Food security through organic farming in Indonesia

Dear friends of the farm,

We are delighted to have another group of intern students on the farm, each bringing unique experiences and gaining valuable insights into organic farming. We would like to highlight the experience and stories of three of these students for you.

Our first intern is R, who is a student in a local agriculture school. He recently joined the farm with four of his classmates. Just two weeks in, he is already contributing to the work on the ground thanks to the farm’s well-equipped facilities that support daily farming tasks. R and his peers are currently focused on preparing the land, working together efficiently to loosen the beds—finishing each one in just five minutes. While he had prior experience with cultivation, planting, and harvesting at school, most of it involved chemical-based farming. At YUM, R discovered that organic farming is not only simpler but also safer, relying on natural methods like watering and manual pest control. He’s excited to keep learning and growing in the months ahead.

Our second intern is N, a university student from Institut Pertanian Bogor (Bogor Agriculture Institute) who has been interning at YUM Organic Farm for one month. Throughout her time at the farm, N not only deepened her knowledge of large-scale organic farming—building on her previous small-scale experience—but also thrived in a supportive and collaborative environment. She appreciated the openness of the farm team and the strong communication within her group, where shared experiences helped them all learn and improve. Inspired by her time at YUM, N hopes to see the farm continue growing sustainably and explore the creation of value-added products from its harvests.

Lastly, F, another student from a local agriculture school, found the experience enriching and quickly felt at ease on the farm. He noticed differences between the farming methods taught at school and those practiced at YUM—especially the use of uncompacted planting media in polybags and the noticeably faster growth of eggplants. Although he had learned to make organic liquid fertilizer at school, YUM gave him his first hands-on experience with fully organic compost and growing media. F particularly enjoys washing and sorting vegetables on harvest days, a task he finds both fun and collaborative. He looks forward to continuing his learning journey and expanding his knowledge of organic agriculture in the coming months.

Having young students on the farm is something we look forward to every year. We do hope that you can come and visit us at the farm to see how your contribution is helping young farmers understand organic farming and motivating them to continue their path to become future agriculture experts!

With gratitude,

Vanessa

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