Samosir Island on Lake Toba in north Sumatra is a popular destination for any backpacker heading through Indonesia’s biggest island, and for good reason- it is a beautiful volcanic crater lake with clear waters and tranquil atmosphere. The Batak people that comprise most of Samosir Island’s population are affable and always smiling, the food is fantastic, and the list could go on. We got all these benefits in our time there but that’s not at all why we went there- for us it was to work on a farm. Working and collaborating with farms has treated us very well, and nowhere more so than in Silimalombu, a small village which our host Ratna Gultom is attempting to transform into an “Ecovillage”. Ratna herself is an inspiration in the way she thinks and acts- a great role model coming from within the community that is working to make a difference for future generations. She frequently sponsors trash pick-ups along the lakeshore and bottom, has planted hundreds of trees, teaches the 3-5 year olds of the village, and is changing the way people think about their interactions with the environment.
Our main activities outside of the usual harvesting food for sale or for us to eat, weeding, mulching, or cooking were twofold: building a demonstration composting area and building a solar dehydrator. While Silimalombu is blesses with extremely nice good soil, there are already signs of the slash and burn methods, chemical use of fertilizer and pesticides rapidly deteriorating the land. Rich organic mass grows everywhere but is seen more as a nuisance than as an asset for growing wonderful soil. Most of this project involved a lot of shoveling manure amongst other things as part of it was to clean out a out-of-use biogas unit that was full of probably 300 buckets of liquidy buffalo manure. Most people don’t travel the world to shovel shit, but it seems we do! And even more surprising; we love it!
The dehydrator was a really great project in so many ways. The people of Samosir dry many things, particularly fish from the lake, but also cacao (chocolate beans), nuts, water reeds for weaving, and a host of other things. But it’s the tropics and when rainy season attacks there is always a mad scampering of people out to the nets of things drying in the sun to cover or collect. Bugs and animals often spoil the drying meat or run off with it for a nice afternoon snack. With the dehydrator not only will the drying be more efficient, but it also saves space (stacking 11 trays vertically instead of having everything laid out side by side) and means you can just let things sit through the rain storm unhindered.
Traveling and meeting the people is great, but when you get to help them and have a positive impact on their lives, it is fantastic! The enthusiasm of the community for what we were doing was great! Like every great technology, it starts with just one but I wouldn’t be surprised if a future visit to Silimalombu we would see one in every yard! Although the entire community will not be using this initial prototype, it didn’t deter the many people who came out to work with us on it (including curious kids that sometimes made the work a bit more difficult!). We also give a special thanks to Lena, another volunteer from Germany who was also indispensable- especially as a source of good conversation and fun.
Samosir Island on Lake Toba in north Sumatra is a popular destination for any backpacker heading through Indonesia’s biggest island, and for good reason- it is a beautiful volcanic crater lake with clear waters and tranquil atmosphere. The Batak people that comprise most of Samosir Island’s population are affable and always smiling, the food is fantastic, and the list could go on. We got all these benefits in our time there but that’s not at all why we went there- for us it was to work on a farm. Working and collaborating with farms has treated us very well, and nowhere more so than in Silimalombu, a small village which our host Ratna Gultom is attempting to transform into an “Ecovillage”. Ratna herself is an inspiration in the way she thinks and acts- a great role model coming from within the community that is working to make a difference for future generations. She frequently sponsors trash pick-ups along the lakeshore and bottom, has planted hundreds of trees, teaches the 3-5 year olds of the village, and is changing the way people think about their interactions with the environment.
Our main activities outside of the usual harvesting food for sale or for us to eat, weeding, mulching, or cooking were twofold: building a demonstration composting area and building a solar dehydrator. While Silimalombu is blesses with extremely nice good soil, there are already signs of the slash and burn methods, chemical use of fertilizer and pesticides rapidly deteriorating the land. Rich organic mass grows everywhere but is seen more as a nuisance than as an asset for growing wonderful soil. Most of this project involved a lot of shoveling manure amongst other things as part of it was to clean out a out-of-use biogas unit that was full of probably 300 buckets of liquidy buffalo manure. Most people don’t travel the world to shovel shit, but it seems we do! And even more surprising; we love it!
The dehydrator was a really great project in so many ways. The people of Samosir dry many things, particularly fish from the lake, but also cacao (chocolate beans), nuts, water reeds for weaving, and a host of other things. But it’s the tropics and when rainy season attacks there is always a mad scampering of people out to the nets of things drying in the sun to cover or collect. Bugs and animals often spoil the drying meat or run off with it for a nice afternoon snack. With the dehydrator not only will the drying be more efficient, but it also saves space (stacking 11 trays vertically instead of having everything laid out side by side) and means you can just let things sit through the rain storm unhindered.
Traveling and meeting the people is great, but when you get to help them and have a positive impact on their lives, it is fantastic! The enthusiasm of the community for what we were doing was great! Like every great technology, it starts with just one but I wouldn’t be surprised if a future visit to Silimalombu we would see one in every yard! Although the entire community will not be using this initial prototype, it didn’t deter the many people who came out to work with us on it (including curious kids that sometimes made the work a bit more difficult!). We also give a special thanks to Lena, another volunteer from Germany who was also indispensable- especially as a source of good conversation and fun.
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Hello Brooke and Donny,
ReplyDeleteI haven't been on this site in ages. This is so amazing to see. You are two truly magical people.
Sending love and hugs.
Patty