Through their commitment towards sustainable land management and restoration, KMP has joined hands with Kamipang PKK endeavour in the development of medicinal herbs.

Over the years, the use of medicinal herbs have been integral in traditional medicine, providing alternative medicine to aid or cure a variety of common diseases. Indonesia, home to around 143 million hectares of tropical forests, houses up to 80 percent of the world’s medicinal plants (Bogor Institute of Farming, 2020) and many of them are then processed into a variety of consumable medicine, such as world-renowned jamu. Thus, medicinal herbs play not only an important role in healthcare but also to Indonesia’s heritage.

In an effort to the revitalize the family medicinal herb planting movement, Penggerak Pemberdayaan dan Kesejahteraan Keluarga (PKK/The Team for Mobilizing Family Empowerment and Welfare) of Kamipang Sub-District has mobilized local women to develop demonstration plots of their own. With equal commitment to sustainable land management and restoration, Katingan Mentaya Project has supported Kamipang Sub- District’s Family Welfare Empowerment endeavor through the procurement of plant materials, tools, and medicinal herb seedlings.

The cooperation was established on Monday, February 15th 2021, at Baun Bango’s Village hall with the Head of Family Welfare Empowerment (PKK) of Kamipang Sub- District, Retno Widiyawati MPd, and the Head of Tim Penggerak PKK of Katingan District, Sakariya, attending. Also in attendance was Sarwepin, Katingan Mentaya Project’s community development staff.

“By establishing this cooperation between Katingan Mentaya Project and Family Welfare Empowerment (PKK), I hope that mothers and women alike become more motivated to nurture medicinal herbs of their own,” Sakariyas expressed, “This way, these women may alleviate their financial load as well”. Furthermore, Sakariyas expressed her hope that the cooperation may carry on into the future with more activities to better facilitate the women’s education and skills in medicinal herbs.