Sunday, August 19, 2007

Indonesian Farm

When my parents were here, we visited a farm in the northern, hilly part of Bandung. This particular farm is an organic vegetable farm, along with a few extra cows and fish to add some diversity. The cows were fed various odds and ends of plants that the farmer found daily, chopped up, and fed. At 18 months old, these cattle should have been fattened up and ready to eat, but the "scraps" diet they were on didn't lend to quick growth. Here corn is eaten by people, not by cattle. The organic vegetable production is actually quite progressive for Indonesia, where pesticides are overused and abused. Being the middle of dry season, irrigation is being used on nearly a daily basis. This farmer doesn't own his own land or cattle, and he and his family make a combined $40-50 (US) per month.