Stories

Fine orange dust rose around our feet as the People for Peat (PFP) team took the path toward an organic farm nurtured by the Orang Asli (OA) community at Kampung Melai, Pahang. A former shipping container and a hut wrapped in corrugated metal flanked us on either side, offering some welcome shade in the oppressive afternoon heat. 

Laughter punctuated the sounds of soles against gravel as our guide, Mr Kon Onn Sein, cracked a joke well-received by the diverse PFP team. Amiable, humble and exuding genuine kindness, Mr Kon was the reason for the rare gathering of representatives from all three members of the PFP coalition that day. 

Mr Kon, or Brother Kon as the community fondly calls him, is a force to be reckoned with. In the early 2000s, the Yayasan Kajian dan Pembangunan Masyarakat (YKPM) Managing Director walked away from the peak of his lucrative legal career to dedicate his life to poverty alleviation and community development among the OA and urban poor. 

OA Organik was conceived as a means to empower the indigenous through a shared prosperity business model. YKPM provides OA communities with the means to kickstart their own organic farms and a market to sell their produce at a fair price. Established in 2015, OA Organik’s products are available at a major supermarket chain in the Klang Valley and a local supermarket chain in Pahang.

While YPKM had found success in helping the OA community at Kampung Ulu Gumum cultivate eco-farms, it required expertise in peatland management solutions when trying to expand the programme to neighbouring OA villages - Kampung Tanjung Keruing and Kampung Melai - which are partially located on degraded peatlands. That’s when Mr Kon reached out to the PFP Business Hub. 

As a Business Hub Cohort 2 member, YKPM gained access to technical expertise, business training, capacity building, funding opportunities, and more. As he showed us around the organic farm at Kampung Melai, Mr Kon took the opportunity to pick the brains of PFP's Dede Sulaeman and Violace Putri, respectively trained in hydrology and agriculture 

A firm believer in empowerment over charity, Mr Kon told us the organic farming venture is more than just a way for the OA to improve their quality of life, it also strengthens the community structure as farming families bond over a common activity, “All policy decisions about the farm are made democratically and all the facilities like tractors and water pumps are shared. The flexible working hours also empower mothers because it means they can farm whenever they are able.”

Environmental sustainability is also a considerable motivation for Mr Kon. He told us deforestation is five times higher outside of indigenous territories and conservation units, “In other words, the indigenous communities living and working within the forest are the best line of defence against deforestation. Indigenous identities are often tied to their landscapes. By giving them a viable livelihood option, we empower the OA to protect and manage their environments. They can feed their families without exploiting the forests.”

Mr Kon has big plans for OA Organik, “We want to go the distance and help as many OA communities as we can. We plan to expand to 20 villages and set up a warehouse in the Klang Valley.”