Doing Farming

Is Life Decision

(Frans Fredi Kalikit Bara)

Food is one of fundamental needs that every person has to fulfill. Food availability is limited meanwhile people’s needs upon food are unlimited. Food scarcity is national problem that Indonesia's facing, therefore, this is not personal problem but collective one.

One of national problems nowadays is the farmer cadres cut off. Most of youth choose not to do farming and are interested more to work as officers in institutions. The higher education they get, the less desire they have to be farmers. Based on National Statistic Centre data in 2013, only 0.8% of higher educated youth want to do farming, meanwhile the remaining of 70% is from elementary school. By productive ages, there are only 9.5% farmers less than 35 years old, while 65.15% farmers are more than 45 years old.

Food sovereignty is the responsibility that must be made into reality, especially for youth who will be the agents of changes. Based on the result of the observation at Matawai market in Waingapu, East Sumba, the availability of some kind of agricultural commodities are still limited, even the demand is higher than its supply.

Another fact showed that farmers boost the horticulture yields only during the dry season, while they don’t do that during the rainy season. The reason is the limitation of the tools and other farming support materials during the rainy season and also the limitation of knowledge about farming innovation. Based on the problems mentioned above, actually this is one chance for youth to be an agriculture entrepreneur. Some rare commodities at markets are: fruits, onion, garlic, potato, carrot, chili, tomato, and any other horticulture plants.

The regent of East Sumba and Head of Sumba Church Synod (GKS) Payeti give positive response to every youth working on agricultural business, as actually it is one business bringing good income.

Based on National Statistic Centre data in 2013, only 37% youth wants to be farmers, while 36% of them remains not interested in. It is one of our big challenges when farmer regeneration is cut off. According to one young man named Aloysius Umbu Sili Dingu, "Most youth doesn't want to be farmers because of heavy works, a lot of capital, and less appreciation from the society. This is a case that we know why youth prefers not to be farmers”.

In my opinion, farming is a life choice with certain kind of fundamental reason, that is a real response toward imbalance on Matawai market or in this case, demand is higher than the offer. The second reason is horticulture business provides a potential chance to create good income. The third reason is horticulture business becomes an example for other farmers, and the last one is this business becomes a model to educate farmers to increase production and family welfare. (FRD).