At the global level, we are facing two big problems, namely the economic recession and the food problem. The rate of human growth is faster than the availability of natural resources which leads to food scarcity. In the Multiplication of Stube HEMAT, food issues become serious attention, and it requires a proactive movement to solve the problem. To support food availability, Stube HEMAT initiate vegetable planting activities in the house yard, called "Living Kitchen".
Through this activity, children, youth, and parents learned together about the importance of motivation to plant. They get to know several types of quality horticultural seeds and learn about nurseries and care. This activity took place in Southwest Sumba Regency, Kalembu Nga'a Bangga (Wednesday, 29/07/2022). It started at 16.00 WITA, with 30 participants consisting of children, teenagers, and parents. They participated enthusiastically and learned new knowledge about vegetable plants.
This activity used two methods, indoor and outdoor activities. During indoor activities, participants were taught horticultural plant cultivation techniques, recognizing several types of seeds, nursery techniques, planting, and care to post-harvest. The second activity is observing horticultural farmers at the Mananga Aba, Loura district, Southwest Sumba Regency. The resource persons in the field study were Stube HEMAT alumni who had participated in previous agricultural activities.
Participants were satisfied because they could see several types of plants developed by the two resource persons. In the field study activities, the participants got a new experience with the nursery room, the method of seedlings, and the obstacles that often occur during the nursery process. They also learned how to cultivate the land properly and correctly, including how to use the supporting tools. In the last session, they learned about tomato plants that are nearly harvested and the cultivation of Lokananta F1 shallots from seeds developed through the nursery stage.
From the training, the participants are expected to know to cultivate farms. They can start to develop several types of vegetable crops to fulfill their daily needs. Furthermore, they can be an example for the surrounding community as a form of food security movement that starts from the household. ***