Perkumpulan Tani Lestari Mandiri

LESMAN was established in 1992 with a vision to improve the sustainability of the rural environment by empowering farmers and their families in social politics, culture, economics and technical aspects. The organisation was established by 18 farmers in Boyolali (Central Java), which then was registered as a foundation in 1996. Because it wants to become more open for the farmer community, LESMAN converted itself into an association in 2007. LESMAN has been a Hivos' partners since 1999 with activities in organising, capacity building, advocacy, market access, access to finance, off-farm businesses development, and organisational strengthening. The main approach for LESMAN to work with the community is through the development of farmer field schools.
Between 2005 and 2008 LESMAN implemented a European Union project managed through Hivos.
The target group of LESMAN are small-scale farmers and their families. Until September 2008 there were 16.434 farmer households organised in 503 farmer groups in Boyolali (Central Java) and two other districts in Yogyakarta Special Province (Kulon Progo and Gunung Kidul). The farmers are organised in 3 farmer forums operating at district level (Jatari in Boyolali, Kompag in Gunung Kidul, and Jatirogo in Kulon Progo). LESMAN facilitated the establishment of economic units such as Pasar Tani (a marketing institution in Boyolali), Artha Dharma Lestari Saving and Credit Cooperatives (in Boyolali), Bina Artha Lestari Saving and Credit Cooperatives (in Gunung Kidul). It also provided inputs to the drafting of village level micro finance institution regulation.
In their previous Hivos supported project, LESMAN has been able to improve its staff capacities, and has also been successful in increasing the farmers communities' skill in managing social and economic institutions,
Based on LESMAN's consistency to work for improving farmers households' livelihood, concern to environment, and continuous improvement of its approach, Hivos supported LESMAN.

Type organisatie

Service organization /non-profit

Werkveld

Sustainable Production

Land

Indonesia

Opgericht

1996

Hivos partner sinds

1999

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» Over projecten van deze partner

PROJECTEN

Description:
Support to poor farmers to increase their food security and income, 2004 - 2008
DAC-sectors:	Crop production Environmental rights and safety Strengthening civil society
Location:	Central Java and Yogyakarta Province
Beneficiary:	small farmers, fishers, pastoralists, forest dwellers
activity	promotion natural farming
Direct outreach	120 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
Indirect outreach	15000 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
activity	management and community organisation training
Direct outreach	120 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
Indirect outreach	15000 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
activity	advocac and public campaigning
Direct outreach	100 - Policy level/ institutional
Indirect outreach	100000 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
activity	development of micro enterprises
Direct outreach	120 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
Indirect outreach	6000 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
Contract total:	519.322
Contractperiod:	15-09-2004 until 14-09-2008
This project is concerned with the promotion of sustainable and productive methods of farming and the development of profitable small businesses based on local resources. The aim is to increase food security and raise and ensure a sustainable income for small farming households in three districts in Central Java and Yogyakarta. The farmers are caught in a vicious circle of poverty: decreasing soil fertility, increasing prices of external inputs and low prices for their produce have resulted in a significant decrease of their household income. The project strategy is to help the farmers rely more on their own local knowledge and on locally available inputs. This includes the use of local seed varieties, locally produced natural fertilisers and, depending on the farmers' wishes, indigenous varieties of labour organisation. Furthermore, Lesman has set up a marketing organisation. Through this organisation they shorten the market chain and ensure farmers of a much higher price for their produce than they obtain through the conventional outlet channels. The farming households are also assisted with the development of small business based on local resources, which will provide them with a sustainable income. Advocacy and public campaigns are part of the project, with the aim to promote the project activities and influence the agricultural policy of the local and regional governments. The project activities consist of: - the formation and institutional strengthening of farmer groups (75 new groups total of 300 groups), village farmer forums and district farmer forums; - capacity building in and support of natural farming activities (120 males/females who will become technical cadres); - capacity building in (120 males/females who are the pioneer entrepreneurs) and support of activities that promote the development of productive small businesses based on local resources; - the promotion of advocacy and public campaigning activities, including capacity building in this field (120 males/females becoming the lobby and advocacy resource persons). At the end of this contract period it is expected that the number of farmer groups supported by Lesman has increased from 225 to 300 with a total of 9000 members (households) all having started natural farming activities. For these households expenses for agricultural inputs will have decreased by 70%, resulting in a significant increase in household income. Furthermore, it is expected that food stocks at the household level will have increased with extra food for 3 months per year per person. This will have a positive impact on the household income. Hivos supports this programme together with the EU because of potential to raise income levels of marginalized rural households. It aims to do so by enabling them to obtain higher incomes through sustainable activities which fits very well to Hivos' priorities in Indonesia.

Description:
Humanitarian Aid to Central Java and Yogyakarta Earthquake Victims, June 2006
DAC-sectors:	Food assistance Non-food relief assistance
Location:	Yogyakarta and Central Java Province, Indonesia
Beneficiary:	indigenous peoples, ethnic/religious/cultural minorities
activity	promotion natural farming
Direct outreach	120 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
Indirect outreach	15000 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
activity	management and community organisation training
Direct outreach	120 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
Indirect outreach	15000 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
activity	advocac and public campaigning
Direct outreach	100 - Policy level/ institutional
Indirect outreach	100000 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
activity	development of micro enterprises
Direct outreach	120 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
Indirect outreach	6000 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
Contract total:	163.943
Contractperiod:	01-06-2006 until 15-08-2006

Description:
Strengthening Palm Sugar Small Producers Capacity for Quality Improvement in Kulonprogo District
DAC-sectors:	Business and trade Crop production
Location:	Central Java
Beneficiary:	small farmers, fishers, pastoralists, forest dwellers
activity	Workshop
Direct outreach	50 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
Indirect outreach	500 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
activity	Publication
Direct outreach	500 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
Indirect outreach	1000 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
activity	Lobby and advocacy
Direct outreach	30 - Policy level/ institutional
Indirect outreach	500 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
Contract total:	28.700
Contractperiod:	05-12-2007 until 31-12-2008
In the beginning of 2007, Swisscontact Indonesia informed to Hivos that Big Tree Farms or PT Bening - an organic and fair trade buyer based in Denpasar - has order in a very big amount tor crystallised palm sugar (gula semut). Big Tree Farms has conducted pilot projects, research and training more than three years in Kulonprogo. The organic buyer has worked with local palm sugar producers to develop modern processing unit with healthy kitchen and efficient cooking stove that can produce 2 tons organic palm sugar per month. Big Tree Farms exports the product as a Heritage Palm Sugar to the United States and Japan, which gets positive response at both markets. The demand for palm sugar is also increasing with the increasing prices of sugar cane that is being made to become bioethanol for fuel. Hivos has a partner that works in Kulonprogo, namely Yayasan Lesman. Under the current contract (ID039S03), Lesman implements EU Program to improve food and income security of poor farmers' households in three districts in Central Java and Yogyakarta Provinces (Boyolali, Gunung Kidul and Kulonprogo) by increasing food production through promoting 'natural' farming activities and through promoting the development of micro-enterprises (with agricultural and/or off-farm products) based on local resources, and by public campaigning. Lesman has a farmer forum in Kulonprogo named KUB Jatirogo that has membership from farmer groups assisted by Lesman throughout the district. KUB Jatirogo has had a legal status as an association. In Kokap and Kalibawang Subdistrict, the farmers assisted by Lesman also work as palm sugar maker. The palm sugar home industry has generated additional income to their households apart from main activity in rice production. Lesman agreed to work together to improve the production of palm sugar from Kulonprogo alongside with their mission to develop Lesman to be a service provider in participatory quality management system. The organisation sees that development of capacity as service provider in quality system issue is strategic for other products from the farmers (cacao, coffee and vanilla), and for Lesman's other working areas such as Gunungkidul District (production area for cashew-nut) and Boyolali. Hivos then discussed the opportunity with LESMAN as the local organiser since ScI does not work directly in organising community. It is identified that palm sugar producers also wants to upscale their production but they do not know what to do. The current trading structure was also quite rigid since the interlocking trade system has been preserved for a long time with capital and trade dependency on bigger intermediaries. There also have been similar projects in the past but there was no assurance for market access. Some cooperation with buyers also happened then resulted in loss since the buyers did not pay their payables. All of these constraints are taken into account during problem analysis and proposal development. Swisscontatct approach is trying to build local capacity for LESMAN to specialise to become service provider for quality management and access to market and at the same time strengthening the local institution (KUB Jatirogo) based for organisasing farmers. Furthermore, farmers will be assisted to identify and collect market information. Current traders will not be excluded from the process, they can utilise their capacity in product selection and inspection. There will be no dependency to single buyer, instead with range of quality improvement the producers will be assisted to know buyers' requirement and then develop their products to meet those specific requirement.

Description:
Bridging Project - Strengthening Farmers' Institution to Achieve Self Reliance
DAC-sectors:	Crop production Business and trade
Location:	Central Java and Yogyakarta Special Province
Beneficiary:	small farmers, fishers, pastoralists, forest dwellers
activity	Workshop, meeting, strategic planning meeting
Direct outreach	200 - Intermediary level
Indirect outreach	16600 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
activity	Technical Assistance
Direct outreach	200 - Intermediary level
Indirect outreach	16600 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
activity	Regular Program Maintenance
Direct outreach	16500 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
Indirect outreach	65000 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
Contract total:	35.033
Contractperiod:	20-11-2008 until 19-05-2009
After implementing many projects from various donor for more than 10 years with the culmination in implementing EU project with Hivos, there are some fundamental issues that should be addressed. The issues are in relationships between Lesman and community organisers - clients, management of economic units, management of farmer forums, and position of LESMAN for giving more optimum assistance to the farmers. This project serves as a bridging project for supporting improvement of institutional setting, organisational development, improvement of technical capacity, and setting the future direction of LESMAN. Such discussion needs fundamental consensus inside the organisation and its constituents. Therefore, there will be workshops, meetings and strategic planning whereas supports to farmers will be maintained in minimum basis to continue the progresses achieved previously. The project will be done in the three districts where LESMAN has worked previously with the addition of Bantul and Klaten from the site of FKISP that is now developing rice marketing. The project will reach around 17,000 farmers. Hivos is interested to support this process as the process is very crucial for organisational and institutional development of LESMAN.

Description:
Developing Socio-Economic Institution to Support Farmers' Local-Based Sustainable Self Reliance on Food and Economy
DAC-sectors:	Crop production
Location:
Beneficiary:	small farmers, fishers, pastoralists, forest dwellers
activity	Farmer media strengthening
Direct outreach	500 - Intermediary level
Indirect outreach	20000 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
activity	Farmer Economic Institution Strengthening
Direct outreach	450 - Intermediary level
Indirect outreach	3275 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
activity	Farm and non-farm products strengthening
Direct outreach	1000 - Intermediary level
Indirect outreach	12000 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
activity	Strengthening of farmer forums
Direct outreach	1000 - Intermediary level
Indirect outreach	12000 - Beneficiaries: poor and/or marginalised women and men
Contract total:	318.288
Contractperiod:	20-08-2009 until 19-08-2012
The project titled "To Strengthen Farmers' Socio Economic Institutional Capacity in managing Local Resources for Sustainable Livelihood" will be implemented for 3 years. 400 farmer groups (12,000 households) will be assisted in 4 districts (Boyolali, Klaten, Gunung Kidul and Kulon Progo). The project aims to improve local resources management by increasing the capacity of farmers to meet their food needs and developing productive economic initiatives, strengthening farmers' social and economic institutions for improving collective action among farmers in a multi stakeholder approach, strengthening local government supports to improve livelihood of farmer community living in rural areas, and to improve organisational capacity of LESMAN in implementing farmer empowerment programmes. The principles of the programme are self reliance, gender mainstreaming, active participation in policy process, strengthening collaborative network, and capacity strengthening. The main activities of the project are: strengthening of 4 farmer forums, developing of farm and off-farm products through business development and quality management for 280 farmer groups involving 12,000 farmers, and internal organisational strengthening of Lesman. The activities implemented in this project are inline with the purpose of sustainable production programme to improve livelihood of small-scale farmers.