“Learning from one another” – that was the motto of our agroforestry workshop conducted from 28 to 30 March 2017 in Mataso, Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan. The goal of our discussion rounds and field activities with local cocoa farmers and members of the new agroforestry trainer group IPAMA (Ikatan Penyuluh Agroforestry Malinau) was to share knowledge and experiences about cocoa agroforestry management and organization building for cocoa processing and marketing.
On our first day, IPAMA members showcased the reasons and processes of building-up IPAMA as an organization. Inspired by the stories from Malinau, the Mataso farmers discussed the possibilities of creating their own group in order to facilitate the local cocoa business. In the following days, we visited three cocoa agroforestry demonstration plots implemented in 2015. We observed and discussed the potentials and constraints in design and management and explored possible solutions for upcoming challenges.
We also conducted field exercises to learn more about good pruning practice. We completed our come-together by visiting the nearby community forest (hutan desa) where we enjoyed a social evening with the community of Karangan Bunut and celebrated the inauguration of their beautiful new eco-lodge for tourists.
Our workshop was an excellent opportunity to bring together local people from North and West Kalimantan and to let them share ideas and solutions about improving the production, processing and marketing of cocoa from agroforestry systems. We hope that the knowledge and ideas emerging from our workshop will motivate and support the participants to try out more activities towards sustainable cocoa production and marketing.
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Regine Brandt, Development Advisor for Agroforestry, Email: regine.brandt@giz.de
Karl Jäger, Development Advisor for Agroforestry, Email: karl.jaeger@giz.de
Petrus Derani, Local Coordinator in Kapuas Hulu, Email: petrus.derani@yahoo.com
Halim Pratama, Local Advisor in Malinau, Email: pratamahalim.eng@gmail.com
