Jakarta, February 28, 2023: A high-level donor delegation from the Lives and Livelihoods Fund (LLF) met with Mr. Prihasto Setyanto, the Director General of Horticulture of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia, and other dignitaries to cover a wide-ranging bilateral cooperation agenda in transforming the agriculture sector in selected highland areas of Indonesia.

LLF partners, comprising members from donor agencies from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD), the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief (KSRelief), and Qatar Foundation Fund for Development (QFFD), have committed to deepen its partnership with the Government of Indonesia and all relevant stakeholders to maximize food security and scale up strategic investments.

LLF has contributed USD 66 million in the Government of Indonesia’s flagship project, titled, ‘Development of Integrated Farming Systems in Upland Areas’. UPLAND Project is also co-financed by the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in conjunction with the Government of Indonesia (GoI) and has the mandate to reach out to 120,000 households in 14 districts across seven provinces over five years.

The UPLAND Project is prioritizing female farmers in the fertile plateaus and increasing their participation in homestead farming activities, so that going forward they can transition into medium-scale enterprises. Special activities around sustainable food gardens have been designed for women farmers targeting 6,000 - 7,500 female farmers. The delegation is also visiting the project sites in the highland areas to observe the interventions, procedures, and structures put in place to enhance indigenous farming systems, and bolster value chains of strategic commodities such as rice.