Interview of Qomar Najmi, from Serikat Petani Indonesia, shooted by Maya Cohen in 2023, and retranscript by Katie Whiddon in 2025.
Qomar introduces himself as a peasant farmer and national-level leader at Serikat Petani Indonesia (SPI), Indonesia’s peasant union. SPI is a mass organization present in 24 provinces and roughly 100 districts, with around two million members and sympathizers. Founded in 1998, it evolved from a federation into a more unified structure.
“I am a peasant. I plant, I raise cattle, I fish. And together with others we run a small training center in my hometown. It is collective work.”
“The biggest problem we face in Indonesia comes from the global food system. Seeds, fertilizers—70 to 80 percent come from multinational corporations. Costs rise, farmers suffer, while the government keeps food cheap to lower wages and attract investors. It’s not good for farmers, and it’s not good for workers.”
The organization is built from the ground up: local base groups of about 20–30 members elect representatives to higher levels. Within SPI, Qomar heads the Center for Research and Implementation of Agroecology. His remit is to gather members’ practical knowledge and spread it across the union through trainings, field visits, documentation, and video—“collecting and sharing knowledge” so peers can learn from one another.
“For SPI, we need to build national and local food systems that are established by the people themselves. A food system that is pro-people must be created by the people.”
“Agroecology in SPI is a way of life. It is not just science, not just knowledge, not just technical skill. It is a movement—how we move to create people’s food systems.”
He situates Indonesia’s biggest challenge within the global, corporate-driven food system. Seeds, fertilizers, and other inputs are dominated by multinational suppliers, pushing production costs up for peasants. At the same time, national policy aims to keep food prices low to attract investment via lower wages—a combination that harms both farmers and workers.
SPI’s response is to build people-led food systems at national and local levels, organized by producers and consumers themselves. For them, agroecology is not only a scientific or technical framework but a movement and a way of life—something to be lived in farming, economy, social relations, and care for nature. That implies political engagement: laws shaped by international agendas often restrict peasant rights, so SPI organizes to influence policy toward the public interest. To make that political agency real, SPI focuses on strengthening organizational capacity.
“We believe there is no other option, only agroecology. After recognizing the root problems, we came to agroecology as the solution, and we live it in our daily lives.”
“Agroecology is not only farming. It is also economic activity, social activity, culture, and collective work. It is about ecology, community, and how we live together.”
Qomar emphasizes consolidating diverse forms of capital beyond money: human, social, and knowledge resources; networks; and community stewardship of natural resources. A stronger organization, he argues, can better engage the state, advocate effectively, and win supportive public policies. He’s clear-eyed about timelines—victories may be long in coming—but stresses collective commitment: even if individuals don’t see the end results, contributing to the larger struggle matters. As a concrete success, he highlights a coordinated agroecological rice-planting initiative: about 2,000 members in one district planted simultaneously across roughly 1,000 hectares after a three-year transition away from synthetic fertilizers.
“When I say it is a movement, it is also political. Laws shaped at international level and ratified nationally often take our rights away. We must strengthen our organization to face this.”
“Building capacity means more than financial capital. It is about human capital, social capital, knowledge, networks, and natural resources. With stronger organization, we can influence government and advocate for public policies that support people.”
The action gained national visibility, with Indonesia’s president joining the planting and the agriculture ministry attending the harvest. It demonstrated SPI’s capacity to mobilize at scale, influence government attention (and budget support), and—crucially—prove that members can drive change through their own resources and organization rather than waiting for external funding.
“This year we succeeded in organizing 2,000 members in one district to plant rice together on 1,000 hectares using agroecology. After three years of transition away from chemicals, even the president came to plant, and the minister came to harvest. We proved that we can create change with our own resources, without waiting for outside support.“
“Even if we as individuals do not see the success in our lifetimes, it is okay. What matters is that we are part of the organization, part of the struggle, part of the line.”
Photo credit: SPI