Strategically located in Tambolaka City, Mama Lily, a member of the Women’s Farmers Group (KWT) Hidup Bersama in Wee Rena Village, faces challenges with limited land and water supply. However, they have found a smart solution by running an agricultural business for 11 years using their home garden. For Mama Lily, there is always a way to learn, work, and be creative. The Agricultural Livelihood through Integrated Approach (PERMATA) program, carried out by Yayasan Bina Tani Sejahtera (YBTS) and supported by the William & Lily Foundation (WLF), has been effectively utilized. “I have learned many new things. Various types of vegetable have been planted, such as mustard greens, kale, spinach, lettuce, eggplant, bitter melon, chilies, tomatoes, pitsay, pak choy, watermelon, and honey pumpkin,” she said.

The plant growth process begins in the group’s greenhouse, located at Mama Lily’s house. Once the plants were ready to be moved, they were distributed to six other members to be planted in polybags in their respective yards. This harvest has contributed to a daily income of Rp20,000–40,000. “We are grateful to have learned a lot from the PERMATA program. One of them is about fertilizers and pesticides. Apart from understanding chemicals, we are also taught how to make organic fertilizers and pesticides,” explained Mama Lily. Mama Lily specifically uses liquid NPK fertilizer and Eco Enzyme to apply to her vegetable cultivation. This organic fertilizer is not only easy to make with available ingredients but also provides harvest results with better fruit texture compared to using chemical fertilizers.

Mama Lily and members of the farmer group had the opportunity to show their abilities in processing local food. This activity has provided an opportunity to share knowledge on how to prepare nutritious food for the family using ingredients found around them. Their expertise in processing local food ingredients and using their yard for farming has made Mama Lily not only a vegetable farmer but also a skilled chef.