SIMPATIK Farmers


Welcome to Simpatik!

Wilujeung sumping! Welcome to Simpatik Farmer Group, the first producer of internationally certified organic fair trade rice! Our mission is going organic with our soul! We are one voice representing thousands of small-scale farmers in Tasikmalaya, and we want to share with you our history, our culture, our mission, and our language!
 


      History of Simpatik

      Before 1999, farmers in Tasik were planting rice the conventional way and over time, they sadly noticed that the land was getting less fertile and our yields were decreasing.  A handful of farmers wanted to try a different and more natural approach and they have heard about SRI and tried it out. Tasikmalaya became the pioneering location of SRI in Indonesia. In 2000, the local government conducted SRI training programs to spread the effect of SRI. Slowly, more farmers stopped using chemical fertilizers and pesticide, growing healthier plants and increasing productivity.

      By 2006, Simpatik was born to serve the needs of farmers who were converting to organic since there were no farmer groups that was specialized in organic agriculture. Unfortunately, Simpatik was not very active due the lack of a secure market for organic products. In 2008, Simpatik was reborn and strengthened when we joined forces with Bloom Agro, the social enterprise that started Sunria, and together, we started to reorganize our structure to meet international certification criteria. We also had to undergo a lot of internal meetings, trainings, and inspections to get everything in order. In 2009, we were the first farmer group to ever achieve international certification for organic and fair trade, and we are the first group to ever export organic rice from Indonesia!

      Since then, we have received numerous awards and recognition. In 2009, we won the Presidential Award for Best in Food Security, due to using the SRI method to increase our productivity and environmental sustainability. In 2010, we have received another Presidential Award for Best in Organic Farming. In 2011, we are honored with a Certificate of Excellence from Cornell University, for making a difference to the environment, the lives of farmers, and consumers. Please visit the award (link to award) section.

      Simpatik Farmer Corporative is proud to share with the world the taste of our rice, a labor of our handwork and commitment. We will continue our efforts so that we will offer you only the best produce nature has intended!


      Simpatik and Its Culture

      The organic culture in Simpatik Farmer group is so strong that became a second nature for us, with its principles guiding our mind and our activities. We believe that before our land and crops can be organic, we first have to direct our mind to be ‘organic’. This means that we are able to put the nature before us and cultivate positive characteristics such as honesty, kindness, generosity, compassion, and integrity. We are proud that organic farming has intensified the efforts of our community to engage in gotong royong, a traditional Indonesian value that dictates unity in helping others. Our farmers, even with their limited income, are always ready to help those in need and those that are less fortunate than them, and contributions to social cause is a common practice in Tasikmalaya.

       

      Our Location - Tasikmalaya

      Tasikmalaya, is a mountainous regency in the south east of West Java. A geologist from The Netherlands, Van Benmellen, wrote a book entitled ‘The Geology of Indonesia’, and he was so astonished by the number of mountains that he created the term ‘The Ten Thousand Hills of Tasikmalaya’. Tasikmalaya, with an area of 2,063,35 km² and a population of 1,945,971, is blessed with mountain spring water and cool fresh air. People here generally belong to the ethnic group of Sundanese, characterized by their friendliness, politeness and kindness. In fact, Sundanese are probably the most hospitable people in Indonesia, and they take pride in serving their guests well, ensuring that they leave with warm memories.

      Our Language

      Our native language is Sundanese, which is the indigenous language of West Java spoken by 27 million inhabitants.  It is characterized by a melodious sound, and is spoken with gentle care. We would like to share with you how to say a few words in Sundanese:

      Welcome - wilujeung sumping
      How are you - kumaha damang
      I’m good - damang
      My name is… - nami abdi…
      Have you eaten? – tos tuang teu acan
      Rice - sangu
      It is very delicious! – raos pisan
      Thank you -  hatur nuhun
      See you soon - wilujeung kantun

       

      Did You Know?

      • The name ‘SIMPATIK” is an Indonesian abbreviation of Sistem Pangan Organik Tasikmalaya, or The Organic System of Tasikmalaya.
      • Tasikmalaya is a city and regency of West Java with a climate ranging from 23 degrees in the afternoon, to 18 degrees at night.
      • It is a famous mountainous region for rice growing, with elevated areas of 1,151 feet
      • One quarter of our total area, about 256,756,692 hectares, is covered by forests.
      • In April 5, 1982, our infamous volcano Gunung Galungung erupted, and spreaded its ashes to agricultural lands hence increasing their fertility
      • There are 1.58 million of us and we are ethnically Sundanese people.
      • We love arts and handicrafts. We are known for particular designs of batiks (hand painted fabrics), paper umbrellas, plaited mats, and hand-woven bags from natural fibers such as bamboo and pandanus leaves.