Ridho Faizinda, from the city of Singkawang in West Kalimantan in Indonesia, is part of the organization Gemawan and working with groups of smallholder farmers at the local level on environmental management and climate awareness. Specifically, she works with communities who use natural resources from the forest, such as food crops and non-timber forest products, to meet their daily needs.
Credit: Ridho Faizinda
These groups have been greatly affected by climate change, particularly given the drastic changes in the climatic seasons. When it comes to the dry season, this has become longer “the community’s agricultural land lacks water, causing agricultural production to decline”. The prolonged dry season can also cause fires, which happened in 2021. This year, it has been the opposite, “entering the month of August, even though we are in the dry season, it is still raining. In several of the villages there has been a high intensity of rain causing flooding for several days”. This means that farmers are unable to plan and carry out their daily activities.
Credit: Ridho Faizinda
Faced with this environmental problem, Ridho has been working and learning from her family. She tells us that together they have planted several varieties of trees, grown vegetables to meet their daily needs and hope that with their actions they can reduce the heat in their home.
Credit: Ridho Faizinda
Ridho is also learning about Analog Forestry. “Analog Forestry is a system that aims to create an ecosystem that has similarities with the original ecosystem conditions, both architecturally, structurally and ecologically. Through this principle I believe that native ecosystems are more resilient to climate change, both for the environment, humans and animals. Analog Forestry can also be adapted to the needs of each person, whether for the fulfillment of life needs, or for conservation. The Analog Forestry system ensures that all types of plants have their respective roles. For example, to meet the integrity of food and nutrition, to sequester carbon which is one of the triggers for the climate crisis, to maintain soil structure so that it is not prone to landslides, to maintain water sources and water absorption, to reduce heat temperatures and as a breeding ground for animals.”
Crédito: Ridho Faizinda