rossana dewi

Rossana was born in Surakarta (Solo) in Central Java. Her family was very strict and traditional. Rossana felt a sense on injustice in the way that she and her sister were treated differently from their brothers. She was rebellious, but she felt that her mother support her and provided a role model of a strong and independent woman. Because of the family’s economic troubles, Rossana had to help support herself through her university studies, but she still found time to be active in organizations and a leader in students groups. In 1992, Rossana began to develop her ideas for sustainable agriculture while serving as a volunteer field worker for Gita Pertiwi in a village near Wonorigi, Central Java. She used to focused on women farmers and it would be possible to have a more significant impact and provide women with an opportunity to create change in their lives.

Rossana Dewi helps women become able to make the decision and leaders in agricultural production. She does this by teaching women farmers valuable skills that enable them to become researchers and teachers capable of finding solutions to serious agricultural problems through action-oriented research. She sees that the success of sustainable agriculture largely depends on the development and training of local people. Further, she sees that women can play important leadership roles in agricultural development and production. The impact is substantial: women make more money by increasing crop yields through planning and better techniques, they reduce operating expenses by producing their own seeds, and they also use fewer chemical fertilizers. In addition, the women gain the self-confidence that allows them to assert themselves in other spheres of life.

The developments in agriculture that began in Indonesia in the context of fulfilling the food needs of the country. One solution offered by developed nations was “super seeds” that produced crops in a shorter period of time, but the consequence was an increased need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Policies of the Indonesian government do not support poor farmers. Rather than an increase in farmers incomes, production targets are the main priority. At first glance, the gender inequality in the middle and lower classes is not obvious. Women and men work together in the community. Today, women continue to lack information, and they are often unable to contribute to or fulfill their family’s needs for basic things. But the men tend to return every few months to share their income and make decisions about how to run the farm.

Rossana uses an affirmative action approach to provide farming women with a collaborative, learning environment based on skill development, research, case studies, and practical experience. They encourage their participation by gearing the times and location of learning activities to suit the women’s busy schedules. Rossana and her team also take the role of facilitators to help guide discussions and problem solving. Other aspects of the learning process involve research that the women themselves undertake in their own groups. If required, assistance from outside sources, agronomists, pest and other experts is provided. Some approach has been tested in several locations, proven successful, and has been documented by farmers themselves in illustrated booklets.

Other field school learning centers have focused on animal husbandry and issues of artificial insemination, rice production, seed selection and cultivation, soybeans, koro-koro, and the development of natural bacteria starters for organic fertilizers. Following a harvest and completion of a learning program, between 75 and 150 farmers come together in farmer forums to share their information and make presentations. On of Rossana’s strategy is always to involve representatives from farmer organizations in larger networks so as to provide them the opportunity to speak at seminars and public events, both nationally and internationally. Staff from many different organizations apprentice with Gita Pertiwi for at least one planting season, and Rossana, her staff, and farmer facilitators also visit and evaluate programs that have adopted their model. Overall, she is a success independent woman who cares about other women and has taught them many things that will be useful in their lives.