Social Media Lends a Hand to Budding Agripreneurs

Social media platforms such as Facebook are popular among most Indonesians. This is no exception for the millennial farmers in Kerta Bumi village, Paser district, East Kalimantan. Among them is Suci Ratni, a 29-year-old female farmer.? As a young mother and a millennial, she uses social media to share content such as recipes, photos and videos of her children.

Of late, she has also been using social media channels to sell vegetables. Her husband Edi Komarudin, and her brother-in-law Eko Cahyono, are also actively using Facebook for a similar purpose.

Encouraging Farmers to Become Agripreneurs

Solidaridad encourages farmers to expand and achieve more as agripreneurs. And, digital social media platforms are very popular and accessible to most Indonesians.? Many of them are therefore utilizing this platform (Facebook) to create a simple and personal marketplace where they sell their products.

According to the Agriculture Ministerial Regulations No. 98/2013, a smallholder is someone who manages land under 25 hectares. However, the ground reality is that smallholders usually manage land only between two and four hectares. With modest planting techniques and inputs, the average farm productivity is often only one ton per hectare. The price of fresh fruit bunches (FFBs) fluctuate, and is currently between IDR 1,300 (0.087 euros) and IDR 2,000 (0.133 euros) per kg. This means if the family of a smallholder relies solely on the income from a monthly yield of 4 hectares, their net income is approximately between IDR 4,800,000 (EUR 320 euros) and IDR 5,200,000 (347 euros), which is inadequate. In such a scenario, income diversification is a necessity. This can be achieved by identifying other sources of income such as selling vegetables and horticultural produce. Farm diversification is also beneficial for restoring soil health and improving soil fertility.

“Encouraging smallholder farmers to enhance their farm management practices is a key aspect of Solidaridad's vision. Smallholders are encouraged to move beyond conventional farming methods. By shifting from traditional farming to sustainable practices and a business-driven model, smallholders can improve their income and ultimately achieve greater economic security and well-being. This transition is crucial for ensuring long-term welfare and resilience in the farming sector,” says Edy Hartono, Senior Programme Manager – Agricultural Carbon, Solidaridad Indonesia.

Before long, Suci, Edi, and Eko began using social media to share more than just their daily activities. As farmers, in addition to managing their oil palm estates, they also maintain vegetable gardens in their backyard. Initially, the family grew vegetables, spices, and herbs for household consumption. Since their garden thrived, producing surplus harvests, this led them to start offering the excess produce to their neighbours. Suci began posting photos of the vegetables on her Facebook, encouraging people to place orders. Suci explains their simple sales model: "I usually post several photos of different vegetables we've harvested, and people place their orders in the comments section. We take notes, close the orders, and then start delivering to the buyers."

When asked why she chose to use social media as a sales platform, Suci answers, "It's very convenient. We just post the photos and deliver as per the orders. There's no need to go around the village to sell. Luckily, everything is always sold out by the end of the day." The three of them also understand quite well how social media works. In fact, they often mention each other to ensure a wider outreach.

Edi and Eko have adopted a similar approach to Suci, promoting their home products—such as compost and vegetable seedlings—on their Facebook accounts. Suci often reposts their updates on her profile. Edi and Eko also share farming tips and updates on their activities with Solidaridad’s field staff, offering insights into the techniques they use at home.

The two brothers are responsible for managing the compost house in the backyard of their parents' home. Through mentoring and by attending farmers' field school classes organized by Solidaridad, Edi and Eko have learned how to produce compost at home and create organic pesticides. They regularly post updates on their compost production and promote the final product for sale. “We sell our compost for IDR 25,000 (1.67 euros) per 10 kg,” Eko explains. Edi highlights the importance of organic practices in farming. "Everything we grow in our backyard is organic. We use the compost we produce and apply organic pesticides. Our goal is for our family and the local community to consume healthy, chemical-free food," he adds. Edi also emphasizes the benefits of their home garden, stating, "Having this food plot is like having a natural supermarket. Whenever we want something to eat, we just go out and pick whatever we want—fresh and organic."

Suci also frequently goes live on Facebook to promote the "harvest of the day," showcasing fresh products directly to her followers. Furthermore, she also uses her Facebook account to cross-promote items produced by other community members. For instance, Kerta Bumi, a well-known local producer of tempeh (a fermented soy product), collaborates with some local women who turn the produce into tempeh chips. Suci supports them by reposting their promotional content on her Facebook wall. “We are helping each other here. I think it's important that we all support one another,” Suci explains, emphasizing the spirit of community collaboration that drives their shared success.

Suci, Edi, and Eko are optimizing their use of social media for more meaningful campaigns and business activities. By creating a local marketplace, they have become a small group of digital entrepreneurs. Benefiting from the connectivity in their community, they are seizing the opportunity to expand their home-based businesses, leading to improved livelihoods and diversified income sources.

This article was originally published here: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/from-farmers-agripreneurs-solidaridad-indonesia-uzsnf/