MARCH 2021

Building Cocoa Ambassadors:
A Case Study on Youth Capacity-Buildingin Jembrana, Indonesia

Photos: Auditya Sari / Kalimajari Foundation

More than a million farmers in Indonesia are responsible
for growing much of the world’s cacao.1 Indonesia hasaround 1.6 million hectares of cocoa plantations, almost
entirely owned by smallholders.2 Situated on the western
coast of Bali, the Jembrana Regency’s tropical climate
provides an ideal environment for cacao cultivation. With
mountainous areas in the north and lowlands in the southbordering the Indian Ocean, Jembrana has the potential
to grow cacao in more than 6,000 hectares with more than
13,000 farmers incorporated in 108 subak abian (traditional farmers groups).3

Youth in Jembrana
Like many other regions and sectors, there is a dearth ofyoung farmers entering the cocoa value chain in Jembrana.
Only 10% of the famers in Jembrana are youth. Many young
students living in rural areas in Indonesia attend agriculture
schools because they are an affordable and accessible alternative to traveling to major cities to study. Very few of thosestudents pursue careers in agriculture upon graduation, andmany seek more profitable career paths elsewhere, particularly in tourism. For the young people in Jembrana interested
in the local cocoa sector, resources such as land, technicalknowledge, and access to cooperatives, whose memberships
traditionally comprise of male heads of households, are oftenout of reach.

Despite Indonesia’s rich environment for growing cacao,
farmers continually struggle with unproductive, unfermented,
aging cacao trees they cannot afford to replace.4 Indonesia
imports around 200,000 tons of fermented cocoa beans fromAfrica while, most often, only cheap, unfermented beans arebought from Indonesian farmers, who are simply not making enough to live.5 One of the greatest challenges cocoa
farmers in Indonesia face is a lack of capacity to ferment
beans, coupled with doubts from buyers about the quality offarmer-fermented beans. As the global demand for sustainably-produced cocoa continues to rise, it is crucial that Jembrana’s farmers are able to access and invest in processes
like fermentation in order to improve the quality of their cacao and increase their incomes.

In order to ensure future generations of leaders in sustainableagriculture, the Rainforest Alliance is working with partners
such as the Kalimajari Foundation to lower the barriers foryouth and increase awareness among youth about the potentiality of the cacao sector.
The Kalimajari Foundation and the Rainforest Alliance
The work described in this case study was carried out in partnership between the Kalimajari Foundation and the Rainfor1

est Alliance through the Sector Partnerships program. Basedin Bali, the Kalimajari Foundation works on the development
and empowerment of local communities through agriculture
and green business strategies.6 Years of impactful advocacy,
research, and development efforts have brought this organization to the forefront of Indonesia’s cocoa sector, and it has
shaped national cocoa policy and practice.
In 2017, the Rainforest Alliance and the Kalimajari Foundation
launched the Sustainable Action and Advocacy in Kakao (SUBAK) project, a lobbying and advocacy initiative aiming toincrease awareness about the potentiality of cacao. Since
then, the Kalimajari Foundation has trained over 600 farmers
in bean fermentation —and importantly, collected lessons
about successes and failures. Kalimajari also created an evidence-based cocoa production model specific to the Indonesian context which has now been adopted as the country’s
official national model for quality cocoa. More recently, Kalimajari began advocating for gender equality by facilitating
government programs targeting women cocoa farmers andyouth.
YOUTH INTERVENTIONS

young people and women (including single women) to apply for membership. The cooperative also offers internships
for young people, providing valuable experience to preparethem for the job market.

A key component of the SUBAK project is to increase awareness among youth about the cocoa value chain in Jembrana. Building upon the gender trainings, the SUBAK team began working closely with young farmers, paying attention totheir needs and gaps in knowledge, and inspiring more young
people to participate in the program. They also arranged
awareness-raising events at local agricultural schools andheld a Student Journalism Award to attract students to write
about sustainability in cocoa.

Awareness-Raising and Student Journalism Award
The SUBAK team’s work on youth engagement began withawareness-raising. Building greater awareness of the benefits of agriculture as a career among young people is critical, particularly exposing them to avenues to enter the market and farming as a business opportunity.7 The SUBAK teaminvited 32 agricultural schools in the Jembrana Regency tosend their best two students (male and female) to participate
in the awareness-raising scholarship program. The key aim ofthe program was to educate students about the importanceof Jembrana as a cacao producer, and to motivate them topursue careers in the sector. Through three days of workshops and awareness-raising activities in a one-year period,
the SUBAK team, with the help of local farmers, experts, government, and the private sector, taught students about themany opportunities available in cacao and shared stories ofsuccessful farmers in Jembrana.

In addition to increasing awareness of cacao among youth,
the SUBAK team worked to tackle the barriers young people
face in joining cocoa cooperatives. One notable success iswith the Kerta Semaya Samaniya (KSS) cocoa cooperative,
which has changed their membership regulations to allow

Capitalizing on student interest and creativity, the SUBAK
team then launched a Student Journalism Award to increase
the involvement of high school-age youth and disseminate
information related to cacao. The 64 students in the programsubmitted written articles about themes surrounding cacao
and sustainability, and of those, ten were selected to participate in an in-depth research program called the AJS Student
Research Scholarship Program.
AJS Student Research Scholarship Program
The next phase of the project aimed to increase the capacity of students to conduct deep research about cacao inJembrana, and to disseminate that information broadly. Thisapproach to capacity-building involved both formal and in2

formal learning, including classroom instruction, mentoring,field visits, data collection, and experiential opportunities. This
combination is crucial, as capacity-building programs aremost effective when they integrate different learning contexts by involving families, the local community, educational
institutions, and the workplace.8

to ambassadors of cacao fermentation. The participants
shared their experiences widely through social media networks and broadened the reach of the work. Through thiscohort, Kalimajari began to see a movement of young people who are interested in cacao, and who may have simply
needed guidance on how to get involved. The AJS scholarship provided a platform for the young people to learn more,engage more, and be more actively involved in cacao inJembrana.

Over the following several months, the 10 students selectedfrom the Student Journalism Award deepened their engagement with the cacao sector through trainings, internships,and visits to a local chocolate factory, farms, and cooperatives. The students conducted research related to five themes:
Gender in the Cacao Value Chain, Cooperative Management,Fermentation and Certification, Cultivation, and the correlation between Chocolate and Healthiness.

LESSONS LEARNED AND CONCLUSIONSThe SUBAK project ignited excitement about cacao among
the students, most of whom had little knowledge of the sector
before the program. Through visiting different phases along
the value chain, from the farm to the chocolate factory, students saw the potentiality of cacao as a business option andspread that information broadly. As the program wraps up
this year, there are several lessons that the team has learned
from the project.

Mentoring
Before conducting their research, the students were mentored on basic journalism to equip them with the skills theyneeded to conduct high-quality research. A professional facilitator hired by the SUBAK team led students in three daysof workshops focusing on journalism skills such as writing,photography, and interviewing. With this knowledge, the students visited the field and interviewed government officials, a
researcher at the Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute, and a chocolate factory owner. As the students delved
into each of the five research themes, they received guidance
and one-on-one mentoring from the facilitator and the staff
at Kalimajari and KSS about the content of their research.

This first is that capacity-building is key. The team focusedheavily on capacity-building throughout the Sector Partnerships and SUBAK program and it has made a lasting impact.
Through regular monitoring and evaluation trainings during
the scholarship period, English trainings, and others, participants acquired new skills and knowledge that will contributeto their work far beyond the conclusion of this project. Importantly the capacity-building promoted entrepreneurship.
At the final quarterly meeting, the team held a workshop on
cacao lip balm and cacao soap-making, using unqualified
cacao butter and powder that the cooperative often has leftover. Through this workshop, members identified another zero-waste way they can add value to their cocoa production.

When the students finished their research, the SUBAK teamselected the three best projects and announced them at an
event on the National Memorial Day of Young Heroes. The AJS
scholars gave a speech in front of 300+ stakeholders, including the Vice Regent and related departments in Jembrana’sgovernment, buyers, Rainforest Alliance and Kalimajari staff,
farmer members, financial institutions, and others.

Kalimajari’s standing as a prominent organization, both nationally and internationally, made it a strong partner for working with youth in Jembrana. Because Kalimajari already had
success working with adult farmers before engaging young
people, they were well-positioned to challenge the norms ofyouth participation in the community. Several young people
from Jembrana have now participated in international events
such as Sustainable Development Goals meetings and con-Communications
After conducting extensive research and speaking withexperts in the field, this cohort transformed from students3ferences in Paris and Berlin, and have received awards fortheir work. This recognition emboldens these young people tocontinue claiming space in unprecedented ways.
A final reflection is that through these interventions, the youngpeople developed a sense of belonging to the project and thepeople in it. Students have shown a lasting commitment tostaying involved after the project ends, which is key to thecontinuity of this work. In addition to expanding their knowledge about cacao, these students have built a communitythat cares about one another, and some have even decided
to continue their studies in agriculture. Out of the ten studentsof the AJS scholarship program, three of them went to college
this year and are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in agriculture.
These students are looking months and years ahead with excitement to contribute to the KSS cooperative, Kalimajari, andthe Jembrana community. The SUBAK project concludes thisyear, with a strong cohort of students and staff dedicated tocontinuing its momentum. The partnership between the Rainforest Alliance and Kalimajari will continue, with plans to upscale this work in other parts of Indonesia.

1: https://kalimajari.com/cocoa/

2: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-cocoa-factbox/factbox-snapshot-of-indonesias-cocoa-industry-idUSBRE89E1DL20121015

3: Subak abian is a traditional farmers group that serves a much more complex socioreligious purpose. It is one of the cultural landscapes of

the island of Bali linkages between farming management, traditional beliefs, and social organizations. Subak Abian are primarily involved withdry crops such as cacao, coconut, coffee, and other plants. (Janiawati, n.d.)
4: https://kalimajari.com/cocoa/

5: https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/articles/making-indonesias-cocoa-policy-a-reality-through-advocacy
6: https://kalimajari.com/

7: https://ypard.net/news/9-ways-engage-youth-agriculture

8: https://www.fhi360.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/resource-yp-guiding-principals-soft-skills.pdf

4The Rainforest Alliance is creating a more sustainable world
by using social and market forces to protect nature andimprove the lives of farmers and forest communities.
rainforest-alliance.org
email: info@ra.org