A distribution of land which aggravates poverty

In the countryside, peasants have no more land to support themselves
In Indonesia, poverty affects mostly rural communities, the majority of the population, who depend on agriculture for their livelihood. However, political choice has meant that the land and its significant resources are mainly used by large companies. Logging and mining, diversion of farmland to ethanol production: food crops are sacrificed in favor of products for export that benefit only a wealthy minority. Rural families, forcibly deprived of their land, can no longer feed themselves and many of them migrate to the cities, where violence and poverty prevail.

Hopes of a democratic opening-up
Since the end of the Suharto military dictatorship in 1998, democracy is slowly taking hold in the country, and neglected communities have greater possibilities of mobilization. Those associations which are rooted in the daily realities of life play a major role as spokesmen for the poorer populations, helping them to enforce their rights. In this context, farmers are uniting in their claims for land, in order to support themselves with dignity. It is time that the Indonesian people benefitted from the natural wealth of their country!