We interrupted Pak Emoy at his work. He and his wife were at the far end of their ladang determining where best to plant rubber trees. We had come a long way on a wet footpath to reach their farm, and we, like they, were muddy. Back at his frail, board-thin house, he excused himself to shift out of his mud-stained shorts. We sat on an immaculately swept floor. Brush knives and other tools were stored on a wall, their blades wedged behind the bare studs. A portable generator and a large...
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We interrupted Pak Emoy at his work. He and his wife were at the far end of their ladang determining where best to plant rubber trees. We had come a long way on a wet footpath to reach their farm, and we, like they, were muddy. Back at his frail, board-thin house, he excused himself to shift out of his mud-stained shorts. We sat on an immaculately swept floor. Brush knives and other tools were stored on a wall, their blades wedged behind the bare studs. A portable generator and a large chainsaw filled a corner of the room. Pak Emoy explained that as a child he learned shifting cultivation--slash and burn--from his parents but that as an adult he had concluded there isn't land enough for that kind of agriculture to support a growing population. When the Indonesia nonprofit Yayorin, a Rare partner, came to the village of Tempayung touting the possibilities of sustainable farming, he was among the first to adopt their methods, which emphasize intensive composting to provide crops the nutrients they need. Now his farm is nearly a year and a half old. He has planted four of his ten acres by hand, for he has no access to any kind of tractor. For now Pak Emoy grows corn, cucumbers, and peppers to support his family of five. He has planted coconut, banana, mango, rambutan (a tropical fruit), and rubber trees for the long term. He hopes to try growing ramin, a high-value hardwood, for lumber. He explains that the quality of his crops depends upon the seed, and volunteers that working for himself, and not for the oil palm plantation, is a great source of satisfaction.
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