“I feel responsible for spreading friendly farming methods and producing healthy food for the community.”
Deo Runtunuwu works in the fertile South Minahasa area of eastern Indonesia, on Sulawesi island. In his community, many farmers once turned to chemicals, which has damaged soil fertility. These chemicals are rarely available and are at high cost, causing large burdens for the farmers. Farming in Deo’s community has also been industrialized, separating the community from the land and their neighbors.
Deo has been training to teach his neighboring farmers how to grow vegetables without using chemical inputs. He travels to farmers in his village, with special emphasis on millennial farmers to help teach the next generation how to grow sustainably. He has also been training himself to raise pigs, raising 100 from 10 and using their waste to make natural fertilizers in the process.
At ARI, Deo looks forward to studying the full curriculum, so he may build rural communities that are just, peaceful, and prosperous in the future. His ultimate goal after completion of the program is to build up his sending body organization, to teach future generations of his community as a community learning center.
Sending Body:
Wanua Cintalink Semesta (WCS) is an agricultural group founded by former staff of the ecumenical body SAG Sulutteng. This farming organization grows organic food to demonstrate sustainable agriculture for local farmers, particularly youth and women. They seek to replace “industrial” large-scale farming with community-based mutual cooperation to reduce social and environmental damage. When Deo returns from ARI, he will serve as a manager of their agricultural programs, and plan to improve the skills of the local community.
