Suka Maju is a farming group of female farmers in Kabalidana Village, West Wewewa Subdistrict. They are one of the farming groups that received assistance from Yayasan Bina Tani Sejahtera through PERMATA, an initiative powered by YBTS and the William & Lily Foundation (WLF), which focused on enhancing the farmers’ source of living. Behind Suka Maju’s story was a leader figure named Mama Kornalia Wasti Bouka, also known as Mama Elin. She always encouraged the women of Suka Maju to continue improving their lands. However, despite their efforts to cultivate tomatoes since 2015, they often faced unsatisfying harvest results. The lack of knowledge and sufficient skills might have been determining factors of their poor results at that time.

Through the Agricultural Livelihood through Integrated Approach (PERMATA) project implemented by YBTS and supported by William and Lily Foundation (WLF), Mama Elin and Suka Maju got to learn and harness their competence as farmers. Not only did the training process give them new knowledge, but it also allowed them to apply the newfound knowledge on their farmlands directly. The training program covered every necessary step in vegetable cultivation, such as seeding, fertilizing, and pest control. Mama Elin also continued to push the female farmers of Suka Maju to keep their spirits high during the program.

The assistance given by the YBTS field officer team created a positive impact on the tomato harvest result. The products obtained had excellent qualities, allowing the farmers to sell it at a high price. They can bring around IDR 9 Million to IDR 12 Million from the tomato distribution alone. Not only did it motivate the farmers to continue improving their lands, the increasing income also improved their economic condition. Mama Elin used the profit she obtained to pay for her children’s educational needs.

The existence of the Suka Maju farming group had become the icon of women empowerment in West Wewewa. The farming group was crucial in motivating the young female generation and educating the local farmers on good agricultural practices. Other than cultivation activities, the women of SUka Maju continued to create post-harvest innovations, such as ginger extract drinks and sweet potato chips. A creative innovation, combined with the excellent quality of their harvest, might be the formula that could increase the farmers’ livelihood.

Furthermore, the success story of Suka Maju also gathered attention from the local government’s farming department. They received funds worth IDR 90 million through the government’s food security program, Pekarangan Pangan Lestari (P2L). The funds would be allocated to provide seeds and other facilities that could further support the farming activities of the female farmers. We hope that the success of the Suka Maju farming group could motivate other female farmers to improve the farming industries of West Wewewa.