Kabar Itah

Edition 8: October-December 2005

Editorial Villagers present their Annual Plans to the Subdistrict

We recently had an annual review session with
representatives from six of the seven villages we
currently are working with. In the past three
months, we have been concentrating on bringing
local technical experts in rubber, rice and pigs to
the villages, under the concept that if the villagers
felt comfortable with these experts, they would
negotiate a contract with them for technical
support services. YTS would provide the funding
to the village to pay for these services, and the
village would manage the contract with the expert.
In the review meeting, there was a variety of
responses based on the initial experience with
this arrangement. At one end of the spectrum,
one village preferred to use these funds for more
immediately tangible benefits, such as seedlings,
transport costs, and fertilizer. At the other end,
people were happy with the pure technical support
option. Nyamin I. Tindan, village head of Tumbang Ponyoi, emphasizes a point in their development proposal

The first response does raise two fundamental

questions: Is it better to give the village the funds
and let them decide how best to use them? Are
material inputs better for development than
technical support? For the second question the
correct answer may lie with some combination of
technical and material support. Regarding the first
question, indeed it would be ideal at some point
if the village could decide for themselves how they
would like to use external financial assistance.
We still are in the very beginning of trying out this
contract arrangement for technical assistance.
More time is required to make sure it is being
implemented correctly and to see if it truly is an
appropriate and workable approach. Through
learning how to work with this mechanism, we
expect these communities to improve their ability
to plan for and manage the use of external
resources – both technical and material. The
most important result from our perspective would
be if these efforts bring about a strengthening of
the social cohesion within communities and an
equitable growth of well-being in all classes of
society.
Naturally, it will be some years before we have
complete answers to our questions.
In mid-October, seven villages presented their development plans and
proposals to the subdistrict government. One of the main objectives was to
get some direct feedback on the proposals from each village. But because
there were no representatives of the various sections, it was not possible to
achieve that result. The other objective was to provide local government with
realistic data on the situation in each village, so government could better
focus their services and programs to meet the real needs and requirements.
Pak Hardiman, Head of the Subsection for Economics and Development,
was standing in for the Head of the Subdistrict. He outlined the government
system for responding to proposals. There are two avenues: one is through
the District, and the other is through the subdistrict. Each subdistrict receives
approximately Rp 400 million per year from the district.
There are three main development sectors for the subdistrict - infrastructure,
economics, and socio-cultural. The main infrastructure priority is road
construction; and the main economic priority is to develop more permanent
agriculture activities, such as rubber plantations. The government focus on
improved rubber production fits well with the objectives of most of the villages
we currently work with. Villagers need technical support, pesticide, and
working capital.
YTS will follow up with subdistrict staff to make sure the proposals from the
villages are given sufficient attention.

Bardolf Paul
Director
Kabar Itah
Kabar Itah is the quarterly newsletter
of Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta, an affili-
ate of PT. Kalimantan Surya Kencana
Table of Contents
Edition 8, October-December 2005
Editorial ........................................... 1
Villagers present their
Annual Plans to the Subdistrict .......1
Villagers gather for
2005 Annual Review.........................2
A New Village joins Our Network....2
Head of Bappeda supports
Regional Development Initiative......3
Rubber Bounces Back! .................. 3
Paddy and Pig Experts
come to the Village...........................3
Governor organizes
Workshop on Mining....................... 4
Scholarships for Needy Children....4
YTS Staff experience
Some Difficulties in 2005 ............... 4
1st Quarter Agenda 2006................ 4
Villagers gather for 2005 Annual Review
Villagers from six out of the seven villages where YTS is now working, gathered together on December
15th in the subdistrict capital, Tumbang Miri, to review and evaluate the year’s activities. The key
questions were: What has been successful or unsuccessful? Why? What can we do to improve things?
These questions were explored in detail, village-by-village, in small discussion groups which included
the Village Head, the Village Management Group Head, and other community representatives.
The first topic was the Village Management Group. This is a new unit recently formed to coordinate
implementation of support programs and activities resulting from the annual Village Development
Plan. The purpose and function of the management group was reviewed, along with key institutional
relationships inside and outside the village. Overall, there appeared to be a good understanding of
functions and relationships.
As the process of preparing Village Development Plans just started this year, everyone still has plenty
to learn. Each village plan provides a rational basis for future development, including the internal and
external support required. In the second topic, the groups reviewed the overall planning process. They
found the process generally satisfactory, but the follow up from government is not yet clear. More
support is needed from YTS to make sure the village plans are incorporated into the formal government
planning process and then acted upon.
The YTS support program for Village Development Plans has just begun, and is focused on providing
technical support, not material inputs. In the third topic for review, the groups commented that in
addition to the technical support, they also want some material support. They also pointed out that the
turnout was low when expert visits coincided with times when people were busy in their rice fields. In
addition, each expert needs a dedicated group of 10-12 people to work with, and this had not yet been
organized.
It is clearly too early to assess the effectiveness of the new approach YTS is pursuing. In 2006 we
expect to see substantial improvement in all aspects of the planning, follow up, and implementation.
We still have lots to learn.

A New Village joins Our Network

Published by
Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta
Tumbang Posu, a village on
Jl. Teuku Umar No. 32A the upper Kahayan River,
Palangka Raya 73112
Central Kalimantan-Indonesia
started the development
Phone. +62 (0536) 32 37184 planning process at the
Fax. +62 (0536) 32 29187
Email: tambuhaksinta@gmail.com beginning of December, using
the PRA or Participatory Rural
Appraisal methodology. There
Editor was a very high level of
Mayang Meilantina
participation from the villagers
over the four day period,
Editorial Staffs
Ros Siana resulting in a preliminary
Naumi village development plan.
Yapet M. Siwung
Saefudin Muthohar
Lihan Tumbang Posu is located
Suwandi less than two hours from the
Kartie Vitamerry
subdistrict capital of Tumbang
Bank Account
Miri. Access is only possible
Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta by boat. With only 37
Danamon Bank
Palangka Raya Branch
households, the village is These villagers were trained to help facilitate the appraisal process in Tumbang Posu
Number 11655412 quite small. It has an
elementary school and church.
Good private health services are close by in the neighboring village of Tumbang Marikoi, but there still
is no clean water supply or electricity.
The main livelihood activities are upland rice and rubber. Villagers in Posu experience the same
problem as elsewhere: pests, such as caterpillars, locusts, rats, monkeys, deer and pigs; and
decreasing soil fertility. The main problem in rubber is a form of termite, locally known as Buhei. So far,
there is no support from the government agriculture and plantation services for any of these problems.
We welcome any news, comments and
articles related to community and re- Over the next few months each household will make a plan of action for 2006, and these plans will be
gional development effort, but we re-
serve the right ti edit any material in compiled and consolidated with the PRA-generated plan to create the Village Development Plan for
order to fit the available space. 2006. The plan from Posu will be presented to the government towards the end of March, together with
plans from all of the other villages.

2 Kabar Itah - Edition 8

 Rubber Bounces Back!

Head of Bappeda supports

Regional Development Initiative
In a meeting with YTS and KSK in November,
the Head of Bappeda, Syahrin Daulay, agreed
to form a small multi-stakeholder group to look
at ways to improve the investment climate in
the province. One of the main objectives of the
group will be to attract interest and investment
from the private sector, non-governmental
organizations, and the public sector, including
donor agencies. The other objective will be to
create a rational framework for balanced and
sustainable development.
A meeting will be convened early in 2006 to form
the group and to start discussing an agenda
for action.
Rubber growing is seeing a resurgence amongst villagers in the upper
Kahayan River, in response to the rising global demand for this natural
product. Pak Fried, our local rubber expert, has been active in delivering
small infield training sessions to groups of villagers. The training focus is
on proper maintenance and ways to overcome pests and disease. To
increase nutrient availability and to increase latex production, Pak Fried
recommends to remove on a regular basis any competing vegetation from
around the rubber trees.
To reduce termite attack, which very often kills the tree, villagers traditionally
use a bitter root found locally. However, the results of this treatment are not
yet clear. Other remedies are salt and chalk for insects, Bayfidan for white
root fungi, and Biotri-P for fungi that attack the stem.
Villagers have been responding positively to the offer of free high quality
hybrid seedlings from the District Forestry and Plantation Services in Kuala
Kurun. They hope these seedlings will enhance productivity.

Paddy and Pig Experts come to the Village

In mid-November, two new technical experts visited several

of our villages along the Miri River. Pak Uduh, from Pilang,
is a very experienced rice farmer, and Kresken, from
Tumbang Miri, is an expert in pig rearing.
In the villages of Tumbang Manyoi and Mangkuhung, they
met with local people who want to improve their rice and
pig productivity. Through discussions and field visits the
experts learned about the main problems and constraints
people were facing in growing rice and raising pigs.
In rice, pests like caterpillars, other insects, and monkeys
have a big impact on productivity. During the field visits,
Pak Uduh explained how to use locally available plants
and other materials to control these pests and disease.
Management in pig rearing is very weak. Most pigs are
raised in a haphazard fashion: they roam around freely, The rice crop is easily damaged by caterpillars that attack the leaves of the plant.

eating whatever they find and damaging the environment.

They tend to die at a young age, because of health
problems, such as intestinal worms. The expert observed
that pig hygiene is very poor, and improvements are needed
in food and shelter. To reduce costs, Kresken suggested
villagers use local plants and other locally available natural
resources.
Evening meetings usually provide a chance for wider
involvement and discussion, but in Mangkuhung the turnout
was very poor, so nothing substantive could be planned.
The next morning, the head of the village management
group agreed to see if there was enough interest and
commitment to continue. The situation in Tumbang Manyoi
was very different, with a high level of interaction between
Pak Uduh and the villagers. Rice fields can be very steep in
this area, and the soils tend to be acidic, affecting the leaves
and killing the stalks. The expert recommended applying
some lime to neutralize the acidity. He stressed again the Pak Uduh, the rice expert, discusses issues with a local villager, while Suwandi from YTS takes notes
use of natural and local materials for dealing with other
problems.

Kabar Itah - Edition 8 3

Governor organizes Workshop on Mining
YTS Staff experience
In early November, the Governor of Central Kalimantan, Teras Narang, Some Difficulties in 2005
organized a one-day workshop for the mining industry. Over 128 participants
took part in the event, including representatives from mining companies, all 2005 was a difficult year for the staff of YTS.
three levels of government in the province, non-governmental organizations, We launched a completely new program that
and the media. contained a lot of unpredictable outcomes.
The new program is aimed at handing over
In the morning session, the government presented their plan for a rail line to control and responsibility for planning and
service coal mining companies, as well as a paper on how mining management of village development to the
companies should be involved with community development. After lunch, villagers themselves. There is a high level of
the participants discussed three major topics: infrastructure, community uncertainty in entering into this kind of process,
development, and the formation of a provincial mining association. The and it proved somewhat stressful for staff,
discussions were inconclusive, and very little was heard from industry most of whom were not familiar with this way
participants, mainly because there was insufficient time to discuss issues of working.
in detail.
During an annual review and planning
This event signals the government’s intention to improve the investment workshop in mid-December, YTS staff looked
climate in the province for mining and for other major industries. At the end at four main components: (1) village
of the workshop the Governor gave out his mobile phone number and asked development planning; (2) presenting village
people to call if they encountered corrupt practices or other difficulties. plans to the local government; (3) technical
support for the village plans; and (4)
strengthening relationships between the
village and the government.

Scholarships for Needy Children The two key issues staff face with the above
are: making the technical support component
work properly, and strengthening relations with
government. Technical support is very
dependent on the institutional setting working
well, which means the village management
group and the technical interest groups have
to be functioning properly before technical
support can be coordinated and managed
effectively. Because these village institutions
are completely new, it will take some time to
develop sufficient capacity to run them well.
Strengthening government relations is another
time-dependent process. It requires patience
and persistence to develop good working
relationships with government officials.
Looking ahead, we can see that 2006 will be
a period of significant growth and learning for
everyone involved in the program.

The Directors and Staff of

Kalimantan Kids Club members gather regularly to exchange information about their activities and to plan field trips PT. Kalimantan Surya Kencana
Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta
Kalimantan Kids Club, the scholarship program for needy children from
remote villages, was evaluated by the beneficiaries at the end of November. Wish you
The objective was to find ways to improve the program. Peace and Prosperity for 2006
In the past year, 17 students received support – 60% in university, 35% in
senior high school, and 5% in elementary school. The university students
were enrolled at the University of Palangka Raya and the Muhammadiyah
1st Quarter Agenda 2006
University. By the end of the year, seven students had successfully completed
their studies and were getting ready to return to their villages. When they get
back home, they will bring a broader awareness and understanding to their Participatory development planning in four
work and involvement in the community. villages. YTS will expand its support to four new
villages, starting with Participatory Rural
Several new applicants have asked for support in 2006. Their applications
Appraisals. Jan-Mar 2006
will be evaluated and they will be notified if they are successful. The priority
is to support students who are unable to afford the costs to study outside Technical support. Field visits, practice, and
their villages. Students from villages where YTS is working are given the first shared information to improve rubber and paddy
choice. Each application must be accompanied by a letter from the parents, cultivation. Jan-Mar 2006.
the head of the village and the head of the school. A typical scholarship KKC Field Visit. Group visit to agriculture
covers two to five years of study, and includes monthly costs of living and production centre and cottage industries in
tuition fees. Kalampangan. Feb 2006

Kabar Itah - Edition 8 4