How Is Our Food Bank?

The deterioration of soil quality due to factors such as chemical use, crop failure, pest attacks, and food poisoning cases due to chemical and microbiological contamination, made people think about the importance to safeguard the nature by reducing chemical use and replacing it with organic fertilizers and other natural ingredients to produce healthy organic food. Organic food came from an organic farming system which implements ecosystem control to achieve sustainable productivity by controlling weeds, pests, and diseases through means such as plant and animal waste recycling, crop rotation and selection, irrigation management, land processing, and the use of natural substances.

Mankind's trend to use and consume organic products is a step forward to save the Earth from foreseeable environmental disaster. Therefore, it becomes our duty and responsibility to remind others of the importance of preserving the nature where we live in.

Because of those many issues on environment, farmers and farming, also community's lifestyle, notably students who often don't consider organic and healthy food, Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta organized an organic farming training, "Apa Kabar Lumbung Pangan Kita?" (How is our food barn?) This theme gives students an understanding of the importance of organic farming for the continuation of living natural ecosystem and the food chain.

The three-day and two-night training, from 4 to 6 May 2018 at Camelia guesthouse, Kaliurang, presents T.O. Suprapto, an organic farmer from Joglo Tani Yogyakarta, which presents the bases of organic agriculture by emphasizing 'eat what we plant, plant what we eat', so we can achieve food self-sufficiency while also consuming healthy organic food. T.O. Suprapto also provides study opportunities for every youth who is financially limited, to continue their study in college, noting that they must be majoring in agriculture.

In order that the participants have the capability to perform risk and potency mapping in their neighborhood, Dr. F. Didiet Heru Swasono, M.P., a lecturer from the Faculty of Agro Technology at Mercu Buana University conveys about the importance of organic certification as a form of consumer protection standard which is based on ministerial regulation and Indonesian national standard. He also speaks about the necessity for socio-cultural and environmental mapping skills for the participants to have in their neighborhood.

To parallelize the theory and the practice, on the second day, all participants did an exposure to two places; one is the "Bumi Lestari" Female Farmer Group in Sembung village, Purwobinangun, Pakem, and the second being "Kuncup" organic farm managed by Dedy Tri Kuncoro. Both of these places are a representation of organic farming that has been running and even innovating in the manufacturing of fertilizer. "Bumi Lestari" itself is one of the multiple sites of Lumbung Mataraman initiated by Sri Sultan HB X.

Meanwhile, "Kuncup" organic farm developed tabulampot (fruit plant in a pot) which has been marketed outside of the province. Here the participants are interested in the utilization of egg waste as a material for making organic fertilizer.

Discussing agricultural topics will always link back to the economy and politics of the nation. Back then when Indonesia was imagined to achieve rice self-sufficiency, it opened the floodgate for the arrival of various types of chemical fertilizer for the so-called "Green Revolution". Now, Rahmat Jabaril (artist and Dago Pojok creative village's figure), Eko Prasetyo (Social Movement Institute) and Paguyuban Petani Organik Jodhog, complete the discourse on the issues of independence, creativity, land takeover, the challenge of Indonesian farmers, and social welfare.

Twenty-seven participants are eager to follow the three-day training and planning to do follow-ups, such as bringing new communities to the farmer's community, further study on the use of coconut, promoting food and organic farming in social media, growing organic herbs and learning to make organic pesticide.

Everyone is entitled to a decent and healthy life. Especially, a healthy and decent life coupled with a healthy and balanced lifestyle and mindset. Thus, as the nation's youth, we must implement healthy living so we can become an agent of change and able to give birth to a generation which is healthier, smarter, decent living, and even independence on their own homeland. (SAP).