Youth volunteers started this programme with little knowledge of agriculture. Nevertheless, by the end of the programme, they had acquired the knowledge and skills necessary to spread the word about sustainable farming practices in their countries.

Nurture Nature: Eco-Farmer Project with WormingUp and Youth Volunteer of eMpowering Youths Across ASEAN 

Youth volunteers started this programme with little knowledge of agriculture. Nevertheless, by the end of the programme, they had acquired the knowledge and skills necessary to spread the word about sustainable farming practices in their countries.  

Before we begin to talk about the project, please tell us a little bit about your group! 

With a variety of backgrounds, and none in agriculture, we are a mix of students and young professionals from all over ASEAN: Victor from Laos, Alex from the Philippines, Yachi from Thailand, and Linh from Vietnam. Even though the program was delayed for 18 months due to the pandemic, we remained enthusiast with the opportunity to volunteer and make an impact on farmers and communities in Sarawak, Malaysia. 

Please tell us the goal of your group’s project! How do all of you think the project can be helpful for the beneficiaries? 

In partnership with WormingUp, an accredited social enterprise and sustainability consulting firm based in Kuching City, Malaysia, we embarked on a project aiming to increase the awareness and adoption of environmentally-friendly agriculture among targeted local farmers in Sarawak. It is hoped that the adoption of sustainable farming practices and WormingUp's marketing interventions will enhance the livelihoods and incomes of the partner farmers. 

Since none of you come from an agriculture background, how do you approach the project which topic is surrounding environmentally-friendly agriculture? 

Our journey began with basic learning sessions on various sustainable farming techniques such as black soldier flies (BSF) composting, biological control agents for pest management, Ayam kampung chicken rearing, and hydroponic-aquaponic systems. To get a sense of the issues revolving around sustainability in agriculture, we employed the design thinking process to arrive at a set of human-centered interventions and solutions. 

Despite the difficulty of conducting on-site local community immersions, the partner social enterprise innovated by doing a virtual farm visit experience for us by interviewing partner small-holder farmers and describing their day-to-day activities, together with the problems they are confronted with managing their farms. In this empathic approach, brainstormed ideas are refined to become more responsive to the needs of the farmers. 

You all talked about how hard it is to conduct on-site activities due to the pandemic, how does the group resolve this issue and implement the project the group has designed? 

We decided that focusing on the creation of learning materials, videos, and infographics would be the best way that our social enterprise partners could provide to the farmers. We also found this solution to be scalable and easily translatable, considering the needs of other farmers all across ASEAN. 

The project culminated with a Farmathon Event in December 2021, inviting participants and resource speakers from multiple countries. It provided a dialogue on various issues and emerging solutions in sustainable agriculture. The event also featured an ideathon, a pitching competition of crowdsourced solutions to design challenges about food loss and wastage, agricultural produce marketing, and harmful farming practices. 

Great work, Team! Any last words you wish to share to wrap up this incredible journey? 

In the long run, WormingUp hopes to sustain the impact of its youth volunteer program and see its expected outcome of enhanced farming livelihoods come to fruition by continuing to engage and strengthen its relationship with a growing number of partner farmers.