SI-Empowering Women Farmers to Actualise Rights to Seed for Sustainable and Resilient Food System in East-Java Indonesia

ID2023SIN387A105 01/09/2023 - 31/08/2025 The project's main dream is empowering smallholder and women's farmers to implement the right to seed to sustain the agricultural system in East Java. It also contributes to a better understanding of farmers' rights for NGOs and policymakers to achieve a sustainable and resilient food system in Indonesia. The project's long-term impact is to achieve the condition when smallholder and women's farmers can actualise their right to seed guided by SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 13 (climate action) and SDG 5 (gender equality). It divides into two main operational strategies under the VLIROUS domain. First is research collaboration and partnership between VUB and partners (UNAIR, UGent and UCLV) as drivers of change. Second is a capacity-building program to empower smallholders and women farmers as agents of change to actualise rights to seed in Indonesia. The methods to implement the strategies are as follows: First, providing on-site training and workshop with farmer's NGOs. The training and workshop will be held for fourteen terms in two years. The second is providing an online course on farmer's rights to students at UNAIR and other universities in Indonesia using UNAIR Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). The third is Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with NGOs, policymakers, academia and other stakeholders. The purpose is to seek a common view on the right to seed and its impact on the environment and gender equality, address the solution from the problem context and deliver a better understanding of the farmer's right to seed where the project result is presented. The fourth method is an international symposium. The symposium will take place in the last year of the project, where academia, researchers, policymakers or students will present the current idea on the right to seed guided by SDGs. The budget will be focused and provided for all activities, including two short-term PhD scholarships, totalling EUR 69.531.