April 11, 2017 edition
Farmers in Indonesia are ranked the lowest among the country's income earners. Last February, the trade value ratio for farmers nationally fell by 0.58 percent from the previous month, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS). The trade ratio is the difference calculated between the buying and selling rates of farming commodities. But farmers are not discouraged by this state of affairs, as many now turn to various alternatives, particularly the different techniques of cultivation and adapting them to the increasing impacts of climate change, in order to raise productivity. At Bulukumba, South Sulawesi, local farmers are actively developing natural agriculture and using self-made fertilizers. In Mamuju, West Sulawesi, local cacao farmers can now sell their crops for premium prices after successfully improving their planting and marketing methods. Tempo English reports their stories.
Read More
More Outreach articles in other editions
April 4, 2017 edition
Child marriage has become a global issue because of its obstructive impact on growth and development. In Indonesia, according to UNICEF and the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), some 300,000 girls every year are married off before they turn 18. The problem is exacerbated by Law No. 1/1974 on Marriage, which sets the minimum age of marriage at 16 for girls and 19 for boys. Such marriages strip children of their right to education and can lead to health risks for expectant young mothers. In West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), the practice is reinforced by tradition and a conservative society. But a local NGO, the Yayasan Tunas Alam Indonesia (Indonesian Nature Foundation), is facilitating villages in implementing a customary law that would increase the minimum age of marriage. Tempo English visited NTB last month to report on efforts to end the archaic practice.
Read More
March 28, 2017 edition
Despite the new wave of regional regulations on smoke-free areas, prevalence of smoking in Indonesia remains high. According to a 2013 study by the health ministry, 85 percent of Indonesian households are exposed to tobacco smoke while tobacco-related deaths number around 240,000 annually. Youths are now acting to put a stop to the high number of tobacco deaths. Middle and high school students in Padang, West Sumatra, and in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, are actively combating the disturbing trend by staging a variety of creative campaigns as well as taking down cigarette ad banners placed near schools. In Bali, the Global Anti-Cigarette Movement community, called '9cm', is intensively raising awareness on the dangers of smoking through radio ads and in schools. A Tempo English special report.
Read More
March 21, 2017 edition
Indonesia is still far from achieving equality for women. The 2016 Global Gender Gap Index released by the World Economic Forum ranks Indonesia 88 out of 144 countries. In politics, the 30 percent quota allocated for women in the House of Representatives (DPR) has never been filled, with few women from Indonesia’s eastern regions taking part in the public decision process. But a movement started by Wilhelmina Mali Dappa has been underway to empower women in Sumba to speak up and be counted. Meanwhile, women preachers from the Evangelical Christian Church Synod, the biggest synod in Timor’s capital of Kupang, are spreading awareness about gender equality. A Tempo English special feature in celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8.
Read More
March 14, 2017 edition
March 7, 2017 edition
In contrast to the mostly Hindu population of Bali, the people of the traditional village of Tuka in Badung Regency are Christians. The village has even been dubbed the first Catholic village in the ‘Island of the Gods’. Local residents help one another during the Christmas, Galungan, and even the Kuningan celebrations. They adhere faithfully to their ngejot tradition of strong kinship bonds with those of different faiths. They demonstrate this by bringing each other food on the respective religious festival days. Tuka mirrors acculturation, the adjustment of external elements to local traditions, enriching a spirit of tolerance and pluralism. Tempo reports from Tuka, Bali.
Read More
February 28, 2017 edition