The intermittent explosions of Mount Sinabung have displaced more than 22,000 families in the Karo highlands of North Sumatra. The volcano started emitting gases in September 2013, which eventually intensified into pyroclastic flows stretching as far as three kilometers away. The hot ashes had, on many occasions, blanketed the vegetative cover and caused significant damage to horticultural crops, poultry, and livestock. The smoke also triggered respiratory-related problems among the affected population.
Upon invitation from an organization based in Kabanjahe city that is providing civic support to Mount Sinabung victims, we briefed their officers on food-security matters that Goducate has been sharing with Indonesians during the past three years. These include topics on Moringa production, processing, and utilization; systems of rice intensification; hydroponics and aquaponics; vermicomposting and vermitea brewing; container gardening; food always in the home (FAITH) gardening; effective microorganisms for crop production; and, improved coffee, cacao, and chili production practices.
Two days after the briefing, we gave a detailed presentation on the benefits from Moringa to some Mount Sinabung community leaders. After the lecture, we visited Kampong (village) Siosar, the government designated resettlement site for households displaced by the Mount Sinabung eruptions. Kampong Siosar is a 45-minute drive from Kota Kabanjahe.
The 300 resettled families in the village have each been provided with a decent house and 5,000 sq m land. The plots of land are about 2 km away from the resettlement site.
Some households had strawberry grown in polybags in their frontyards, but only enough for home consumption. All the 300 families face strong headwind on matters of food security.
We recommended that each family starts by planting at least two Moringa seedlings in its backyard. Because of the 1500-meter altitude of the site, the most suitable Moringa type is PKM1 first introduced in India. In the near-term, we hope to empower the displaced households with more knowledge on holistic and sustainable farming practices to help them achieve food security and earn a stable income.
