Project Summary
“Dayak Farmers: Land Guardianas and Entrepreneurs of Indonesia Central Kalimantan” is a EuropeAid project realized through the cooperation of three organizations, including Weltweit. At the heart of the action is the strengthening of civil society in Central Kalimantan, Borneo as an independent actor of good governance. In a region where external economic forces—such as palm oil plantation expansion, illegal mining and the potential implementation of carbon credit schemes over the forest by outside actors—continue to erode traditional livelihoods and ecological resilience, we aim to enhance the capacities of Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) across at least 25 villages, including 10 Dayak Indigenous communities and 15 farmer groups. This will be realized by equipping these grassroots organisations with the tools and knowledge to advocate for land rights, engage in participatory governance, and pursue sustainable livelihoods.
Project Manager
Status
ongoing since 2026
Budget
EUR 1.634.379
Partners
European Commission
BIT – Yayasan Borneo Institute
LPPSLH – Lembaga Penelitian dan Pengembangan Sumber Day adan Lingkungan Hidup
Project goals
Development of community gene bank infrastructure
Three fully operational seed houses established in target villages by the end of 2028 and 4 seed houses maintained for three years to ensure sustainability; 350 new crop accessions added to the BIT gene bank; expanded land area for seed multiplication and strengthened relationships with Indonesian and international genebanks. On-site seed science trainings.
Securing legal land tenure
Ensuring legal claims for existing kalekas – ancestral forest areas – are backed by customary law and community mapping. Official registration and legal recognition of Community Forests and 25 Kalekas (ancient Dayak forests) as Customary Forests within the social forestry framework until 2029.
Community awareness and capacity building
Awareness in 25 villages will be raised, Long-term management structures established for 10 CBOs, 15 Village-based paralegal teams established and trained in indigenous land rights and legal procedures; 450 youth from 5 villages trained in Dayak traditions and natural resource management. Webinars and international events will be organized.
Public policy engagement
The 15 CBOs will articulate their concerns and lobby directly with the local and national government.
International Advocacy and Strategic Networking
The BIT staff as main lobbyist for Dayak rights and affairs completes in-person visits to a diverse set of stakeholders and scientific supporters; Two international seminars and conferences will be conducted with alumni and experts on gene banks and crop conservation.
Gained knowledge and the results from the project will be disseminated on international online platforms, in 2 scientific and 2 popular science journals and at 2 conferences with international experts.
Participatory mapping and digital infrastructure
The GIS system borneologi.com that improves land management and public awareness on land use change will be complemented with new data, scaled in functionality and finalized with 10 CBOs trained and 2 in-person trainings on its interactive usage; all Kalekas in the project area will be mapped.
Sustainable livelihoods and economic transition
Participatory identifications of sustainable practices. Research on socio-economic changes. Training for entrepreneurship and group formation. Feasibility study for carbon market engagement. Making sure the profitability of traditional farming predominantly practiced by Dayak women is matching that of labouring on non-indigenous workplaces like oil palm plantations or illegal gold mines.
We had already worked with Standy Christianto, a graduate of the Bonn-based Master’s programme in ‘Agricultural Science and Resource Management in the Tropics and Subtropics’, on a previous project. Back then, he wanted to help the indigenous people of Borneo preserve their natural seeds. Standy had just started working at the Borneo Institute (BIT) upon his return to Indonesia, and this was to be one of his first projects there, which he managed as project leader. A few years later, he became the director of the institute.
The “Communal Seedhouse” project was very successful, which is why Standy and the BIT, in collaboration with Weltweit and LPPSLH, decided to take the next step. Led by the BIT and supported by EuropeAid, the “Kaleka Project” takes a broader approach and is being implemented on a significantly larger scale.
The “communal seedhouse” project from 2021-23 was a success, which is why Standy and BIT, in cooperation with Weltweit and LPPSLH, decided to take the next step. Under the lead of BIT and with the support of EuropeAid this new action will take a broader approach and operate on a much larger scale.
By supporting local initiatives – as BIT has been doing for years – we aim in particular to strengthen the activities of Dayak women, as they have been identified as a key factor in the protection of the forest in Central Kalimantan and of Dayak culture. In addition to increasing production, or at least maintaining current levels, of the foodstuffs cultivated by Dayak women, the aim is also to develop new business models in collaboration with them and to support their entrepreneurial initiatives.
The third partner in the alliance is LPPSLH, an organisation headquartered in Java. With a focus on economic aspects, it will support the farming groups in expanding their businesses and increasing their incomes by better linking the fruits of their labour to national markets. Drawing on more than ten years of experience, particularly in West Kalimantan, the LPPSLH sees considerable economic potential in the project region that can be further developed. A key area is the production and more effective marketing of agroforestry products that meet market requirements, such as wild palm sugar, rattan and forest fruits.
With facilitating communication and networking as one of its core competencies Weltweit will
strengthen the link of the Dayak CBOs that are under the wings of the BIT to the European institutions and establish access to global networks.
Through these initiatives, we aim to safeguard the environmental, cultural, and agricultural heritage of Kalimantan, empowering local communities—especially women—while contributing to broader goals of biodiversity conservation and sustainable land management.
The action embeds cross-cutting issues such as human rights, gender equality, democratic governance, environmental sustainability, and youth empowerment at every level of its design and implementation.
