Serikat Petani Indonesia

Agroecology in Action: SPI’s Grassroots Innovations

For the Indonesian Peasant Union (SPI), agroecology is not just a method — it is a way of life. With nearly two million members, SPI organizes across 24 provinces for agrarian reform, food sovereignty, and cooperative economies. At the Global Grassroots Innovation Assembly (GIAA), Qomar, head of SPI’s agroecology center, explained: “Agroecology is a movement — how we move to create people’s food systems.”

SPI’s new video with an evidence-based case for agroecology, Agroecology in Action: Solutions from Indonesian Peasants to Food and Climate Crises, brings this philosophy to life through testimonies of farmers across the country. They describe in detail how agroecology is practiced every day, using resources from their own land and knowledge shared among peers.

Seeds are saved, selected, and crossed into new local varieties, such as SPI 20 and SPI 21 rice, or composite maize that can be replanted season after season without buying from the market. Fertilizers are made entirely by farmers: solid bokashi from fermented cow, goat, and chicken manure, and liquid fertilizers prepared from natural ingredients rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and plant hormones. These are applied at different growth phases to strengthen crops.

For pest and disease control, SPI farmers use weekly observation and intervene with biological agents like Trichoderma (collected from bamboo roots), Metarhizium, and Beauveria, alongside homemade botanical fungicides and pesticides. Leaves from papaya, onion, or soursop, and other plants that pests naturally avoid, are turned into protective sprays. Farmers emphasize that nothing is purchased — all inputs are made locally through fermentation and simple techniques.

The results speak clearly. Rice yields rise from 6 to 7.2 tons per hectare, maize yields increase by 20–30%, and production costs drop from 30 million rupiah to around 20 million per hectare per season. Growing cycles are shorter, ecosystems are healthier, and the food itself is safer and more nutritious, free from chemical residues.

From Aceh to Yogyakarta, farmers testify how SPI’s trainings changed their farming: they are now producing their own seeds, fertilizers, and pest controls, cutting costs and improving results. “Agroecology is the only way to save the environment,” one young farmer concludes.

SPI’s participation in GIAA highlights these grassroots innovations as part of a global conversation. Their message is clear: peasants are not waiting for outside solutions. They are creating them — in their fields, communities, and cooperatives.

Watch the video here:
Agroecology in Action: Solutions from Indonesian Peasants to Food and Climate Crises  (SPI, Indonesia)