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ELIMINATE THE HABIT OF USING CHEMICAL FERTILIZER, LOCAL FARMERS APPLY THE USE OF ORGANIC FERTILIZER
21 May 2024 - by Admin

ELIMINATE THE HABIT OF USING CHEMICAL FERTILIZER, LOCAL FARMERS APPLY THE USE OF ORGANIC FERTILIZER

 

The farming patterns of local farmers in the Arfak Mountains Regency, which are spread across several villages, reveal that their farming habits follow their ancestors from generation to generation on a traditional basis. Generally, most of these farmers have two different garden locations, namely in their yard but also in the forest (far from home). But who would have thought, some of the traditional methods or garden care are starting to disappear as time goes by, this also includes the fertilizers used. Several local farmers admitted that they had depended on the fate of their plantations from the "Shop". The question is, why does it have to be a shop? Yes, because it is from the shop that farmers buy chemical fertilizers and plant seeds for their needs. The limited knowledge to make fertilizer independently means that the plants they grow such as carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, leeks, cabbage, strawberries, and tubers rely on chemical fertilizers. Kaka Amida Lougb, one of the local female farmers in Pamaha Village, revealed that farmers have been using chemical fertilizers for a long time to fertilize plants. With a bowed face, according to Kaka Amida, if the plants don't use chemical fertilizer the harvest will be bad (unsatisfactory). "We buy seeds from the shop, so we have to spray them with chemical fertilizer," he explained. The habit of using chemical fertilizers began to change after Bentara Papua provided agricultural assistance to the community since 2021. "They from Bentara taught us not to use medicinal fertilizers or chemical fertilizers," said Kaka Amida. The assistance provided includes training in making organic fertilizer (POC and Pesnap), plant nurseries and demonstration gardens. This woman from Pamaha Village added that the education received by local farmers provided knowledge for them individually and as a group that there are differences when using chemical and organic fertilizers. "So we make our own (organic) fertilizer too," she said.

Proses Wawancara Kaka Amida Lougb di Kampung Kostera

 

Personally, according to Kaka Amida, the experience of consuming garden produce that used chemical fertilizer made him experience bone pain and this was inversely proportional to when he consumed vegetables and fruit that used organic fertilizer. Apart from being healthy, organic fertilizer also makes garden products last longer or don't rot quickly. There is a comparison made by Kaka Amida regarding plants with organic and chemical fertilizers where, when selling in the city, plants with chemical fertilizers cannot last more than one week (3-4 days at most) while plants with organic fertilizers can last three weeks to one month. "We wash it then put it in the refrigerator so it can last a long time and sell it again," he said.

Not only Kaka Amida feels positive about using organic fertilizer, but there is also Mr. Hans Saiba, a local farmer from Hungku Village. Mr. Hans' story is almost similar to Kaka Amida's story regarding the positive impact felt when abandoning chemical fertilizers and start with organic fertilizer. Mr. Hans said, plants that are planted and use organic fertilizer can be eaten directly, "There are plants that you can pick, wash and eat straight away," he continued. As someone who has been involved in the world of agriculture for a long time, Mr Hans can also differentiate between plants that use chemical and organic fertilizers through the smell of food. Father Hans continued, "If you cook it, you can smell the smell of medicine." The aroma of medicine comes out and will be strong when cooking. On the other hand, their garden maintenance expenses are starting to decrease, because farmers no longer buy fertilizer in the city but instead make it themselves and sometimes still need to be accompanied by the Bentara Papua team. For Mr. Hans, the remaining grass that he cleans in his garden is what will then be processed into fertilizer. "You pull this grass out and then scatter it on the plants. You can also mix it with soil and then put it on the plants," explained this middle-aged man.

There is also a farmer from Kostera Village, namely Mr. Yonas Ahoren, who said that he no longer buys seeds, especially carrot seeds. When the Bentara Papua Team visited his house, this elderly man invited us to directly see his carrot garden which was right next to his yard. The yard, which has a plot area of approximately 15x8 m, is filled with carrot plants. "This man used to go down to sell carrots, then buy seeds in town," he said, pointing to this carrot garden. In the end, this habit of buying carrot seeds was no longer continued because he and most of the local farmers had gained new, good experience in cultivating carrot seeds. Mr. Yonas also practiced how to cultivate carrot seeds, followed by a simple explanation, "When you harvest, you only need to give a few pieces and then they will break in half, then replant the ones with leaves," he said. When the carrots have grown and flowered, the seeds will be taken and then used as seeds, this is a simple process that has been implemented by farmers. For Mr Yohas, the results obtained from homemade seeds are no less than seeds from shops. In line with Mr Yonas, Kaka Amida also admitted that he did not know where these carrot seeds came from. "We didn't know where these carrot seeds came from, so we bought them at the shop." For this farmer from Pamaha, the nursery that is being implemented is much more effective than having to buy a pack of carrot seeds in the city. "We already have a lot of money to pay for the car, if we buy more seeds and fertilizer, we'll add more," he concluded.

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