Evangelische Bank eG
IBAN: DE85 5206 0410 0000 0001 24
BIC: GENODEF1EK1
Indonesia: Poverty Reduction
Indonesia: Animal Breeding as a Route Out of Poverty
A bad economic situation, great poverty and few prospects: peasant farmers in Indonesia often live on the breadline. With an agricultural animal breeding project, the Protestant Indonesian Church in Luwu is opening the door to better life perspectives for those families.
Many people on Sulawesi live in small villages, scattered across the island. Despite the large local mineral deposits and fertile soils, they often suffer from poverty. Families are often unaware of how they can make a profit from their agricultural output. As a rule, they only own small parcels of land – hardly enough to provide for their own family.
The Protestant Indonesian Church in Luwu (GPIL) has launched a pig breeding project to support families.
Support for remote communities in Luwu
The average income of residents in Luwu is just € 57 per month – many people there are peasant farmers and affected by poverty. The pig breeding project run by the Protestant Indonesian Church in Luwu gives farmers from ten communities the chance of a better life. Breeding pigs gives them the opportunity to earn their own money. In doing so, they improve the living conditions for their families and are able to send their children to school. As such, the Protestant Indonesian Church in Luwu is also investing in the future of coming generations through its animal breeding project.
Indonesia
255 million inhabitants, of which 27 percent are poor or threatened by poverty
Capacity building
Each year, ten participants per community attend training courses, at which they learn the key fundamentals of animal breeding, such as what food the animals require and how to identify and treat diseases in good time. Business knowledge also forms part of the training.
After completing the training courses, barns and enclosures are built, and food is planted for the animals. Finally, the farmers are given young animals to rear. The project also contributes to sustainable agriculture: the manure produced by the animals is used as organic fertiliser, which the farmers use on their fields.
During the project phase, they are supported by experienced farmers, who are on hand to offer advice. This way, they too become experts, who are then able to pass their knowledge on to friends and acquaintances, as well as subsequent generations.
Project goals
With its animal breeding project, the Luwu church hopes to empower the poor members of its community and to offer them new economic perspectives. Particularly in rural regions, many families live on or below the breadline. They do not have money to make investments and often lack the knowledge to make a profit from their agricultural work. Rearing animals gives them the chance of a stable income and a dignified life.
Project work
Needy community members, who have space for barns and a basic knowledge of agriculture, are selected for the project. The men and women are first taught animal husbandry, before the church provides them with material for building barns. They then receive young animals, feed and necessary medication. If they have any questions or problems, the participants can call on the church’s experts at any time during the project. Once the animals are big enough, they are sold for a profit and the proceeds are used for new animals and new project participants.
Project partner
Luwu is the largest district in the province of South Sulawesi and includes the former dominion of a Toraja king. The Protestant Indonesian Church in Luwu (GPIL) is a church in a peasant area. It has roughly 20,000 members. Many of the 114 parishes are located in remote mountain areas and can only be reached on foot. The training programmes and spiritual support from their church are very important to the people there. Thanks to the EMS Fellowship, they are involved in global ecumenism.
We are pleased to hear that you are interested in this project. If you have any general questions, please use the contact form below. We are also happy to help you personally if you have any questions or require further information – by phone or by E-mail.
Djoko P. A. Wibowo
Liaison Secretary Indonesia
+49 711 636 78 -36
wibowo@ems-online.org
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