BCEOM completes 65 projects and studies

BCEOM completes 65 projects and studies

At present, BCEOM Indonesia has a permanent staff of more than
30 professional expatriates and 200 Indonesians. It has completed
more than 65 projects and studies since its establishment here
(1982) and is presently focused on the present issues of
Indonesian economics, i.e. poverty alleviation (rural) and the
environment (rural and urban).

In this context, it is worth naming one project: the Sulawesi
Rainfed Agriculture Development Project (SRADP), as two-thirds of
the rural population of Indonesia is engaged in rainfed
agriculture.

SRADP covers all the four Sulawesi provinces. The sites
included in the SRADP have various upland agricultural problems
such as unstable soils leading to erosion, inappropriate farming
systems, poor agronomic practices and shifting cultivation.
Consequently, the SRADP's main objectives are to improve the
socioeconomic condition of the participating households, to
protect the threatened natural resource environment and to
improve conditions for women. To meet these objectives, BCEOM has
chosen a farming systems approach to agricultural development
with particular attention to soil conservation.

This project, among others dealing with rural and urban poor
communities, illustrates the BCEOM's ability and willingness to
assist the government in community development.