Home Gardening in Teluk Kenari Village
Yumina Oko is a wife of chief village and chief of the Development of Family Welfare (Pembinaan Kesejahteraan Keluarga-PKK) in Teluk Kenari village, Alor. As a woman who has an important position in her village, she is trying to provide the best service for her village. Through collaboration with Posyandu (Integrated Service Post), Yumina promotes Home Gardening in her village.
"A leader must work first and give examples so the others will follow," she said when Wahana Visi Indonesia (WVI) staff visited her garden.
A leader must work first and give examples so the others will follow.
In October 2011, WVI in collaboration with IDEP Foundation, conducted Home Gardening training using natural farming methods. The invited participants represented each village, including Yumina. Besides her, Yeti Mulle, a mother and representative of Posyandu from Teluk Kenari village also joined her. Together with the other participants they took part in the 6 day training.
At the beginning, they demonstrated a home gardening plot on the village office courtyard. Together with some cadres of Posyandu, they also produced solid and liquid organic fertilizer. Even thought this was their first try at home gardening, they were successful! They were also able to produce their own seeds from their crops. With those seeds, Yumina created a home garden near her home.
With the knowledge and experience to develop home gardening, Yumina trained some housewives in her neighborhood. She also distributed seeds- from the ones she produced herself, or ones supplied by World Vision.
Three of Yumina's neighbors, Agustina Bain, Ana Mang, and Delila Mang, succeeded in developing home gardening.
"I received eggplant seeds from Yumina. She said that she has prepared the seeds by herself", Delila said while showing her eggplants that were ready for harvest.
Agustina and Ana also said that the knowledge they received from Yumina was very beneficial to their family. According to Agustina, through home gardening, they could grow and eat the nutritious vegetables from their own garden.
*Written by Meiseany Hortensia, Area Develpment Program Manager, Wahana Visi Indonesia at Alor operational Office
