Sumba, Dana Nusantara filled a special session at the 14th National Environment Week (PNLH) on Thursday, September 18, 2025. The session carried the theme "Direct Funding for the Struggles and Movements of Indigenous Peoples, Farmers, Fishermen, Women, and the Young Generation in Indonesia." Present as speakers were the Secretary General (Sekjen) of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN) Rukka Sombolinggi, Secretary General of the Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA) Dewi Kartika, National Executive Director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Eknas) WALHI) 2021-2025 period Zenzi Suhadi, and Yustina from the Obor Hidup Lestari Foundation. The discussion was moderated by Ode Rakhman, Director of Dana Nusantara.
Secretary General AMAN, Rukka Sombolinggi, tells the history of the formation of the Nusantara Fund since the event Conference of the Parties 21 (COP21). Good AMAN, KPA, as well WALHI They sat down to discuss the funding inequities received by Indigenous Peoples, Farmers, Fishermen, Women, and the Young Generation, who are recognized internationally as protectors of nature. They also discussed the similarities and differences between these three organizations, which could pose future challenges when developing direct funding mechanisms.
Rukka's reference to funding inequity refers to the world's perception of Indigenous Peoples, Farmers, Fishermen, Women, and the Young Generation, who are deemed to lack the capacity to implement programs. Rukka also stated that the 7% of funds disbursed is negligible compared to the challenges faced by communities in fighting for collective land recognition and management rights. This is the basis for the establishment of the Nusantara Fund.
"This organization is an organic funding mechanism, ensuring all our money reaches the villages. If it doesn't reach the villages, that's corruption," Rukka explained.
"But how can this organization not be preoccupied with managing money? So the Nusantara Fund was created to support the work of these three movements," he added.
In line with Rukka's explanation, Secretary General KPADewi Kartika explained that Dana Nusantara aims to minimize all administrative and bureaucratic requirements compared to global funding requirements. "Second, Dana Nusantara is support system or our support systems and tools to strengthen the existing social capital in the community or union,” said Dewi.
Dewi added that as a direct funding mechanism, Dana Nusantara ensures that funding reaches the grassroots level. The process is not... top down, but rather program planning originates from the ground up. This way, the funding addresses the fundamental needs of the recipient groups.
"Why are the three of us allied with Dana Nusantara? Because we feel this movement must be united. Although we have our own memberships, in the context of [advocating] land grabbing and environmental destruction, we, the three movements, must unite," Dewi said.
"The goal of the Nusantara Fund is to become a catalyst to encourage our friends in the regions to meet and even collaborate, at the national and regional levels, to address these threats," he stressed.
Meanwhile, the Director of Eknas WALHI For the 2021-2025 period, Zenzi Suhadi emphasized efforts to build the archipelago's economy, in line with the establishment of the Nusantara Fund. Zenzi reflected on his mentoring journey. WALHI on community groups in conflict with the interests of big capital. Zenzi said, WALHI was indeed present when the large equipment came to the village and caused destruction. However, after successfully securing it, WALHI simply leave. Therefore, whether the assisted group can survive the threat of further land grabbing conflicts after advocacy remains a major question mark and a challenge for the organization. Therefore, additional efforts are needed to build a grassroots economy that strengthens resilience and realizes the group's aspirations.
“In the scheme WALHI, Dana Nusantara supports the ideals of people's organizations. Support WALHI "That's in it, while the financing scheme is through members who accompany the people's organization," explained Zenzi.
The economic form deemed most in keeping with the spirit of grassroots groups is the cooperative. In cooperatives, ownership rests with members and can be transparently monitored by all. This has led to a transformation, as the environmental movement has begun to give birth to an economic movement that provides long-term support for environmental protection.
"So, if we want to protect nature from environmental destruction caused by economic interests, we must first restore the economy," he said.
Zenzi emphasized the importance of the ownership nature of the cooperative by WALHI and people's organizations that are members WALHIWith this character, corruption prevention can be enhanced, given that the organization's ultimate power rests with its members. "Therefore, Dana Nusantara is also key to the successful transformation of the environmental movement, which has given rise to an economic movement," Zenzi emphasized.
Stories from the Land of Sumba
On the sidelines of the PNLH XIV exhibition, Yustina shared her experience and the impact felt by the Obor Hidup Lestari Community after receiving direct funding support from Dana Nusantara, especially in efforts to eliminate coffee farmers' dependence on middlemen or entrepreneurs.
"Previously, we were very dependent on middlemen or entrepreneurs. Now, the coffee farmers' association from four villages in the West Miomaffo District, along with the community and the Obor Hidup Lestari Farmers, conducts market surveys and then collectively determines the selling price for the coffee," said Yustina.
Under this scheme, coffee purchases are only made through the coffee farmers' association from four villages in the West Miomaffo District. Yustina also noted that women dominate the coffee farming community there. She noted that 99 of the 132 coffee farmers in the West Miomaffo coffee farmers' association are women.
"Women's roles there range from harvesting, sorting, and post-harvest, primarily carried out by young women in ground coffee production," Yustina explained.
Of all the stories of change she shared, Yustina emphasized the impact felt by women in Fatuneno. According to her, domestic violence against women has significantly decreased. This is due to women's increased bargaining power in their involvement in the post-production process of Kopi Rimba Mutis, particularly from sorting to ground coffee and marketing.
“Previously they only sold coffee green beans which are dried at an unfair price to middlemen, so that household economic problems also lead to violence against women in some households," he explained.
The head of Uma Kokur, Umbu Arnoldus Yansens Bulu, representing one of the Nusantara Fund partners in Tanamanang Village, East Sumba, also shared his story during the plenary discussion on the second day of the 2th Pre-PNLH. The perceived benefits of accessing the Nusantara Fund include strengthening the economy for the sustainability of environmental efforts to defend customary lands. Umbu Arnold also briefly described the formation of the Uma Kokur community.
"We do not reject investment, but we reject evidence of our ancestors' civilization being pushed aside for the sake of development and plantations," explained the man familiarly known as Umbu Arnold regarding the public's view on investment.
Uma Kokur Indigenous Community – Young Generation with virgin coconut oil (VCO)
Umbu Arnold said that in 2023 the Regional Executive (ED) WALHI East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) contacted him and informed him that the Indigenous Community could obtain funding from the Nusantara Fund as capital to manage the results from the management area and production of pure coconut oil or virgin coconut oil (VCO). "We accessed the Nusantara Fund without encountering the complex administration that communities typically experience. Its use was also without intervention. The community determines all programs, from production to production tools. Access was straightforward, and our colleagues from ED assisted with reporting," he explained regarding the Nusantara Fund's funding administration.
He also hopes the Nusantara Fund can fund long-term plans that are accessible to more communities in need. He and the Uma Kokur Community said they have felt the impact of direct funding, enabling them to maintain the solidarity of Indigenous Peoples, youth groups, and women's groups. As a result, they are able to produce VCO that is competitive in the market and collaborate with the Tanamanang Village government in East Sumba. They are even confident in promoting the product to a wider audience, as exhibited at the 14th National Forestry Day (PNLH) WALHI in East Sumba.
Proposed Savanna Ecosystem
In the implementation of PNLH XIV in East Sumba, there are several important decisions that will influence future policies or strategies. WALHI as the founding organization and also Dana Nusantara itself. One of these proposals is the savanna ecosystem. East Sumba has a landscape dominated by savanna, which will also have a significant impact on the environmental movement in the region.
As the oldest environmental movement organization in Indonesia, WALHI The proposal was recognized as a priority to be championed. By proposing that savannahs be designated as essential ecosystems, this step ensures prevention of exploitation and destructive development. "Sumba represents the largest savannah in Indonesia. The hope is that savannahs will be included in essential ecosystems protected by the state, like peatlands, seagrass meadows, karst, and mangroves," Zenzi explained.
This proposal is in line with the latest research related to the role of savannas in the climate crisis mitigation processThe research proves that dry areas like savannas or grasslands can sequester carbon more stably in the soil than trees in tropical rainforests. This finding certainly changes the prevailing perspective, particularly regarding reforestation projects or tree planting in savanna areas.
The proposal to designate savannas as essential ecosystems received a positive response from East Sumba regional government officials attending the 14th National Land Agency (PNLH) event. In Sumbanese culture, savannas are sacred spaces for traditional rituals. They also provide livelihoods for local communities, including livestock herding and agriculture. In traditional arts, such as ikat weaving and songs and poetry, savannas often appear as symbols.
The proposed designation also ensures protection initiatives. Sumba is currently threatened by large-scale industrial investment plans that are sacrificing 52,000 hectares of savannah ecosystems. "So this proposal is very relevant for the future," Zenzi emphasized. Furthermore, the 14th National Forestry Project (PNLH) also... WALHI Declaring September 20, 2025, as Ecological Justice Day in Indonesia and Sumba Island as its zero point, with a call to save the earth as a shared home that will be inherited by future generations.
