Koperasi Usaha Tani

The Usaha Tani Cooperative comprises 116 members overseeing a total area of 339.06 hectares, located in Makmur Jaya Village, Kombeng District, East Kutai Regency, East Kalimantan Province. Currently, the condition of the gardens managed by cooperative members varies, with many not being maintained optimally. This situation arises partly because not all farmers are equipped with knowledge of good and correct gardening practices. Consequently, most farmers resort to makeshift caretaking methods, leading to less-than-optimal yields. Nonetheless, the group’s outlook on this issue is decidedly positive, as evidenced by the enthusiastic participation of both the group and its members in the mentoring programme for certification.

“The primary motivation for committing to sustainable practices is to implement the certification programme mandated by the government. With the assistance programme in place, we see a valuable opportunity to engage in certification with the provision of facilities and human resources needed to support the implementation of certification activities for our group. Furthermore, we aim to increase the economic value and broaden the knowledge of our group members through participation in the certification programme,” said Rubeny Bilung, the head of the cooperative.

According to Rubeny, the future challenges faced by the group include adhering to government policies on implementing good plantation practices, a task made difficult by the group’s lack of comprehensive training in these practices. Stemming from these challenges, the group anticipates that adopting the RSPO sustainable system will enhance the management of the organisation, secure a broader market network, command better prices, increase productivity and efficiency, and ultimately  improve the social welfare value for its group members.

The Usaha Tani Cooperative is currently being assisted by Seebumi Indah Borneo in its journey towards obtaining RSPO certification.

Total area covered by the project
339.06 Ha

Number of smallholders benefitting from this project
116 Smallholders

Number/percentage of women supported by this project
20.69% women in this project

The support our group urgently requires is twofold: financial assistance to cover the expenses of the certification process and the expertise of competent professionals to guide us through the entire certification journey. Key activities integral to the certification process include baseline assessments, capacity building for farmers, social and environmental impact assessments, High Conservation Value (HCV) assessments, certification audits, and mapping. To successfully undertake these critical certification activities, we need extensive support from various stakeholders. Our group is also in search of partners who can provide assistance in the certification process in terms of both funding and the capacity building of our group members. This need for support was highlighted by Rubeny Bilung, the head of the cooperative, when inquired about the kind of support the group needed to achieve itssustainable goals.

Representative Contact
Rubeny Bilung | Chairman of the Cooperative | [email protected] | 0812 5856 2984

Representative Contact

Romadhon Kuswantoro | Facilitator 082354044950 | [email protected] |