InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – The female plays important roles in palm oil plantations in Indonesia. Rukaiyah Rafiq from Forum Petani Kelapa Sawit Berkelanjutan (Fortasbi) said that the female significantly contributes in palm oil plantations both in the cultivation and independent smallholders’ organizations.
In Central Kalimantan Province, Asosiasi Petani Kelapa Sawit Mandiri (APKSM) showed the female’s active roles in administration and auditor. The groups that got Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certificates had to escalate the knowledge in plantation management. Besides, the female plays her roles as trainer for the female, just like UD Lestari did in North Sumatera Province.
The independent smallholders also protect the female who works in unit tim semprot (UTS). Asosiasi Amanah in Riau does it. The group regularly delivered counseling before doing risky works which was adopted from APKSM.
Until now, she continued, FORTASBI has about 34 groups with 9.136 smallholders and covering 19.403 hectares. The coordinators reach 525 men and 92 of them are female. The organizations are in North Sumatera, Riau, Jambi, South Sumatera, West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, and Central Kalimantan.
Uki, her nickname said, the female is as the key not to produce sustainable palm oil only but also is the important consumer. It is time to give the female chances in the organization. If the female works in palm oil plantation, “Make sure that there should be access of training, knowledge, protection (self-protection tools and work safety and healthy) when working at palm oil plantations,” she said.
Besides, she continued, it would be important to educate them about to consume sustainable products every day. If the female does not work in palm oil plantations, make sure that they have trainings about space they are interested in, for example, in rubber plantations, vegetable, how to manage the finance in household.
The trainings that involved the female should consider the childcare service, right time and distance. “Train about how to deal with gender to male smallholders,” Uki said.
By these, it is hoped the female in sustainable palm oil industries would get more confession, and be empowered to support economic progress inclusively and sustainably in this country. (T2)
