Kabar Itah

Edition 6: April-June 2005

Dear Reader, Village Development Planning Completed in Three Villages

With this edition of Kabar Itah we are
approaching the end of our first village level
planning cycle; and the process has gone
remarkably smoothly, albeit with a lot of effort
from everyone involved.

There is a strikingly similar pattern emerging

from the first three villages that have completed
the cycle. First, there’s a core cluster of
resource-based production activities that most
villagers are doing – upland dry rice, rubber
tapping, and animal husbandry. The issues
and problems with these activities are very
similar – problems with pests and disease
and declining soil fertility for field crops, and
animal health problems in chickens and pigs.
Second, the better off households have a much
Villagers from Tumbang Ponyoi engaging in the village development planning process
more diversified array of production activities.

Starting in July, the first group of local technical
support experts will start making the rounds of
the villages to talk with people and to visit their
production sites. This process will give them
a clear picture of the support required in each
village. Before leaving the village, they will
make a proposal to the people for a program
of technical support that will cover an entire
production cycle. After the village visits, YTS
staff will help the experts develop training
modules and information materials, and will
accompany them when they start to implement
their support programs.
In August, YTS staff will work with village
management groups and the village
leadership to help them prepare the
presentations of their development plans to
the sub district in September.
We hope you all have a relaxing and
recuperative summer!
Bardolf Paul
Director
Three villages have completed this years annual planning with the finalization
of their Village Development Plans. Tumbang Korik produced their plan in
May, while Mangkuhung and Tumbang Manyoi finished theirs in June. The
three plans share a similar emphasis on five major livelihood activities –
upland rice cultivation, rubber tapping, and raising chickens, pigs, and fish.
The village meetings called to discuss the proposed plans were active
affairs with a good turnout and strong engagement of both women and
men. There was a lot of discussion about the new arrangements to manage
the planning and development process. Questions arose about the roles,
relationships and functions of the Village Management Group and the
Technical Interest Groups; how these would connect with the existing
institutions for village management and leadership; and what follow up to
expect from YTS and the government.
Pest and disease issues featured highly in the proposed plans, with
declining soil fertility another serious concern. YTS has identified local
technical experts that the villages can contract with to help them overcome
these problems. These experts live and work in the same area, they speak
the local language, and will introduce improved technologies that are
economically sustainable and environmentally friendly. These technologies
will fit well with local physical and cultural conditions. And in order to protect
the environment and avoid unsustainable costs, organic approaches will
be supported to fight pests and improve soil fertility.
The village plans are based largely on individual household plans, so for
the first time, government planners will have accurate data for their own
planning needs. The expectation is that government programs will be more
appropriately crafted to match the reality and needs on the ground.
Kabar Itah Mining Gold in Tumbang Ponyoi Village
Kabar Itah is the quarterly newsletter of
Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta, an affiliate of In early May, Tumbang
PT. Kalimantan Surya Kencana
Ponyoi began its very
first village-wide
planning activity. Ponyoi
Content of "Kabar Itah"
Edition 6, April-June 2005
is the most remote
village on the
Greetings............................................ 1
Hamputung River - a
Village Development Planning Com- major tributary of the
pleted in Three Villages ..............1
Kahayan River - and the
Mining Gold in Tumbang Ponyoi ........2 villagers are heavily
YTS Staff on the Move ....................... 2 involved in gold mining
activities. Almost 80% of
A Successful Low Intensity Home
Garden .............................................3 the 122 households in
Profile of a Kalimantan Kids Club
the village are mining
Member.............................................3 gold, either by gold
panning or using large
Phasing Out the Mother and Child
Program .......................................... 4
dredging machines.
Currently, 40 dredges
World Environment Day 2005 in
Palangka Raya................................. 4 are operating in the
village area; 70% are
WWF's "Heart of Borneo" Program Land destruction from gold mining in Tumbang Ponyoi
...........................................................4 owned by Ponyoi
residents.
Cooperation with Betang Asi
Credit Union.....................................4
Villagers have been using dredging machines since 1985, washing away the soil to extract the gold. In
3rd Quarter Agenda ....................... 4 1990 they changed the technology to suck up the soil and water through the sluice box. Normally five or
six workers run each machine under a revenue-sharing arrangement. Net revenue is shared 50/50
between the owner and the workers. The main expenses for running the dredge are fuel and oil. Cost
of living expenses are deducted from the worker’s share. The owner is responsible for maintenance
and repair costs.

Income from gold mining is uncertain and depends on the quality of the site. It is very easy to lose
money or go into debt if the volume of gold recovered is too low. Fuel consumption determines the level
of profitability; a single 200 liter drum can run a machine for three or four days. The break even point
Published by
after using one drum is 15 grams of gold. One dredge owner from Ponyoi, Pak Ambu, only recovered
Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta eight grams of gold after using two drums of fuel, resulting in a major loss. However, at another time,
Jl. Teuku Umar No. 32A he recovered 800 grams after using only eight drums. Depending on quality, the price for gold also
Palangka Raya 73112
Central Kalimantan-Indonesia varies. In the Hamputung River, the quality ranges from 76 to 90 carats, and the price varies from
Phone. +62 536 3237184 US$10 - $12 per gram.
Fax. +62 536 3229187
Email: mayangm@gmail.com
People use either their own land or they rent from others on a revenue sharing or fixed price arrangement.
Editor The fixed price rental is risk free, but revenue sharing offers a potentially higher return, with the landowner
Mayang Meilantina
receiving one equal share with the workers. If the return is too low, there’s not only no income but also
the land is destroyed from washing into the river.
Editorial Staff
Ros Siana
Naumi
Yapet M. Siwung
Saefudin Muthohar YTS Staff on the Move
Bank Account
Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta At the end of April, Ros Siana from YTS attended a seminar hosted by FPPD, the Forum for Innovation
Danamon Bank
Palangka Raya Branch
in Village Development, a Ford Foundation funded platform for promoting innovative practices for
Number 11655412 community development. The theme of the seminar was “Strengthening Socio-economics in the
Village”, and discussions focused on identifying strategic issues and creating an action plan for a
conference planned for next year.

The participants agreed that social values and social capital are being eroded in many communities;
and that economic policy is not supporting poor and marginalized communities. To empower village
economic development, it was suggested to incorporate business activities in community development
programs. As a follow up to the seminar, FPPD will establish some working groups to identify important
issues and problems villages are facing today.

On her return from Malang, Ros Siana dropped by the exhibition of innovative pro-poor services in
Jakarta, sponsored by the World Bank and other donor agencies. The exhibition showed the work of 70
We welcome any news , comments and
articles related to community and
finalists from a countrywide competition between service providers who are working in agriculture,
regional development efforts, but we health, education, clean water, and sanitation. The finalists presented innovative solutions for poverty
reserve the right to edit any material in
order to fit the available space.
alleviation, such as clean water supply, hydropower generation, creating learning materials for pre-
schoolers, and producing organic fertilizer from recycling waste. Rosi was especially interested in
solutions to provide clean water using filtration and hydram pumps.
2 Kabar Itah - Edition 6
A Successful Low Intensity Home Garden

Pak Bundu, a 67 year old former schoolteacher, is

growing an extraordinary home garden around his
house in Tumbang Korik. Originally from Tewah District,
south east of Palangka Raya, he moved to Korik in
1969 to become the elementary school teacher. After
retiring eight years ago, he started working on his home
garden. His house is a short 10 minute walk across
the river from the main village area.

Pak Bundu uses simple equipment and few external

inputs in managing his garden. The arrangement is
highly diversified, with a large variety of trees and plants,
as well as chickens, pigs, and fish. The garden has
developed bit by bit, without any outside help. Pak
Bundu wants to create an example that will motivate
others in the community to follow. Sometimes he sells
his garden produce, but if anyone asks he is happy to
share his harvest.

Upon arriving in the garden, the visitor is first welcomed

by a small and neatly spaced banana and oil palm Retired school teacher, Pak Bundu, in his outstanding home garden
plantation. This is a rare sight, as most Dayak gardens
tend to appear chaotic and unmanaged. In the rest of
Pak Bundu’s garden there are vegetables, fruit trees, and medicinal plants, including cassava, coconut, jack fruit, mango,
morinda, guava, pepper, sugar cane, papaya, betel vine, chili, and local medicinal species. The nursery for mango, durian,
rambutan and other local fruit trees gets particular care and attention. He is very enthusiastic about his garden, and plans to
extend his efforts to raising fish and planting more rubber. He believes that gold mining has no future, and that rubber is the best
investment to ensure a long term and sustainable livelihood.

Pak Bundu has six children and 14 grandchildren. He is hoping that soon there will be road access to the village so he can more
easily sell his garden produce. Korik village is still fairly isolated, and is completely dependent on river transport by small boats
called kelotok. A trip to the sub district town usually takes two hours by river, and the journey can be a little dangerous in places.
Pak Bundo hopes his fellow villagers will take up new technologies and advance their knowledge; and that they will continue to
work diligently and patiently with their home gardens, rice fields, and rubber plantations until they achieve success.

Profile of a Kalimantan Kids Club Member

Sariman is a 23 year old, third year architecture student

who, since starting university three years ago, has been
supported in his studies by the Kalimantan Kids Club
(KKC) scholarship fund. Sariman commented that,
“This scholarship is very helpful in covering my tuition
fees and other expenses.” He is enrolled in the
Technical Faculty at the University of Palangka Raya,
and recently was selected as the KKC Coordinator by
the 16 other scholarship holders.

He’s the third of six siblings, and receives very little

money from his family in Tumbang Napoi village. To
cover his expenses, Sariman works part time painting
houses, gardening, and doing construction. He stays
with his sister, an elementary school teacher, and
shares the costs. He became interested in architecture
in senior high school, and wants to work as a design
consultant in Palangka Raya, possibly opening an
agency with some of his friends. He has no plans to
return to his village.
Architecture student, Sariman, receives a scholarship from Kalimantan Kids Club

One of the features that Sariman appreciates is, “The

KKC scholarship provides certainty for my education, because it is guaranteed until I finish my studies. This is very different from
other scholarships that only cover one semester.” He also hopes that many other students from his area will be able to continue
their education with help from YTS and the Kalimantan Kids Club.

Kabar Itah - Edition 6 3

Phasing Out the Mother & Child Program
Weighing babies in the Mangkuhung mother and child group
As part of its change in strategic focus to empower villagers, YTS is phasing
out its direct technical support for programs such as the Mother & Child
nutritional supplement feeding. Formal support to the six participating villages
began in 2001 and will end in June this year. YTS believes it has done all it
can to support this activity and now it’s up to the mothers to carry it forward.
The program provided a means for mothers to meet to discuss issues, and
to improve their knowledge about child health care. YTS lacked specific
skills in this area, so acted mainly as a facilitator and provider of funds for
food supplements. Each month the mothers bought food, such as green
beans or chicken. These were cooked and distributed at a monthly baby
weighing gathering. During the event each participant contributed a small
amount to a common fund.
The main objective of the activity was to motivate mothers to monitor more
closely the health of their babies, and to improve the quality of nutrition. About
30-40% of the babies in each village attended the monthly gatherings. Most
of these groups will continue this activity, because they have their own fund
and can receive additional support from the government.
World Environment Day 2005 in Palangka Raya
In early June, 30 NGOs came together for two days in central Palangka Raya
to celebrate and promote World Environment Day. One major focus was
promoting the conservation of peatland in the province. There were several
activities, including a parade with banners, an exhibition of NGO projects,
painting and colouring contests, and a live music performance. The public
turnout was very disappointing. Planning for next year should start much
earlier and create a more strategic and higher profile event.
Kalimantan, the world’s third largest island, can make a major impact on
global environmental health through better management of its natural
resources, especially its forests. The island is facing many environmental
challenges, such as forest fires, illegal logging, and uncontrolled artisanal
mining. Sustainable solutions have to be found to prevent environmental
devastation and to promote balanced development. Building awareness of
the issues and needs is essential, and a single day is not nearly enough.
WWF’s ‘Heart of Borneo’ Program
Very recently WWF launched its ‘Heart of Borneo’
initiative, which aims to conserve 22 million
hectares just north of PT KSK’s mineral
concession. This is a welcomed move as it
means mobilizing global resources to conserve
areas of high value biodiversity. It is presumed
that one of the first steps would be to map in
detail all natural resource values in the area, in
order to create a management plan that
balances both conservation and exploitation,
and provides a scientific basis for all interested
parties to discuss the options.
For nearly a year YTS has been looking into
biodiversity conservation in PT Kalimantan
Surya Kencana’s mineral exploration area. The
location is in prime natural forest and the
directors want to create the least disturbance to
biodiversity, if mineral exploitation moves ahead.
Contacts have been made with several
conservation agencies, and plans are in the
works to conduct a rapid biodiversity survey as
soon as funds are available.
In late May, the YTS met with WWF staff to learn
more details about the initiative and to express
support and interest in the planning process.
YTS will continue to follow up with WWF as its
plans move forward.
Cooperation with Betang Asi Credit
Union
In mid-May, YTS brought the representative of a
local credit union to two villages in the Miri River
- Mangkuhung and Tumbang Manyoi. Betang
Asi Credit Union is based in Palangka Raya
and is interested in expanding its services to
villages in our area. Andreas Hari Saputra met
with villagers, explained the services of the credit
union, and encouraged them to join and open
savings accounts. Several people joined right
away, and YTS will facilitate communications
until the credit union service point is opened in
the district capital, Kuala Kurun.
3rd Quarter Agenda
July
Village development planning meetings in
Maraya, Tumbang Ponyoi, Karetau Sarian,
Tumbang Anoi
Technical experts in rice, rubber, and pigs visit
selected villages
UNIDO Global Mercury Program activity in
Palangka Raya
September
Presentation of Village Development Plans to
Sub District
Kabar Itah - Edition 6 4