Frères des Hommes : FDH in Asia

“In Indonesia, FDH supports landless farmers in their fight for land access and consolidation of agriculture production.”

KPA :
Putting in place equitable agrarian reform is an essential challenge for Indonesia’s development, where half the population depends directly on agriculture for survival. For four years, FDH has supported the Indonesian organization, KPA, in its fight for land access and the strengthening of economic initiatives undertaken by the farmers of western Java.

KPA website:
http://www.kpa.or.id

To learn more about this project, click here.

Statistics on Indonesia

Human development index: 110 out of 177 countries (2)

Population: 245 452 739

Rural population: 54.4% (1)

Population below the level of poverty (-$2/day): 52.4% (2)

Population with access to potable water: 12% (2)

Life expectancy at birth: 66.5 years (1)

Infant mortality rate: 43/1000 (1)

Illiteracy rate (over 15 years): 12% (2)

Inflation rate: 6% (1)

Area: 1 904 570 km2 (1)

(1)State of the World 2006, La Découverte
(2)World Human Development Report 2005, PNUD, De Boeck University

Access to land and natural resources are two important challenges for the small farmers of Indonesia. In the 1970s, by offering free land and natural resource access to agro-industry multinationals, the Indonesian government systematically disenfranchised the farming population. Kicked off their land without compensation, tens of thousands of families had to migrate to the cities or find agricultural jobs, and had to resolve themselves to living in unstable situations.
© FDH

Supported by KPA and FDH, 500 families protested peacefully and were able to take back their land. Thanks to a system of loans put in place from seed purchases, the farmers could produce corn, rice, ginger, and vegetables on common land that the farmers cultivate individually.
© FDH

Frères des Hommes - 9 rue de Savoie - 75006 Paris
Tél. : 01 55 42 62 62 - Fax : 01 43 29 99 77
fdh@fdh.org - www.fdh.org