Fertile, Independent, Competitive with Urea!

Multiplication of Stube HEMAT in Bengkulu.          

Stube-HEMAT participants have been trained to make self-made fertilizer using various ingredients which easily available in the surrounding environment to reduce production expenses. Indonesia's abundance of natural resources allows for the production of low-cost fertilizers, resulting in various types of fertilizers depending on ingredients and methods. Some alumni from Stube HEMAT have knowledge and expertise in fermentation, and they process ingredients using simple tools and methods. However, the goal is to preserve soil fertility, to achieve self-sufficiency, and to compete with the proliferation of factory-made fertilizers, which have become increasingly unaffordable and expensive in recent times.

Soil fertility must be maintained and it is influenced by the farmer. The native tribes of Bengkulu still practice shifting cultivation and this is not a problem. They move around looking for fertile land. Initially, they had to cut down trees, but sometimes the trees belonged to the protected forest areas. After being cleared, this land is planted with coffee and other types of grains. When the coffee plants are quite tall and unproductive, the landowner will look for new forests to cut down. Meanwhile, the coffee plantation becomes bushes and forest again. Fertility is life, therefore it must be maintained as well as possible for the good of the next generation.

Once again, soil fertility is influenced by the farmer. The majority of our agriculture today, and what is happening in Bengkulu, is sedentary agriculture. People no longer move easily, so like it or not, people have to grow crops. To maintain production, farmers are amazed by the offers of seed and fertilizer products from corporates. They also promote pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides which offer faster, abundant production and eliminate insects that are considered as pests. Even they bring side effects as the fertilizer ingredients degrade soil quality (not improve it), farmers can no longer produce seeds, and pests become resistant to toxins day to day.

Responding to this phenomenon, the Multiplicator of Stube-HEMAT in Bengkulu stated that people should stop using chemical fertilizers, and start using local ingredients as fertilizer instead, and actively look for seeds, grains, stems, and tubers that are suitable for Bengkulu's soil. However, dependency on seeds and fertilizers must end, and independence must begin immediately. The commitment starts with making self-made compost, not using pesticides, and planting seeds which are known as local seeds.

One effort to make self-made fertilizer is raising goats for Stube-HEMAT Bengkulu. In November 2023, Stube-HEMAT Bengkulu started to raise two goats to produce one sack of manure (srinthil) worth IDR 30.000,- per month. With the benefits of manure and goats, such practice may reduce the need for manufactured fertilizer, even enable farmers produce self-made fertilizer. ***