Association of Medical Doctors of ASIA, founded in 1984, Consultative Status with UN ECOSOC since 1995

  From 26 December 2018 to 25 January  2019, I visited AMDA Malino Farm in South Sulawesi to carry out periodic monitoring on an ongoing farming project. Dedicated to producing healthy and eco-frinedly produce, the farm has helped organic agriculture to take root in the locality.

Since the end of last harvest, AMDA farmers were busy preparing compost and chaff charcoal fertilizers for the next farming season. This time, the fertilizers were applied evenly to the fields to improve the soil structure and fertility. Prior to this process, the farmers plowed rice fields with a tractor to soften the soil, thereby allowing the compost to mix easily. The paddies are, then, plowed for the second time. One plot of rice field usually requires three to four sacks of compost and chaff charcoal.

 

 

 

To avoid the stem from getting bent, the farmers take extra care when moving a-month-old rice seedlings to the paddies. They wash off the mud from the root and tie the seedlings together with a string. After that, the seedlings are cut evenly to the same length. Ms.Maming, a local farmer, says, “The seedlings must be one-month-old, so that they do not get damaged easily when planting.”

Rice planting is carried out in groups from 7:30 AM until 4:00 PM. The rice field owner provides whatever is needed for those who help plant the rice. According to Mr.Thalib,  people who helped plant rice are given a salary of IDR 50,000 per person or paid with rice after the harvest.

AMDA Malino Farm also makes vegetables such as carrots, chilis and red onions depending on the season.

Until January 26, 2019, the farm has sold 410 kg of organic rice. The shipment of rice from Malino to Makassar (the biggest city in the region) is still being hampered by landslides that struck Malino, therefore, the transportation access has not been very smooth. Likewise, infrastructure is still not stable as power outages occur frequently due to strong winds and fallen electricity poles, which obviously affect the Internet connection.