Our ‘Forum Partner’ Zenzi Suhadi is the Executive Director of the National Office at Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (WALHI, or “The Indonesian Forum for the Environment”). For many years, Zenzi has worked to support communities in his home province of Bengkulu, Sumatra, in their struggle against corruption, illegally granted mining and plantation concessions, land grabbing, environmental pollution, deforestation, and the frequent application of physical violence against protesters and affected individuals in local villages.
In 2021 Zenzi initiated “Matatahun Seed Bank” in collaboration with communities in Bengkulu, as a way to conserve the seeds of traditional food crops and medicinal plants from the area. These crops are being lost because the forests where they are grown and harvested by the community are being destroyed by palm oil monoculture plantations. Through the Matatahun Seed Bank, Zenzi hopes to preserve the seeds and the inter-linked traditional agrarian knowledges of the communities in Bengkulu, as well as regenerate and adapt their uses to an ecosystem already affected by ecological destruction.
As part of his ‘Forum Partner’ activities, Zenzi was able support his ongoing initiative by clearing the land to be used for the Matatahun Seed Bank; building an urgently needed fence to keep out wild boar who eat the seeds and plants; building a nursery house for seed cultivation; preparing 5000 seeds for sowing; and purchasing agricultural equipment for the project.
Below you can find some documentation of this process:
