A MISSION that commenced last year to teach Orang Asli to grow their own food has borne fruit in Pahang.

Global Peace Foundation (GPF) members have taught 38 families to become self-sufficient, in six villages in Rompin and Pekan.

As a result, these Orang Asli families are growing many varieties of fruits and vegetables for themselves.

Rowena, an Orang Asli villager in Pekan, Pahang, said she is now able to feed her children healthy vegetables and fruits, thanks to the organisation’s food farming programme for the Jakun community.

“I feel good now that I have a farm. I don’t have to go out to buy vegetables anymore. I can just walk to my farm and pick my own vegetables.

“We definitely save some money,” said the mother of three in Kampung Cenodong.

GPF CEO Teh Su Thye said his organisation started studying the challenges faced by the Orang Asli in August 2020.

“After working and learning with them on pilot farm plots, we officially kickstarted the OA-Eco Farm programme in six Orang Asli villages in November 2020,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

He said the programme provided the villagers with hands-on training and guidance as well as tools and seedlings.

The villagers learnt to mulch, manage pests and more, so that by the end of the lessons, they had transformed patches of bare soil into flourishing farms filled with vegetables and fruits, Teh said.

Contrary to popular belief, Orang Asli are not natural farmers. They are hunter-gatherers.

Deforestation and land encroachment have made it difficult for them to feed themselves, causing their children to become severely malnourished. 

The Orang Asli are also one of the most impoverished communities in Malaysia. As odd-job workers, many of them struggle to make ends meet during the Covid lockdowns.

“With little to no savings, many Orang Asli villagers have had to depend heavily on food aid. This lack of food not only results in hunger and food insecurity but also malnutrition, particularly among the children,” Teh said.

He added that even though many of these families recognise the importance of food farming, very few are successful as many of them face daunting challenges that hinder them from farming successfully.

“A common issue is dry and compacted soil that’s often exacerbated by the long drought season in Rompin and Pekan,” he said.

Planting ideas

Teh said there severe drought earlier this year caused some of the crops to die and some families to give up on their plots.

“Regenerative farming work, such as restoring the soil’s fertility, takes time, and some families were demotivated as they could not see immediate results,” he said.

He added that due to travel restrictions, the GPF team could not reach the farmers to help them face of their farming challenges in a timely manner.

The farmers have since been taught to cultivate soil health by adding organic matter and by growing cover crops which will help mitigate effects of adverse weather such as drought and flood in the future.

“Orang Asli villagers feel happiness and relief as they no longer need to travel to the shops to buy vegetables,” he said.

“This alone allows them to save their money to pay for other expenses such as their children’s school fees,” he said.

Pak Long, a village elder in Kampung Teraling,  is one of the dedicated farmers.

“By attending every training and coaching session, Pak Long learnt to regenerate the soil and no longer uses pesticides and chemical fertilisers in his farm.

“Pak Long has learnt how to regenerate his soil and no longer uses pesticides and chemical fertilisers on his farm,” Teh said.

“He is now growing over 20 different types of vegetables and fruits, including long beans, chili, bitter gourd and okra.”

Villagers also plan to sell their produce, said Teh.

Linda in Kampung Jenit intends to sells her vegetables at the nearby markets to pay for her children’s school fees.

“The crisis of Covid-19 has exposed many of the dire realities faced by the Orang Asli community, one of which is severe food insecurity. We hope our OA Eco-Farm programme will inspire more Orang Asli farmers to grow their own food to achieve self-sufficiency,” Teh said.

“This will allow them to develop greater resilience and protect themselves against future shocks such as the Covid-19 pandemic for years to come. – July 17, 2021.