Paman Dean Eco-Buffalo Project

In the words of Deans Beans

In northern Sumatra we have funded water and rural electrification programs, as well as reforestation.  We also started the Paman Dean eco-buffalo project in 2003.  Paman (Uncle) Dean is a water buffalo who provides organic fertilizer directly to the fields (one buffalo can fertilize one hectare per year – the average holding of a farmer). In addition, the buffalo weeds the field as a ground feeder, without destroying the coffee plants.  We are looking to expand this project with more buffalo each year. At present, there are six eco-buffalos doing their thing.

A few weeks ago, I was visiting with my old friend Tomas Fricke of ForesTrade, and two new friends: Sumatran coffee farmers, Iswandi and Salim, from the PPKGO organic farmer's coop. The two men had come to the USA to share their experiences during these critical times with the roasters who use their coffee. We spent the morning going through a very technical cupping of their coffee, and making recommendations on processing to improve the quality of the cup.

After visiting with the staff of Senator Patrick Leahy to discuss the worsening human rights situation in northern Sumatra, we ended the day drinking beer in a local tavern. The talk turned to how the farmers could lower their labor costs associated with weeding and soil conditioning, when Salim, who is a trained agronomist, started scribbling on his notepad. He said that one water buffalo creates enough manure and urine (great bar talk!) to fertilize one hectare of land per year, about the average size of a coffee farmerss holding in their area. Further, the water buffalo eats the weeds that grow around the coffee plant, but probably wouldn't eat the leaves of the plant. Water buffalo are used extensively in the lowlands in rice production, but aren't too common in the highlands where the coffee is grown. A few beers later, I offered to fund an experiment with one water buffalo on one farmer's land. Salim quickly sketched out the cost of the water buffalo, transportation to the coffee fields, the price of a shed, and a monitoring program. We agreed that the water buffalo would be named 'Paman Dean' ('Uncle Dean'), and that we would visit the new project in February when I head to Sumatra and Timor. I also agreed that if the project is a success, we'll work on funding a fleet of water buffalos for the area. Maybe we'll do one of those Adopt-a-Water Buffalo things that have become so popular lately!

The next day, the farmers showed up at our beanery on the way to the airport. I gave them the 'Water Buffalo Fund' money and showed them their beans both in green and roasted form (and, of course, we drank some great Ahab's Revenge, which is roasted from beans from the village Paman Dean is going to). They headed back to Sumatra, ready to begin their new project.

The point of this story is that the farmers identified a need and proposed a way to address it with some technical and financial assistance from us. This is the nuts and bolts of grassroots development. No big international agencies, no layers of bureaucracy soaking up large percentages of the funds, no years of planning before implementation, and no imposed agenda from the outside. Just the farmers and us in a true partnership.

So the next time you're in the hills of Takengon, northern Sumatra, go visit Paman Dean and see people-centered, grassroots development in action. At the very least, stop by the beanery here and I'll show you some photos of Paman Dean, the eco-buffalo, in action. click here for more