In order to facilitate the need of environmental and agriculture-based knowledge, Katingan Mentaya Project initiated No Burn No Chemical Farming Initiative for schools around the concession area. The program is aimed to educate students of the secondary level on how to farm and manage the environment sustainably, while at the same time, giving positive influences in the surrounding community. The program provides students with hands-on education that enables them to be successful in organic farming methods.

“It’s an excellent partnership” says Fitri, a teacher at Ambarsari vocational school where the program was held, “The students learnt several things about soil, farming techniques, and the use of organic fertilisers. With help from the iniative, our students and teachers have attained lots of information regarding organic farming with materials that can be found from around us. We are now better informed of safer alternatives for the environment.” With the use of hands-on experience, the students were able to practice directly in the field and learn what it takes to be an organic farmer.

“This initiative has really opened our eyes, specifically in how the materials that we usually throw away can actually become useful for the environment, such as used rice water and banana stems that can be used as organic fertilizers,” Dewi, one of the students, stated, “We were also taught on how to make them, from preparation and until the end. Katingan Mentaya Project’s staff also treated us as friends so we didn’t hesitate to ask.”

Katingan Mentaya Project will continue to expand the endeavour to more schools within and outside of Ganepo Village. In the long run, No Burn No Chemical Farming knowledge sharing will also cover land maintenance after planting and harvest management to better equip students thoroughly. Katingan Mentaya Project believes that young people are a sponge for information and what they are told now will impact on how they farm in the future.