Sorgum Farming

I. Preface

Several villages in Belu district, usually suffer from shortage of food, several months in a year, due to lack of local food, such as rice or cassava and yam.

This shortage of food will cause the the young people to seek work outside their province, even going abroad.

The FSGM Sister community in Kuneru village, Belu district, NTT province, collaborate with PERDHAKI through “Eco Laudato Si“ women empowerment group, encourage the parish community to cultivate the sorgum in their beglected land. The Sorgum farming will increase their food stock in their villages.

II. The program :

Socialization seminar on sorgum plantation.

The sosialization seminar was conducted on :

a. Time : November 4, 2018.

b. Place : In the FSGM convent house, Kuneru village, Belu district, NTT province.

c. Participant : 20

d. Fascilitator : Father Firminus Dai Koban Pr, a sorgum farmer from East Flores district.

e. Purpose :

- To give information on how to grow sorgum plantation.
- To encourage people to use their neglected land for plant and growing sorgum, for their food stock.
- To inform the people that a lot of healthy foods could be made from sorgum, either consuming for their main food or for increasing their health.

2. Planting of the sorgum.

The participants got sorgum seed from Father Firminus Gai Koban, to be planted in the month of December 2018 to January 2019. The group member planted it on the neglcted land near to their house.

III. The result.

The sorgum was harvested after 3 months. The harvest was quite a lot : every member who planted 0,5 kg sorgum seed, was harvesting about 40 kg of sorgum.

Although the quantity is big, however the quality is low: the grain/cereal was thin. It was because of too many water on the farm ,during that months, due to rainny season.

They could make a lot of foods, from the sorgum, such as main food (to replave rice), sorgum porridge, sorgum cake, etc. They found out that it was all delicious food.

IV. Future action.

The second planting will be done on next March-April 2019. They hope more sorgum will be harvested and with good quality.

After the next harvest, the group is planning to share the sorgum seed to other poor house hold in the parish , so the poor household in their parish will have suficient food in the future.

They also plan to share the sorgum seed to all poor household in other parishes, in Belu district, NTT Province. So the poor people in this district will have enough food.

V. Sustainablity.

The program will be sustainable since it is benefitting the group member to prevent the shortage of food.

The accompaniement by FSGM Sister will be continued, since the FSGM Sister live and stay in Kuneru village, Belu district, NTT Province.