Last year, two students from the TU Delft did research on the local farmers in Bondo. They focused on the knowledge, skills and capacity.
Visiting different types of smallholder farmers and conducting questionnaires was part of their research. In the end they gathered all the results and compared the different types of smallholder farmers.
To conclude, regarding to greenhouse farming, the main problems were the lack of management skills, construction failure, diseases, water shortage and motivation.
In our project we will continue this research, with the main focus on capacity building. To become a successful entrepreneur it is necessary to be acquainted with technical knowledge, financial and business knowledge, but most importantly, have the ability to act and react in different situations; be pro-active and know when, where, and how to tackle new challenges.
Capacity building will play a prominent role in the development of this project.
How are we going to do this?
In the first phase of the project we will take the time to meet the local farmers. These farmers are potential participants of the course. It is important to know what their current situation is in terms of work capabilities, capacity and attitude.
Together with Dr. Andika and Mr. Achuti, we will set up meetings with different farmers in the region. We will visit the farms and spend time getting to know the farmers. We feel it is important to do this in an informal way, predicting the farmers will be more open and honest towards us. For instance, have coffee/tea, eat, or go out in the fields and work together.