The Consortium for agrarian reform (KPA) was founded in 1994 to enhance the efforts of peasant organizations in defending their land interests. Their mission is also to raise awareness in Indonesian society around this critical issue, in order to improve the living conditions of peasants and other rurals on a long term basis. Actually we count approximately 27 million landless peasants and 56% of peasants have less than 0.5 hectares on which to live, which puts millions of rural families in dramatically precarious situations (primarily famine or malnutrition). Next to this, the distribution of land is such as to benefit large industrial plantations that produce exportable goods and exploit their workforce, issue precisely of these landless populations poor in financial resources. This is to the detriment of self sufficient farming, which weakens access to food for the peasants as well as the city-dwellers who pay more for imported goods.
KPA was created to propose alternative solutions. At this day the Consortium unites 273 open peasant, fishers and natives associations as well as Indonesian NGOs active in agrarian reform issues. KPA estimates membership at more than 1 275 000 people and the association defends many more’s interests as well.
In order to best aid these poor and powerless populations in participating in political decisions that impact them directly (such as the management of natural resources, notably land, and the necessary legislation for developing family agriculture), KPA has taken on various projects over the last several years: supporting open peasant, fishers and natives (who live off heavily threatened forest resources) associations by offering training; creating awareness and aiding in negotiation with local and national public powers; proposing legislative reforms to better defend peasant communities’ rights. The Consortium is also at the heart of awareness campaigns around agrarian reform to inform Indonesian society and notably city-dwellers of these issues.
From the small peasant rice farmer of Sulawesi to the highest political entities in Jakarta, KPA intercedes at all levels to allow for the peasants to really have a voice in political debate and attain their objective; to live off their land with dignity. This tactic works as KPA is considered today as the primary actor in the fight for agrarian reform; the recognition obtained in this domain is significant both for members of civil society as well as the public powers.
Birth of a Partnership
Frères des Hommes collaborates with KPA since 1997. We consider it important to support emerging peasant associations so they can learn to defend themselves independently. It is also important to modernize agrarian reform, while allowing KPA to develop its expertise and be in a position for proposing alternatives to existing legislation. And it is important to demand the prompt implementation of this agrarian reform in order to put peasant agriculture back at the heart of the economy, especially since the service and industry sectors are not large enough to offer work to the vast numbers of unemployed.
Activities led together
Indonesia - Live from one’s work and feed the people
