Women Farmer’s Group in Sagu Village, Sambas Regency harvested rice on their managed land. The harvest was conducted on Friday (16/7) in an area of 1/4 hectare belonging to one of the group members. Even though it was small, happiness was seen on their faces. “This harvesting activity had actually been running for three days,” Asnawati, head of Daun Piawas Group, said.
Ngah Wati, as she is usually called, said that the types of rice which had been harvested were Situ Patanggang and Kak Rurai. This variety was chosen because of its resistance to pests. “The current harvest indeed did not invite outsiders. Yet, for the black rice harvest later on, we will invite the village government, “Ngah Wati explained.
Ngah Wati hopes that in the future the harvest will be more abundant and produce good rice. “It will definitely affect the spirit of the group members,” she said. “We also hope that we can get threshing machines or other aids to facilitate our activities,” Ngah Wati hoped. For these women, umme (Sambas Malay language for rice fields, Ed.) is a part of their lives.
The harvesting was still done using a traditional method. Even though it required a lot of energy, it did not keep them from reaping the long-awaited umme results. Normally, harvesting at umme is done by all members of the group. However, due to the implementation of PPKM to reduce the risks of the COVID-19 pandemic, the group members took turns to harvest.
The harvest products were planned to be consumed by farmers to meet the needs for food of their families. If there is a surplus, they will sell it to increase family income.
According to Wanti, an activist of Gemawan, Daun Piawas is one of the Gemawan’s partner women’s groups in Sambas. Various trainings have been provided to them as part of the women capacity building in the village. “We want them to be able to make a big contribution to the development of the communities in general,” she explained.