Starting Point
Pari Kolektif, or "Panen Apa Hari Ini" (What Are We Harvesting Today), is a Yogyakarta-based collective focused on urban farming and local food distribution, in which most of the Yogyakartan farmers are women. Established with a vision of promoting sustainable agriculture, the group integrates art into its efforts through initiatives. Pari Kolektif believes that art has the ability to add value to an object while at the same time raising awareness for the public on existing issues.
Being an art-based movement Pari Kolektif also has access to funding opportunities. This access to funding has been utilized by Pari Kolektif to empower women farmer communities.
Anang, the founder of Pari Kolektif, holds degrees in Visual Communication Design and Film/TV from ISI Yogyakarta. He believes in the flexible nature of Pari Kolektif where he tries to respond to issues faced by individuals in his network, which mostly are women farmers. He insisted that he is a mere facilitator of initiatives and his initiatives always involve and are coordinated by women farmers.
Peace Journey
Pari Kolektif actively engages in addressing land disputes and agricultural crises through art and community initiatives. Witnessing urban apathy towards land-grabbing for projects like the Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA), initiated markets selling produce from farmlands affected by the YIA project. Pari Kolektif prepared artwork depicting how the YIA project affects the environment and welfare of women's farms and invited women farmers to sell their produce in urban spots. The women farmers are invited to share their experience in relating to farming and facing the challenges posed by the YIA project. Pari Kolektif also uses their artistic sensibilities to create artwork that not only enhances the marketability of fresh produce by women farmers, but also depicts urgency to bridge the often disconnected urban dan rural communities to respond to societal issues, particularly agricultural and agrarian issues.
Other initiatives are related to access to funding. PARI has received several funds to create empowerment work through art. An example of this is the funding provided to Pari Kolektif to create an art exhibit at the annual Yogyakarta Art Festival. Pari Kolektif then consulted with farmers on their needs and identified that they face the issue of drought. Responding to such issue, Pari Kolektif uses their funding to create art that highlights the severity of drought experienced by the farmers while at the same time giving some of the funding of the art to the farmers to purchase equipment to allow them to irrigate their farm using an electric pump. Another example is funding for empowerment art. Pari Kolektif, together with Kelompok Wanita Tani (Women Farmers Group) then established Milangkori, a program engaging Kelompok Wanita Tani (Women Farmers Groups) in community-based tourism to highlight the importance of local agricultural knowledge.
It must be noted that incidentally, these initiatives have become a platform for women farmers from different places to exchange knowledge. For example, Pari Kolektif allowed some women farmers to learn from other women farmers to farm different vegetables.
Success Stories
Pari Kolektif has overcome significant challenges, particularly in mobilizing women farmers constrained by household responsibilities and psychological stress from land disputes. The collective addresses these issues by adopting co-creation with flexible participation schedules, enabling women to contribute without strict targets. Through artistic initiatives that build social sensitivity and community cooperation, PARI supports rural empowerment. Financial sustainability is achieved through self-funding and occasional government backing, enabling programs like Pasar Wiguna, where women can market their products and enhance community solidarity.
Pari Kolektif notes that it does not operate under a certain deadline or target. It focuses on the available means, existing issues, and the willingness of the members of its network to help each other. This allows Pari Kolektif to effectively operate since it does not force its members to engage in any activities, unless there is perceived urgency and willingness to mobilise.