A World Where Sustainable Farming is the Norm

This might sound cliché and very ambitious but UTZ believes if farmers implement good agricultural practices and manage their farms profitably with respect for people and planet; industry invests in and rewards sustainable production, and consumers can enjoy and trust the products they buy then sustainability practices will be the biggest contribution for a better future.

As a certification label and program for more than 10 years UTZ does not limited the activities to promote the importance of certification as the only answer to sustainability. Started in Guatemala by working in the coffee sector, now UTZ has been working in varieties commodities such as cocoa, tea, and hazelnut and is growing for other opportunities and initiatives. With innovation and high commitments UTZ certified commodities have being produced in 37 countries around the world including Indonesia as one of the biggest coffee and cocoa production country in Asia.

Since 2007, UTZ has been working in the coffee, cocoa and tea sectors across Indonesia. Besides promoting certification to the farmers and related supply chain actors on UTZ standards, UTZ Indonesia is recently implementing other projects such as the 'Expanding Livelihoods Opportunities for Poor Households Initiative' (ELOPHI) funded by Ford Foundation, partnering with ECOM and HIVOS on a coffee project in Lampung funded by IDH, Sector Partnership project on lobbying and advocacy funded by the Dutch Government, supporting PT OLAM Indonesia to develop a yield estimation methodology and a First Mile project with MARS in Sulawesi where traceability system in the cocoa farm level is identified.

No matter how big the projects are or how difficult the implementations are, UTZ Indonesia focusing its intervention to help farmers, workers and their families to fulfill their ambitions and contributes to safeguard the world’s resources, now and in the future.

Muhammad Tang is one of the 50,000 farmers whose land has being UTZ certified. Many of the farmers have experienced increasing in their production; by maximizing and practicing the UTZ certification standards properly, regarding farm management and environmental management.

By joining PISAgro as one of the national platform where UTZ can share and learn from other expertises, UTZ will improve capacities and leverage supports to help Muhammad and many other farmers in Indonesia to see greater impact where coffee, cocoa and tea farmers growing better crops, gaining better income, respecting the environment and living a better life.

*Article written by Eldo Soplantila – UTZ Indonesia Training Coordinator

Cover Photo: Eldo Soplantila/UTZ