Anis: a Young Farmer From Alor

Yohanes, 17, usually called Anis, is a sponsored youth from Alor with a talent for gardening. His father left the family when he was a child and his mother has vision problems. Living through these troubles has made him very resilient. He has a dream to become a farmer, someone who is an example for his fellow farmers.

“Boss, please buy this vegetable,” Anis says to store owners around Alor. That is Anis’ effort to sell cabbages, the harvest from his garden. He walks from door to door with his brother while carrying on his shoulder the cabbages for sale. 

His hard work paid off. His income reached almost 100 US dollars.

Anis is not an ordinary trader. He is still young, only 17 years old. Though his age is young, compared with other professional farmers, his expertise in gardening is no less. He understands well tillage, seeding and planting, as well as caring for the plants.

His expertise in gardening cannot be separated from his willingness to learn and his persistence to try. His expertise is also sharpened by a tillage and cultivation training module, which was facilitated by World Vision around five months ago.

This module is designed for adults in his village who earn a living from farming. His mother was invited to join, but she was unable to come. Fortunately, the module reached Anis. He admitted that he received much new understanding about gardening and he was able to apply it. The result? Anis had a very successful harvest.

Do not be surprised that Anis is also an entrepreneur. The money from cabbage selling he loaned out, and the guarantee is land for Anis to cultivate. In two years, the borrower promises to give back the money.

Anis does not forget to save the money for his school fees too.

He usually plants carrots, batang hijau (green mustard) and cabbage. Now, he plants cassava at the land near his house. After school, Anis takes care of his garden.

“I realize that the land is a precious heritage, so let me work on it,” he says with passion. “My parents are farmers.”

“When I was in elementary school, I wished to be a soldier. But when I entered junior high school, I had problem in my teeth. There are cavities. So, I took a dream to become a bachelor of agriculture. But then I thought it was too high for me,” Anis says.

“My ideals are just two. The first one is a person who understands his community; the second one is to be useful for my country, especially for my family. So, even though I am a farmer, I hope my friends can learn from me.”

Through World Vision assistance for all this time, Anis feels grateful because there is motivation for him to achieve the best.