• In the village of Winangun, a collective practice done by a group of women stands as proof that organic rice farming can be a real solution for environmental sustainability and food security.
• However, this struggle does not take place in a vacuum. Winangun is gripped by large-scale oil palm plantations controlled by corporations with business licenses covering more than 22,000 hectares.
• Despite these constraints, they persist in striving for self-sufficiency. They produce their own organic fertilizer, manage crop rotation, and organize production collectively. However, everything is still done the traditional way, without the aid of modern equipment.
Amid the growing threat of climate crisis – flash floods, crop failure, damaged soil, and increasingly scarce water – there remains a glimmer of hope sprouting from small plots of land in the remote parts of the village. In Winangun, a collective practice done by a group of women proves that organic rice farming can be an effective way to bring environmental sustainability and food security.
Jaga Deca Network, a grassroots community, initiated organic farming practices on a 0.5-hectare plot of land. Though small in size, this initiative expands on agroecological practices that were already fully implemented in one of the village’s hamlets, covering 38 hectares of farmland without the use of chemicals and is grounded in local culture.
However, this struggle does not occur in a vacuum. The village of Winangun is gripped by large-scale oil palm plantations controlled by corporations with business licenses covering more than 22,000 hectares. The farmland used for growing organic rice is merely what was left over of their living space, after most of the village territory was cleared and converted into oil palm plantations. This makes organic rice farming in Winangun the only breath of life left amid an illusion of green.
The challenges they face are mounting. In addition to increasingly scarce land threatened by expansion, the organically managed rice fields are now surrounded by corporate plantations. Even the water that flows into their fields is not safe from contamination by the chemical inputs used by those corporate plantations. “We grow organic rice, but the water we use may already be polluted. We’re surrounded by palm plantations, we have nowhere to run,” said one woman farmer.
This practice stands in stark contrast to the dominant narrative of “sustainable agriculture” often dictated by large capital interests. While corporations claim to have gone green through certification schemes and “sustainable intensification,” the women’s group in Winangun demonstrates that true sustainability is only possible when farmers have sovereignty over their land and farming methods. They are not merely planting rice – they are nurturing life: the soil, water, seeds, and the community.
Even so, this quiet path still receives minimal support from the state. During a workshop held with the farmers, various issues surfaced. Agricultural infrastructure is severely lacking. “During heavy rains, our fields flood because there’s no drainage system. But during long droughts, we also can’t farm because of the drought,” said another farmer.
Despite these constraints, they persist in striving for self-sufficiency. They produce their own organic fertilizer, manage crop rotation, and organize production collectively. However, everything is still done the traditional way, without the aid of modern equipment. “We want to produce organic fertilizer in larger quantities, but we don’t have the tools. Right now, we still do everything by hand,” she said.
(Residents of Winangun Village are harvesting organic rice crops. Photo: Jaga Deca Network)
Why is this important?
Because rice fields are not just food-producing land – they are living spaces. When these fields are fertilized excessively with chemical inputs, greenhouse gas emissions like methane and nitrous oxide increase drastically. Conventional agriculture is a major contributor to global warming, though it is rarely discussed. In contrast, organic farming helps reduce emissions, improves soil and water quality, and sustains biodiversity.
Agroecology is not merely about eco-friendly farming. It is a form of sovereignty – over seeds, over water, over ways of life. It is the people’s answer to the climate crisis created by industrial agricultural models. And this organic farming in Winangun has shown that real solutions do not come from the top, but grow from the ground up.
Like rice that grows quietly, this small movement from the village of Winangun holds great strength. In the midst of the climate and food crises, they have chosen to endure. And from the fields surrounded by oil palm, they are planting hope.
Climate Crisis and Food Crisis: Connected and Increasingly Urgent
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) data shows that the agriculture, forestry, and land use sectors contribute around 23% of total global greenhouse gas emissions. Chemical-based farming, deforestation, and the industrialization of food systems are major drivers of the current climate crisis.
Indonesia is not exempt from these effects. In 2023, the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) recorded a rise in the national average temperature and warned of potential crop failures due to extreme weather. A report by the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) stated that over 60% of agrarian conflicts in Indonesia are linked to the expansion of extractive industries and large-scale plantations, especially palm oil.
On the other hand, the climate crisis worsens food vulnerability. Data from the National Food Agency (Bapanas) in early 2024 shows that more than 22 provinces are experiencing food insecurity, particularly in regions under high climate stress. This highlights that the current food production model – reliant on large-scale operations and chemicals – is not only fragile, but also exacerbates the crisis.
Time for the State to Side with Farmers: Upholding Ecological Justice from Winangun Village
The climate crisis is not merely a matter of extreme weather or rising sea levels. It is a crisis of justice – a crisis about who causes the damage, who is most affected, and who is left to struggle alone.
In Winangun Village, a group of women farmers grow organic rice on the remaining small plots of land. They farm without pesticides, care for the soil naturally, and maintain ecological balance – all without incentives, subsidies, nor protection. Meanwhile, palm oil companies with thousands of hectares of concessions continue to deplete water sources, pollute the environment, and destroy local communities’ food sources – often with ease of permits and government support.
This is where the irony – and the absurdity – of our agrarian and food policies lies.
The government has long made it easy to provide incentives to corporations – in the form of permit flexibility, credit access, or overlooking environmental pollution. Meanwhile, agroecological farmers like those in Winangun – who actually care for nature and produce healthy food – are merely seen as accessories to top-down “food security” narratives.
It is time for the state to take a clear stance: that people’s agriculture, especially agroecology-based farming, must be at the center of food and climate policy.
(Farmers in Bone Bolango Regency still need assistance. Photo: Arfandi Ibrahim)
Three Urgent Agendas
First, recognition and protection of community-managed territories. Villages like Winangun must be granted security over their living spaces. This means halting the expansion of palm oil plantations in areas that provide as food sources for local communities. The state cannot continue to allow farmers to work on leftover narrow plots while thousands of hectares are controlled by corporations.
Second, support for environmentally friendly and community-based means of production. Farmers in Winangun are already producing their own organic fertilizers, but they need equipments, processing facilities, and further training. If the state is serious about promoting a climate-friendly agricultural transition, then support for initiatives like this must be prioritized in the agriculture and climate budget allocations.
Third, access to fair markets for healthy food products. Organic farmers often lose out in the market because their products are not subsidized like conventional rice. Yet what they produce is far healthier, more sustainable, and pollution-free. The state must step in to ensure incentives, transparent markets, and food distribution mechanisms that support smallholder farmers.
Agroecological Farming: A Path to the Future
The experience of Winangun Village is not just a story of local struggle. It is a vision of the future: if we want to save the planet, tackle the climate crisis, and safeguard food sovereignty, we must start from the villages that are still holding on today.
The women farmers in Winangun have already taken the first steps. They have proven that without chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or large capital, food can still be produced in a way that is just for both the earth and humanity.
Now it’s the state’s turn to catch up – not just with words, but with policy, budget, and real protection. Ecological justice is not a utopia. It is already being pioneered, planted, and nurtured – in small fields that continue to resist, even as they are surrounded by greedy palm plantations.
Translation by People Over Profit.
Original article in Bahasa Indonesia: https://benua.id/padi-organik-dari-winangun-jalan-sunyi-menghadapi-krisis-iklim/