Farmers who are members of the Siantar Simalungun Farmers Association (PPSS) built the Sopo PPSS Meeting Hall & Organic Farming Laboratory (demplot) on the organization's collective land of 0,4 hectares in Tanjung Pinggir Village, Siantar Martoba District, Pematang Siantar. The name Sopo is because it is not only for Batak people but also Javanese people. The construction is also in conjunction with learning visits to rice fields & organic farming. The hall and demplot were built not only for PPSS members but also for young farmers and the general public who want to learn about agrarian reform and organic farming models in harmony with nature. Direct funding from the Nusantara Fund is one of the many parties' support for PPSS in realizing this communal space.
The struggle for land rights that has never been recognized by the government and the massive conversion of agricultural land due to urban development has inspired PPSS farmers to develop an organic farming system as a long-term survival strategy. For them, farming organically is not only about economics or technical matters. But building collective awareness of the importance of farmer independence. Agriculture that only depends on markets and government assistance will gradually erode the principle of independence of farmers, including local knowledge which begins to disappear over time (www.kpa.or.id)
The study visit on December 11 2022 was attended by 10 PPSS representative farmers, five of whom were women farmers. The location chosen was the Paluh Naga Rice Fields tourist attraction in Denai Lama Village, Labu Beach, Deli Serdang. This location was chosen because it has a similar typology to the Tanjung Pinggir LPRA location, namely rice fields. In the Paluh Naga Sawah tourist attraction, the expanse of rice fields combined with culture, culinary and village culture is the main tourist attraction.
During the visit, the participants saw firsthand the process and activities of managing rice field tourism. They also gain knowledge about the strategic stages of developing rice field tourism. Starting from exploring potential, designing plans, implementation stages, communication and synergy, as well as tourism package promotion strategies. Most importantly, the participants were aware that rice fields have the potential to be a source of family economy not only from harvests but also from the tourism side.
The next day the visit continued to the organic farm at Siantar Sehat (Sise) which is located in Marihat Village, Pematang Siantar. Participants learn about the technical procedures and benefits of organic farming. The seeds of independence for the participants grew, with the knowledge they gained that organic fertilizer ingredients are very easy to obtain and most of the ingredients are freely available in the nature around them. The knowledge they gain also strengthens collective awareness of the importance of managing the 25 Ha LPRA land on a basis that is in harmony with nature.
A mutual agreement on the location and area of the demonstration plot, namely 2 rante or 800 m², was reached on December 16, 2022. Participants in the study visit together with PPSS members worked together to clean and prepare the land. Field practice of making various types of organic fertilizers was also carried out simultaneously during the land preparation phase, by utilizing used corn stalks and cobs that were cleaned on the land as one of the ingredients in one composition.
It is hoped that this demonstration plot will become a joint laboratory for sharing knowledge and training skills in agricultural practices in harmony with nature as well as developing tourism education. Knowledge and skills from the practical process and trials in the demonstration plot can then be replicated by farmers in their respective rice fields.
The implementation of the activity was not without challenges. The construction of the hall during the rainy season was a challenge for the group so that the construction work could be carried out on time. This challenge was overcome by maximizing work when the weather permitted for construction. In addition, the varying ages of the PPSS members also became a challenge in providing an understanding that was easy for all to digest regarding the new things being learned so that PPSS made efforts to involve more young cadres to help provide understanding for other group members.