In East Kalimantan, awareness is growing about the need to address the structural imbalances that women farmers face thanks to PoweRRR Indonesia (Palm Oil & Women’s Equity through Resources, Rights, and Representations in Indonesia). The project, backed by GIZ, supports women farmers and workers in Kutai Timur and Paser districts of East Kalimantan, Indonesia with the goals of:
- Improving their access to quality inputs and resources to increase productivity, enhance livelihoods, and ensure the health and safety of women in their work environments.
- Strengthening their rights through capacity-building initiatives that equip women with the necessary skills and knowledge to advocate for their rights, assert their voices, and participate in decision-making processes.
- Promoting inclusion through community-based groups that amplify women’s voices and ensure their representation. The project aims to create a platform for dialogue, and influence policies and practices that affect women in the palm oil industry.
Equal partnerships, inclusive supply chains
Training women oil palm smallholders and workers on sustainable farming practices, occupational health and safety, and financial literacy is a key activity under PoweRRR Indonesia.
“With the dry soil conditions here, we often worry things will not grow as optimally as expected. But now, we know that there is soil treatment that can help us maintain the health of the soil,” says Sarinah, a smallholder and member of the Agri Mandiri female farmer’s group in Karya Bhakti village.
Most members of farmer’s group co-own their oil palm estates of 2-6 hectares with their husbands in charge of maintenance. “Our estates are located quite far. It takes one to two hours to reach, so we prefer to let the husbands maintain the estates while we maintain a small food plot here growing cassava, chili and more because it is closer home for us,” adds Martini, the group leader.
Every Friday, the group of 25 participates in a farmers’ field school facilitated by Solidaridad.
“We take turns in carrying out the maintenance of the food plot, practicing the knowledge we obtained from the farmers’ field school,” Martini adds.
Group members are also replicating these practices on their palm plantations.
“We are starting to have a say on how to manage plantations, what practices to adopt. For instance, to use more organic fertilizers,” says Sarinah.
“After regular participation in the farmers’ field school, we realized that some of the methods shared during classes apply to any crop, including oil palm,” adds Siti Muriah.
The women find the workshops on gender inclusivity, which includes creating awareness of women’s rights, gender-based violence, and regulations offering protection to women, very helpful. “Some of us recently joined the training of trainers (ToT) for gender inclusivity. It was such a great experience,” says Martini.
Ari Dwi adds: “It is imperative for both men and women to understand that gender equality is about partnership, not domination. The training provides adequate knowledge and information to women to affirm this at all levels, including within household settings.”
Beyond better practices and gender topics, training sessions are designed to support farmers and women workers to enhance their leadership and business management skills – from communicating their ideas and opinions effectively, to negotiating for their demands and managing enterprises effectively. A training for trainers on leadership and business, financial literacy and decent work exposed the Agri Mandiri to essential skills and knowledge that could be shared with other communities.
By strengthening their capacities in these areas, the training provides women with the confidence and tools to drive positive change, not only for themselves but for their families and communities. Going forward, they will be able to assume leadership roles within their community groups and advocate for their rights.
“From the training, we came to a full realization that female leadership is important. We have to set an example for others and hope that more women will take on leadership at various levels of their lives.”
Ari Dwi, a farmer member
“The men here are relatively supportive toward female leadership. They understand that women need room to grow too,” adds Samirah.
The road ahead
Training sessions like these are tied to the larger project goal of fostering a more equitable, sustainable, and socially responsible palm oil supply chain. The project impact is expected at three levels:
- Individual: improved knowledge and skills in agriculture practices as well as health and safety; better decision-making capacity through organization and self-advocacy; and decent working conditions for female workers.
- Community: greater acceptance and respect of women as farmers and contributors at the household/community level.
- Institutional: structural government change via policy advocacy to accept female farmers and workers as equal supply chain participants and leaders, with more inclusive certification standards and multi-stakeholder initiatives.
By early 2026, Solidaridad and partners Perempuan Mahardika and PT Syngenta Indonesia aim to reach, benefit and empower 1,500 female farmers and 2,000 female workers. Indirectly, the interventions are expected to benefit 7,000 community members in the palm oil supply chain of East Kalimantan, Indonesia.
“We want women to be aware of and understand that we have the same rights as men … we all have potential, and we have to seize every opportunity that presents itself to us.”
Siti of the Agri Mandiri group