Resilience through agroforestry in Kalimantan

 Dear friends,

I’m really happy to share some wonderful news with you: we’ve just launched a brand-new three-year initiative in the Bukit Batu sub-district of Central Kalimantan, focusing on sustainable forest management and helping improve local livelihoods through agroforestry.

This initiative brings together two big goals that support each other:

1. Caring for 200 Hectares of Community Forest

   We’re working closely with a Dayak cooperative to help the community map, protect, and sustainably manage their 200-hectare peat swamp forest. This includes developing practical guidelines for forest protection, identifying non-timber forest products (like medicinal plants or fruits) with market potential, and strengthening the community’s conservation skills.

2. Supporting Farmers Through Sustainable Agroforestry

   In six villages across Bukit Batu, 200 farmers will receive hands-on training in YUM’s sustainable agroforestry methods. The aim is to help farmers diversify what they grow, rely less on chemicals, improve soil quality, and ultimately increase their income by reaching better and fairer markets.

3. Creating Local Income Through Small-Scale Processing

   We’re also setting up a small processing unit for products like pineapples, rambutans, lemongrass, and medicinal forest plants. This will give farmers and Dayak community members the chance to sell their goods at fairer prices and build more stable local income sources.

We’ve already started training new farmer groups, and we’re working on improving access to the community forest. While we’re grateful to have a generous donor supporting most of these activities, we still need to contribute 20% of the total funding — and this is where your support can make a huge difference, especially because today is Giving Tuesday!

Thanks to GlobalGiving’s $500,000 matching pool, every gift you make today will be boosted. That means your support will help unlock even more funds and create an even bigger impact. Matching lasts only for 36 hours — from Dec. 2 at 12 a.m. to Dec. 3 at 12 p.m. EST — so please don’t wait and help your gift go even further today.

With gratitude,

Vanessa