Empowering Women and Reviving Cotton Farming in West Timor
Bertram and the Kopernik team on a recent fieldtrip in West Timor.
We’re excited to share our collaboration project with Kopernik, an NGO based in Bali, to bring our MAMA TANAH program through cotton agroforestry to West Timor. By providing seeds, training, and leadership opportunities, we're helping women farmers regenerate soil, boost local economies, and create new livelihoods.
A key aspect of this collaboration is the empowerment of women in rural communities through sustainable agricultural practices. As part of our commitment to creating better livelihoods while restoring soil health, we play a vital role in providing access to seeds and capacity building for women farmers, helping to revive cotton farming in their villages.
Reviving Cotton Farming and Supporting Women’s Leadership
Cotton was once a staple crop in many communities across West Timor, but over time, its cultivation declined due to various challenges, including shifts to monoculture farming, limited access to resources, and a lack of technical support. We are working to change that by reintroducing cotton farming, particularly as a means of enhancing the livelihoods of women, who often face barriers to accessing resources, land, and market opportunities.
Through this partnership, we are providing local women with the seeds needed to grow cotton, ensuring they have access to high-quality, sustainable varieties that are well-suited to the region’s environment and regenerative farming practices. These cotton seeds are an essential starting point in the effort to restore this valuable crop to the community and revitalize local economies.
Cotton: A historically abundant crop that has since become extinct.
Capacity Building and Knowledge Transfer
In addition to seed distribution, capacity building is at the core of our work. We offer training workshops and educational resources to help women farmers build the knowledge and skills needed to cultivate cotton sustainably. This includes everything from understanding the fundamentals of organic farming and soil health restoration to mastering the intricacies of cotton cultivation—from planting to harvesting and processing.
By focusing on women's involvement, we not only support economic empowerment but also foster leadership within the community. Women are often the primary caregivers and food producers in their households, and by equipping them with the skills and knowledge to grow cotton, they are able to contribute directly to their family’s economic security while playing a leading role in the regeneration of local agriculture.
Moreover, we emphasize the importance of gender equity and actively work to ensure that women have equal opportunities to participate in decision-making processes, whether it’s within family farms or community-wide agricultural activities. This approach not only strengthens women’s roles in agriculture but also promotes sustainable farming practices that benefit the whole community.
Baseline survey: Our collaborative approach means understanding the needs and characteristics of the village to understand how to tailor our training programs.
The Long-Term Vision: Sustainability and Empowerment
Through this multi-faceted support—providing access to seeds, offering training, and fostering women’s leadership—we are helping create a sustainable and resilient agricultural model in West Timor. The return of cotton farming is not just about reintroducing a valuable crop; it’s about creating new opportunities for women to generate income, improve their family’s livelihoods, and contribute to the restoration of soil health.
This effort to revive cotton farming, combined with the principles of regenerative agriculture, is transforming not only the agricultural landscape of West Timor but also the social and economic fabric of its communities. With our support, women are leading the charge in bringing cotton back to their villages, paving the way for a more sustainable and equitable future for all.