“In the city, you live for yourself. In the village, you live for others.” 

Jakob Siringoringo helps Indigenous Peoples utilize their traditional organic farming practices and achieve legal recognition of their traditional land rights. In addition, he works in communication and community mobilizing for AMAN, a national organization promoting Indigenous Peoples rights in Indonesia.

The communities he works with in North Sumatra have unique customs and traditional land inherited from their ancestors. Indigenous Peoples are the source of knowledge regarding farming, gardening, and managing forests. However, unfavorable policies lead to land rights issues for indigenous communities, creating conflict and threatening their way of life through outside claims.

Jakob has conducted social media campaigns for land rights recognition and helped farmers organize to strengthen income-producing strategies.  He wants to promote the development of indigenous traditional farming skills and discourage pesticide-dependent production. Jakob maintains his organization’s website and enjoys writing and working with videos, skills he hopes he can share with fellow ARI participants. 

After ARI, Jakob will create a program to empower indigenous communities. First, he plans to create a demonstration farm to show the best organic practices. Then, he plans to share widely what he has learned, strengthen the people’s ability to share to accomplish their goals and leave no one behind. 

Sending Organization     

The Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN) Tano Batak Chapter, North Sumatra, Indonesia, has served Indigenous Peoples for over a decade. AMAN works with these communities to strengthen their economy, promote day-to-day forest management, build capacity, facilitate participatory mapping, and advocate for the recognition of the rights of Indigenous Peoples.