has been unilaterally designated as part of the Lore Lindu National Park (TNLL). Since then, the community has been prohibited from taking wood for buildings, firewood, and cultivating the land that they have managed for generations with a traditional farming system. STS has not subsided even though it is still in the long process of resolving agrarian conflicts.

With the support of the Nusantara Fund Direct Funding, STS began building the Desa Maju Reforma Agraria (DAMARA)—a people's initiative to strengthen land rights and fight for sustainable economic independence by organizing their own land control, use, and production. The program focuses on community-based production with the aim of increasing economic capacity while maintaining environmental sustainability. STS and its members plant avocado, durian, and corn seedlings on mapped and jointly managed land. ​​

The Sigi Farmers Union (STS) has arranged a production system and planting in a total of 30 hectares of the Priority Land for Agrarian Reform (LPRA) OTL/STS Sibowi Village: corn on 10 hectares, avocado and durian on 20 hectares in the area managed by STS members. The seeds were selected because they have high market potential and economic value. The planting of the seeds was carried out by mutual cooperation. All community members participated in every stage, from land preparation, planting, to periodic seedling care. Capacity building training for STS member farmers in terms of cultivation techniques was also part of the series of activities.

The location of avocado-durian seedling planting is at open forest points near springs. So that not only economic benefits will be reaped but also to maintain springs and prevent landslides. Training in making compost that will be used to fertilize the area was carried out by involving more than 40 member farmers. Efforts to manage the land as well and as sustainably as possible by the Sibowi community are part of their struggle to obtain land rights. Organizing production is one of their efforts to achieve agrarian justice and maintain the ecosystem. This is a means of proving for them to the state, that sustainability is not only for nature but can also be for human survival.

Through the planting of high-value seeds such as avocado, durian, and corn, communities have the opportunity to increase income from harvests. Production development is supported by training in distribution and marketing, so that agricultural products can be accessed by the market in a more organized manner. This not only creates direct economic benefits, but also builds the foundation for sustainable economic stability.