Seeking Better Pastures

The impact of out-migration on agriculture and farming households in two villages in Indramayu, West Java, Indonesia

FIELD Indonesia
FARMERS INITIATIVES FOR ECOLOGICAL LIVELIHOODS AND DEMOCRACY

FIELD Indonesia
FARMERS INITIATIVES FOR ECOLOGICAL LIVELIHOODS AND DEMOCRACY

Seeking Better Pastures

The impact of out-migration on agriculture and farming households in two villages in Indramayu, West Java, Indonesia

Citation
Setyo Untoro, Lardian Isfandri, Endang Sutarya and Arma R. Bertuso. Seeking Better Pastures: The impact of out-migration on agriculture and farming households in two villages in Indramayu, West Java, Indonesia. 2009. FIELD Indonesia. 24 pp.

This publication was carried out with support from PEDIGREA (Participatory Enhancement of Diversity of Genetic Resources in Asia) and Biodiversity Fund, The Netherlands (Hivos and OXFAM-NOVIB)

FIELD (Farmers' Initiatives for Ecological Livelihoods and Democracy) Jalan Teluk Jakarta 1, Rawa Bambu Pasar Minggu, Jakarta 12520, Indonesia Tel./Fax (62-21) 7803470; 33101515 Email: fieldind@indosat.net.id www.pedigrea.org; www.field-indonesia.org; www.alivefp3.org; www.theFieldAlliance.org

Production in-charge: Nugroho Wienarto, Triyanto Purnama Adi, and Engkus Kuswara Editors: Ines Vivian Domingo and Arma R. Bertuso Cover and Layout Design: Triyanto Purnama Adi Photographs: Triyanto Purnama Adi, Engkus Kuswara, Lardian Isfandri, Rendra Kusuma Wijaya, Wiwik Sriyanti, Setyo Untoro

Copyright-free publication. Readers are encourage to quote, reproduce, disseminate and translate materials for their own use. Due acknowledgment, with full reference to the article's authors and source book is requested.

A catalogue record of this book is available from the Indonesian Library

ISBN 979-98088-8-2

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Acknowledgments
We are deeply grateful for the farmer trainers, farmer breeders and farmer communities of the Farmer Field School on Participatory Plant Breeding in rice and vegetables and FFS on Goat Improvement. Without their determination and commitment these series of publications would not be a reality. Acknowledgment is also due to the support extended by the Local Government of Indramayu, West Java. Highly recognizable too is the appreciation and support of the Indonesian IPM Farmer Associations, village level governments and communities of Indramayu to the implementation of PEDIGREA. We are also grateful to FIELD's Advisory Board for their support and guidance in the implementation of the program. Our heartfelt gratitude to Ms. Ines Vivian Domingo for her perseverance in editing these papers despite the short notice and making this readable to a broader audience. We also express our appreciation to the support and encouragement given by PEDIGREA (Participatory Enhancement of Diversity of Genetic Resources in Asia) Coordinators, Ms. Elenita C. Dano and Ms. Arma R. Bertuso, also to the project partners, SRER Khmer in Cambodia, PPRDI in Philippines and Center of Genetic Resources of the Netherlands. We gratefully acknowledge Biodiversity Fund of the Netherlands (HIVOS and OXFAM-NOVIB), Center of Genetic Resources of the Netherlands, and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for without their support both financial and technical to FIELD these series of publications including Seeking Better Pastures: The impact of out-migration on agriculture and farming households in two villages in Indramayu, West Java, Indonesia won't be made possible.

FIELD Management Staff 25 March 2009 Pasar Minggu, Jakarta

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Seeking Better Pastures

The impact of out-migration on agriculture and farming households in two villages in Indramayu, West Java, Indonesia

By Setyo Untoro1, Lardian Isfandri2, Endang Sutarya3 and Arma R. Bertuso4

Migration is a global issue that extends to every corner of the world. The economic trends- brought about by trade liberalization and globalization have contributed in pushing and pulling people to migrate to cities and abroad in search of better livelihoods. This increasing trend affects agriculture and farming households in rural communities. Migration is broadly defined as the movement of people across a specified boundary for the purpose of establishing a new or semi-permanent residence, and is broadly categorized as international (migration between countries) and internal (migration within a country) (Population Handbook, 2004). Migration has been an important livelihood strategy among the poor, whether they are from the rural or urban areas (De Haan and Rogaly, 2002). Ellis (1988) shares a similar view that migration is one of the most important methods of diversifying rural livelihoods. However, the impact of migration on agriculture is also dependent on the context, such as the seasonality of movement, educational levels of migrants, the length of time spent away, assets and social structures and institutions (De Haan, 2000). Migration cuts across all groupings. Both men and women, the young and the older ones, and those with high or low educational attainments migrate. Globally, the data suggest that millions of people are migrating in one way or the other. This situation is not different in Indonesia, where a significant number of the population migrate to cities and abroad to find better employment. Many of them work as domestic helpers and factory workers in the Middle East, Korea and Taiwan.

2, 3 4

Project Coordinator, FIELD Indonesia Field staff, FIELD Indonesia Co-coordinator, PEDIGREA Foundation

There is also internal migration occurring, mostly from rural to urban. Jakarta, the country's capital, is a favorite place for job seekers, including some of the other big cities. This phenomenon is also prevalent in the project site of PEDIGREA in the Indramayu district located on north coast of West Java. Indramayu is one of the biggest rice bowl districts in the country and is about 4 hours drive from Jakarta. The area is part of the main target for Green Revolution program in the 1970s. As part of the program, the government and some seed companies vigorously promoted the use of hybrid rice seeds although the program is not quite successful due to less than ideal yields, pest and disease problems and expensive inputs. Due to economic pressures, many people including the women either work in off-farm activities, migrate to the cities, or seek employment overseas to provide additional income to support their families. Given this situation, the PEDIGREA team decided to gain a better understanding of the issues of migration and its possible implications in agriculture and the farming households. Specifically, the objectives of the research are as follows: 1. To generate information on migration, and its relation to agriculture and women in the communities of Indramayu; and 2. To examine the implications of migration on agriculture (with emphasis on PPB), such as the contribution of remittances in farming livelihood; changes in labor availability in farms; effects on agricultural productivity; changes in leisure time of those left behind; and social effects on the family and community.

The research was conducted in the two villages of Jengkok and Sliyeg Lor in Indramayu in March 2008 using three methods such as secondary data reviews, case stories, and workshop. The tools used were key informant interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs). Secondary data review was also done. Fifteen (15) men and women farmers who have experienced migrating for work were selected to join the workshop (10 of which have experience going overseas). Four key informants (2 women and 2 men) were interviewed for the case stories. Information gathered included migration types and destinations, patterns of migration, who migrates and reasons for migration, experiences, income, benefits and consequences of migration, and implications of migration to farming and to families left behind. The workshop was facilitated by FIELD staff with assistance from the PEDIGREA cocoordinator.

Map of Indramayu
Indramayu District

Jakarta

West Java Province

Project Site in Indonesia

Sliyeg Lor Village

Jengkok Village

Limitation of the study: The study was concentrated mainly in the villages of Jengkok and Sliyeg Lor where international migrants predominate. Thus, a follow up study is suggested to look at the seasonal migrants in the communities of Kroya and Longkok where this type of migration occurs to be able to get information on effects of seasonal migrants to the farming livelihoods.

About Indramayu and its farming characteristics

Indramayu is a coastal province in the Java Island which is located about 200 km east of Jakarta. It is considered as Java's rice bowl. It has a distinct wet and dry season, and within a distance of a few hours' drive from major urban consumer

markets with population of a few millions. All production in Indramayu is based on irrigation and the rice grown include modern varieties originating from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Indonesian National Agricultural Research Station (NARS, Sukamandi Rice Research Institute) as well as farmers' varieties. Normally, two crops per year are grown. The rice produced, aside from being used for home consumption, is often sold in the local markets although some of it is also marketed in nearby cities. Indramayu is also a major vegetable growing region. Local farmers recognize over 100 vegetable species that are either grown or collected in the area. Farmers raise some 10-20 kinds of vegetables, mostly for the local market and for Jakarta mainly through middlemen. Chicken is the most common farm animal raised by the farmers. Women in Indramayu play an important role in farming alongside the men. They contribute labor to most of the rice farming activities as shown in the table below.

Table 1. Women's and men's rice farming activities

Farming activities Land preparation Seedling preparation Transplanting Weeding Spraying Fertilizer application Irrigation Harvesting Threshing Drying of harvest

Women Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Men Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Who are the migrants? What is the extent of migration?

Both women and men in Indramayu migrate at a certain time of their life. The common age for migrating is between 15 to 45 years old which is a person's most productive years. Among the respondents, the average age for migration for the men is 19 years and for women, 23 years old. The average migrating age of married and unmarried people are 22 and 20 years old, respectively. When migrants reach their late 40s, most of them retire and stay at home.

Between men and women, majority of those who migrate internationally are the women as reflected in the table below:

Table 2. Estimated number and percentage of migrants by sex in Jengkok and Sliyeg Lor Community Total adult population 3,000 Number of migrants Percentage of migrants by sex 90% women 10% men 65% women 35% men

Sliyeg Lor

900-1,000 for both men and women 1,600 for both men and women

Jengkok

4,000

The table above shows the contrast in the percentages of migrant workers among the men and women, especially in Sliyeg Lor where 90% of them are women. The respondents said that women can easily get employment in the formal sector compared to the men, so there are much more women who leave the village to work elsewhere, especially abroad. Male migrants mostly go to cities, especially when they are younger and single. Most of them return home when they get married. From the interviews, most of the migrants are elementary and high school graduates. None among the respondents finished college. They said that college graduates had better employment opportunities in Indonesia so mostly they do not migrate.

Why do migrants migrate?

The workshop participants enumerated several reasons for why people migrate. Such reasons can be categorized into two, economic and social with the first one being the main reason for migrating. Increasing income for household expenses and education of the children is the most common reply of the interviewees. It was surprising to note that funds for agriculture-related expenses is not a common reason for migrating. On the other hand, it was also noted that marital causes (getting divorced or being left by a spouse) is one reason for seeking work outside the community. A person who is left by a spouse has a bigger responsibility to take care of the family and with limited or no job opportunities in the village, they are forced to leave for the cities or abroad.

Table 3. Main reasons for migrating

Type of migration International migration and Internal migration (city)

Economic ? Increase income for household expenses ? Support for children's education ? Higher salary ? Difficult to look for job

Social ? Frustration in marriage (husband left for another woman) ? Encourage from other migrants neighbors ? Looking for work experience

Internal migration (seasonal)

? No job opportunity in the village

Where do migrant workers go? What kinds of work do they do?

Table 4 shows the destinations of migrant workers. Abroad, the most common places for migrants are the Middle East and Asia. Middle East is a favorite destination for those working in the domestic services, mostly as house help. In Asia, particularly Korea, most of them work in factories (for men); many of those who go to Taiwan and Malaysia also work in factories (both women and men).

Table 4. Destination of migrant workers in Indramayu Place of destination Type International Women Middle East: - Kuwait - Abu Dhabi - Saudi Arabia Asia: - Korea - Taiwan - Malaysia Men Middle East: - Kuwait - Abu Dhabi - Saudi Arabia Asia: - Korea - Taiwan - Malaysia - Brunei Europe: - Spain Internal (rural-urban) Java Province - Jakarta - Riau Province - Batam Java Province: - Jakarta - Pulau Seribu - Cirebon - Bandung

On the other hand, internal migrants work mostly in the informal sector. Most of the women are engaged in domestic work as house help and baby sitters. It is also common for women to migrate seasonally for farm work, such as transplanter in rice fields. The men usually get jobs as construction workers, street vendors and drivers. The work commonly done by the migrants are shown in Table 5 below,

Table 5. Type of work of the migrants

Type of work Type of Migration International migration Female House helper Factory worker Male Family driver Gardener Factory worker Street vendor Construction Driver (taxi, bajai/becak*)

Internal migration (city)

Factory worker

Internal migration (rural) Internal migration (seasonal)

Transplanter in rice paddy Street vendor Construction worker Driver (taxi, bajai)

* tricycle for 2 people, either motorized or pedal-powered depending on the place.

Most international migrants work for a specific time as they are based on two-year contracts. Similarly, migrants to cities who work as factory workers are also bound by 2-year contracts. However, those in the informal sector have no specific time. Table 6 shows the average income earned by migrant workers. Typically, men get or have access to jobs that pay higher than the women do, but still majority of the migrants are women. From the discussions, women indicated that the lesser pay that they usually get is not a hindrance for them to migrate. They do not mind even if they have smaller income. The money they receive, regardless of the amount, is already a big help to them and their families back home.

Table 6. Average income from different types of jobs Types of jobs International: - House helper - Factory worker - Family driver - Gardener Internal (rural-urban): - Factory worker - Domestic work - Street vendor - Construction worker - Driver - Gardener Women Men

IDR 1M-2M/month IDR 5M-8M/month -

IDR 5M-8M/month IDR 2M-3M/month IDR 2M-3M/month

IDR 400K-700K/month IDR 200-400K/month -

No data available IDR 25K-50K/day IDR50K-70K/day IDR 20-50K/day

How do migrants use their remittances?

As shown in Table 7 below, incomes earned by the migrants are usually spent for building houses (1st) and purchasing vehicles (2nd). It is noted that the use of the remittances for agricultural expenses, such as purchase of land and support for farming production, is on the 5th and 6th priorities.

Table 7. Use of income from migrant employment Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 Use of income Build (or renovate) house Purchase of vehicle (car, motorcycle) Household expenses Education of children Purchase of agricultural land Support for farm production (buy inputs)

Boxes 1and 2 relate the stories of migrant workers who helped in buying farm land for their families. However, agriculture-related investments rank low in the priority, as illustrated in Box 3.

Box 1 A migrant worker to the Middle East who helped her family (husband) purchase a farm land:

Ms. Dania is a migrant worker to the Middle East. She worked in Kuwait from 1993 to 1996, then in Abu Dhabi from 2004 to 2007. She is 39 years old and separated from her husband. She had two sons. She finished secondary school. During the processing of her papers, Dania had to stay for a month with the travel agency in Jakarta while waiting for employment; this is a common problem among migrant workers. In Abu Dhabi, she worked for a big family with 12 sons, so she worked for extended hours. She worked 20 hours a day with no days-off and no holidays. She received a monthly salary of 135 US dollars. Her reason for going abroad is to help her husband earn an income. However while she was away, her husband took off with another woman, taking with him Dania's earnings. Her husband also left behind their sons, and they were taken in by Dania's mother. Then another setback happened while she was abroad; one of her sons died due to sickness in 2004. Her family kept it a secret from her for three years, and only got to know about it when she arrived home in 2007. Dania sent money back home, and the remittances were used for education of the sons, support for her parents (household expenses), build a house, and buy an agricultural land for the husband (before they got separated).

Box 2 A migrant worker in Taiwan able to purchase a land:

Warya is 32 years old from the village of Jengkok. He finished elementary school. From 1997 until 1999, he worked as a migrant worker in Taiwan. He was directly hired by the owner of the company. During the interview, he was asked about his skills in handling machines, and his language comprehension did not matter with his employer. Warya was hired to work in a motorcycle shop that sells spare parts. His primary reason for wanting to work abroad was to improve the finances of his family. He specifically planned to use his income for capital when he would come back home. He worked 8 hours a day, starting at 7:00 am and finishing up by 4:00 pm. However, if the company needed him to work overtime, he must do it or else he would be sent home. He got one-day off weekly and a longer leave, for a week, during the Chinese New Year. He was paid 800 US dollars/month (equivalent to IDR 8.000.000). After his twoyear contract, he came home. The money he earned was used to buy a piece of land (4 hectares).

Box 3 A woman who worked in the Middle East with no contribution to agriculture:

Ms. Suswati from Sliyeg Lor village, Indramayu, is 39 years old and a divorcee. She worked as a house helper in the Middle East. Prior to her migration, she owned a warung (a small shop) in the village where her husband was the village head. For addititional income, she also worked as a hired laborer in the community during rice harvesting. She went to Saudi Arabia the first time from 1997-1998, and the second time from 1999-2001. This was followed by her employment in Abu Dhabi from 20032004 and a second time from 2006-2007. Her salary is 250 US dollars a month. The processing of her employment costs 200US dollars in 1997; the second time, she paid triple that amount, at 600US dollars. However, the fourth time was free as her employer paid for it. The reason for her working in another country is to support her children as she is a single parent. She got separated from her husband because of another woman before she migrated. She had two sons, who were taken care of by her mother when she had to go abroad. During her third employment (her first time in Abu Dhabi), she had to come home because one of her sons died. She sent money regularly for the education of her children, and to support her parents. Most of the remittances were used for household expenses, and none of it for agriculture as was the case with other families who invest in buying farm land. During her last employment abroad, part of the remittance was used to pay for the processing of his son's application to work in Korea. Ms. Suswati feels that she was lucky because the family she worked for was kind and she got along well with them. The family was also generous to her, because they gave her clothes, bonuses, and presents. She worked from 5 am-1 pm, and then resumed at 3pm-11pm. She had no days-off, but got a 1-day holiday during the New Year. She also speaks Arabic which was an advantage in her work. At present, she is helping three women relatives from her community to go to Abu Dhabi to work as house helpers. This is mainly because the family whom she worked for asked her to look for other Indonesians that they can trust to work in their home. She feels and thinks there was no problem in her employment abroad.

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What are the issues and problems in migration?

When asked about the problems that they experienced in the different stages of migrating, the responses are shown in Table 7 below.

Table 7: Problems associated with different stages of international migration

Stages Before

Problems in migrating ? ? ? ? Processing time takes too long High processing fee of agencies Difficulty in completing the documents Faking of documents

During

? Difficulty with foreign language ? Too long working hours (6am to 12 midnight) ? Deductions in the salary by the employer to cover the transportation expenses of the migrant ? Female migrants not allowed to go out of the house so they cannot make the money transfer in person ? When they get sick, the hospitalization expenses and medicine costs have to be paid for by the migrant ? Limited food rations (not enough) are provided by the employer ? Agency does not honor the contract; the female migrants are brought to work in the sex trade and not as house helper ? Migrants upon arrival in the country are still asked to pay some money for administration fees which are not clear to them and can be considered as illegal charges ? Difficulty in renewing relations with their children (the children do not know them) upon coming back to Indonesia

After

Before migrating, the respondents said that processing-related matters are the most common problems. Once they arrive in their country of destination, the most common problem is the workers' difficulty with the foreign language, compounded with their limited facility with English. Long working hours and strict employers are also a common problem as illustrated in Box 4. But despite this, the respondents said that they do not mind these hardships because the money they earn is needed by their families back home. When they come home, the most common problem is reconnecting with their families, especially the children.

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Box 4 A migrant to Saudi Arabia who had to work long hours with a strict employer:

Ms. Kunaenah from Jengkok village is 32 years old. The reason she went abroad was that her husband left her and their children, so she needed to be able to support her children. She spent around 800 USdollars for processing her documents. She worked in Saudi Arabia for 2 years as a family servant. The family had 2 naughty children. Her day would start at 5 in the morning to prepare food for the family. Then at 7 am, the couple (husband and wife) would go to work and Kunaenah cleans up the house. At 11 am, she prepares food for the family. When they sleep, she can also take a rest. For 2 years of her employment, the family did not allow her to go out of the house. Everything she needed was provided for by her employer. Her salary was 180 US dollars/month (equivalent to IDR 1.800.000/month). With her savings from this small amount, she was able to build a house and support the education of her children.

Implications of migration
Migration has both positive and negative consequences. As mentioned earlier, economic gains is the main push for migrants to seek employment elsewhere. They use their income for investments like construction of a house, purchase of vehicles and land. In terms of social gains, the workshop participants said they can also learn the language and,culture of their host countries (including culinary and other skills required for their job), and the possibility of pilgrimage to Mecca for those who work in the Middle East. The opportunity to visit Mecca is a big deal for Indonesians as most of them are Muslims. However, there are also negative implications of their leaving their families behind which they have to seriously consider. When a family member leaves for work elsewhere (especially overseas), there are accompanying consequences. What will happen to those they leave behind (children, grand parents, husband/wife)? The responses include the following: ? Husbands have to take over some housework, and they may feel less manly. Husbands feel let alone because there is no one to take care of them.

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Farmer family in Jengkok Village

? ?

Children became spoiled with money. Grandparents have to take care of grandchildren left by their mothers.

In some worse cases, when the wife leaves, the marriage suffers and the husband gets another woman so there is an increase in divorce rate among migrants. Conversely, it (divorce or separation from the spouse) is also the cause of migration. This case is observed in the village of Sliyeg Lor.

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Another implication that was observed is the change of habits and norms of the migrants when they come back from overseas employment. Because a lot of them have experienced having disposable money while working abroad and can buy anything they wanted, they usually bring back with them this new spending habit. They tend to be consumeristic, thus taking on a lifestyle different from what they had before. Some of them have not cultivated the habit of saving, which is another reason why they need again and again to migrate for work. Another view is that migrant workers generally have low educational attainments, thus most of them rarely think and plan about the future. The respondents stated that migration has implications on agriculture particularly in the availability of labor for farming. Family labor is lessened so there is an increase in the production costs when farmers resort to hired labor. When migrants leave their village, especially the women, there is less labor particularly for transplanting. In wetland paddy production, transplanting work involves prior uprooting of seedlings from the seed beds. Handling seedlings is a delicate task because they are fragile, so it is usually the women who perform this task.

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Another big implication on agriculture is that some migrants have to sell their (farm) lands to pay for the processing fees for migrating. Also, when migrants return home, some of them are less inclined to go back to farming. Thus, it is important for a migrant to weigh these positive and negative consequences.

Where do we go from here?

Involving migrants in the PPB work in Sliyeg and Jengkok villages
If poverty in rural communities continues, migration will also continue. Despite its possible negative consequences, migrating is seen as an alternative, and perhaps even a more attractive source of livelihood for millions of people, similar to the case of Jengkok and Sliyeg Lor in the rice bowl district of Indramayu. In order to curb this phenomenon, more employment opportunities must be established in rural communities. Farming and farm-related enterprises must remain attractive for people so that rural villages will continue to improve and create jobs that will stop or at least lessen migration to cities and abroad.

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Woman group in Sliyeg Lor Village

To encourage the participation of women, particularly former migrant workers, some activities were implemented in Sliyeg Lor. A women's group composed of 30 people are actively involved in different activities related to participatory plant breeding. These activities include a community seed bank for rice and vegetables. Aside from the community seed bank, the women are also busy with capacity building. They meet once a month to discuss various topics from technical to social issues such as sustainable agriculture, cooperation, and others. The PEDIGREA project in Indramayu will continue its efforts in PPB, PAI and participatory marketing that will involve men and women, migrant or otherwise, in its activities. The women's group that had been established will continue in its work in community seed banking as the women's counterpart in helping their husbands and families to improve life in their rural villages. Organizing them in a group for specific agriculture-related activities might revive and sustain their interest in farming. And in the end, they will not have to migrate for jobs because the green pastures are right at home.

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References:
De Haan, Arjan. 2000. Livelihoods and Poverty: The Role of Migration A Critical Review of Migration Literature. Journal of Development Studies. 36(2). De Haan, Arjan and Ben Rogaly . 2002. 'Introduction: Migrant Workers and Their Role in Rural Change'. Journal of Development Studies. 38(5): 1-14. Ellis, Frank. 1998. 'Household Strategies and Rural Livelihood Diversification'. Journal of Development Studies. 35(1): 1-38.

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FIELD
FIELD Indonesia Foundation (Farmer Initiatives for Ecological Livelihoods and Democracy) is an organization that supports people in marginal communities through education for empowerment. FIELD Indonesia was established on 1 June 2001. FIELD key staffs are former members of the FAO Regional Program on Community IPM in Asia (www.CommunityIPM.org) in 1998-2002 and were part of the team that provided technical assistance over 12 years to the National IPM (Integrated Pest Management) Program, local farmer organizations and the Indonesian IPM Farmers Associations. FIELD activities make use of a variety learning approaches including the Farmer Field Schools & Studies, Community Action Research, Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, and Farmer Advocacy. FIELD's vision is that marginal communities in Indonesia re-claim and remanage their public domains and improve their livelihoods. And its missions are to facilitate marginal communities to be able to: ? Analyze and understand the conditions of the ecosystems that form the basis of their livelihoods in technical, social and political aspects. Organize themselves to conduct actions to enhance their livelihoods in a manner that is both ecologically sound (just and in harmony with the nature) and democratic (just and in harmony with other people).

Specifically, FIELD as a partner of PEDIGREA is doing the conservation and utilization of genetic resources by farmers on rice, local vegetables (sponge gourd, bitter gourd and pumpkin) and animal (goat), participatory market development, and policy advocacy within the framework of Farmers' Rights and Ecological Agriculture in Indramayu District, West Java Province. Currently, FIELD is also working in other programs, such as Sustaining Local Food Systems and Agro-biodiversity, Community Action Research for Advocacy Education and Local Policy Reform, Environment Services Program Field Schools, Community Biodiversity and Livelihoods Field Schools, Home garden Vegetable and Nutrition Field Schools as a part of Household Food Security Program, Ecological Agriculture and Organic Farming, Ecological IPM in vegetables, and System of Rice Intensification (SRI).

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PEDIGREA
The Participatory Enhancement of Diversity of Genetic Resources in Asia (PEDIGREA) is a project that aims to strengthen the capability of farming communities to manage their genetic resources as part of local agro-biodiversity. The project focuses on:

? participatory plant breeding aimed at the broadening of the genetic base of rice in intensive production systems, ? participatory crop improvement of local and traditional vegetables (i.e. pumpkin, sponge gourd, wax gourd, bitter gourd, eggplant, string beans), ? participatory animal improvement aimed at enhancing the genetic base of farm animals (i.e. pig and goat), and ? participatory market development aimed at creating and improving market opportunities for local and regional farm products. The purpose of PEDIGREA is to contribute to food sovereignty and to strengthen farmers' genetic diversity and knowledge systems in the rice based farming systems of Southeast Asia. It works on participatory methodologies developed in the Farmer Field School (FFS) approach with the partner farming communities. At the same time, the project build on the comparative advantages of all key actors in the management of genetic resources including those from the public sector. PEDIGREA project is implemented in three countries, namely: Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines. PEDIGREA project partners are SRER KHMER in Cambodia, FIELD in Indonesia and PPRDI in the Philippines, and the CGN, the Netherlands. The project is coordinated by the PEDIGREA Foundation.

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Seeking Better Pastures

The impact of out-migration on agriculture and farming households in two villages in Indramayu, West Java, Indonesia

ISBN 979-98088-8-2