Jakarta - More than 85 local communities from across the archipelago will be present at the Panen Raya Nusantara Festival (PARARA), which will be held on October 13-15, 2017, in Taman Menteng, South Jakarta. Various creative products, handicrafts, non-wilted products and local food will be the main headline of this festival.

The PARARA Festival is a biennial agenda initiated by the PARARA Consortium. The festival was first organized in 2015 to promote and showcase entrepreneurial products from various communities and indigenous peoples. The products are the result of the community's efforts to support their lives and improve their welfare by paying attention to the balance between nature and humans, and come from the wisdom and cultural traditions of the community. 'Keeping Tradition, Caring for the Earth' is the theme this year with the aim of showing that the wisdom of Indonesia's ancestors has proven successful in utilizing natural resources sustainably and maintaining nature as part of community life and the earth. The ancestors of the Indonesian people and indigenous communities until now take natural resources by paying attention to the balance with nature and its carrying capacity so that these natural resources remain and can be enjoyed by future generations. Communities also collectively supervise the preservation of nature. Through PARARA, we are invited to re-practice maintaining traditions and caring for the earth for the preservation of natural resources and welfare.

Chairman of the PARARA Consortium Jusupta Tarigan said, PARARA aims to support the local community economy in a fair and sustainable manner where the management of local community products will be able to maintain local wisdom and the environment. By preserving local wisdom-based products, it also strengthens the identity and glue of the nation. Moreover, Indonesia is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, as well as a country that has a very diverse cultural wealth. "PARARA" aims to promote community products and increase access to markets that are able to value/REWARD these products at a fair price."

"In terms of quality, local products have global market value and potential. One of them is woven fabric. Weaving is not only a cultural heritage, but also an entrepreneurial potential that has a market at home and abroad. Therefore, our attention is needed to maintain and preserve Indonesia's local products as well as the producer community and its local wisdom," said Jusupta Tarigan.

Food security and sovereignty is also one of the messages to be conveyed through PARARA. Indonesia is an agrarian and maritime country, but food needs still depend on imports. In terms of price, it is also difficult to control. To that end, PARARA invites all parties to be able to provide space for farmers, fishermen, small-scale producer communities and support them with economic policies and practices that are more equitable, environmentally friendly and maintain resilience at the local level to climate change.

In addition to the festival, PARARA is expected to be a platform to support integration between local communities, markets and also policies governing creative and local industries. Synergy across actors with enabling conditions for a more pro-community economy for prosperity and sustainability.

Among the communities that attended PARARA 2017 were, Tilita (Doyo Natural Fiber Crafters, West Kutai, East Kalimantan) with products (Tenun Doyo, Doyo fiber-based accessories) said that the PARARA Festival provided greater space for me and other traditional crafters to meet directly and get to know the tastes of potential buyers and could spur my creativity to develop products.

In addition to the creative product exhibition, PARARA 2017 also presents seminar sessions and coaching clinics that will raise interesting topics about entrepreneurship, financial management, creative industries and craft workshops. For coffee lovers and the barista world, there are cupping sessions and aeropress competitions.

For children, there are storytelling activities that will be filled by PM Toh, traditional art performances, fashion shows involving individual designers and from Esmod and Lasalle fashion schools. While the entertainment session will be enlivened by Jamaica Cafe, AriReda, Sandrayati Fay, The Kaborang and Oscar Lolang.

PARARA is a magnification of the "Green & Fair Products" initiative that WWF Indonesia has long initiated with the aim of appreciating and preserving the product-nature-community relationship and balance.
- Relationship with natural areas
- Relationship with local wisdom
- Relationship with community history and identity
- Relationship with market and consumers

Similar to PARARA, the Green & Fair Products initiative, PARARA aims to develop fair networks between local producers and consumers; ensure local regulations to ensure the sustainability of natural resources and production systems; pay attention to the role of men and women in production systems; ensure product identity (origin, system, producer) is preserved and told.

Fair and Sustainable Community Products are the wise choice for people and nature.

*Festival Panen Raya Nusantara is organized by:
PARARA NTFP-EP Consortium, WWF Indonesia, Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI), ASPPUK, JKTI, KEHATI, GEF SGP, Kemitraan, RECOFTC, AMAN Mandiri Producer Cooperative (KPAM), Alliance of Indonesian Organists (AOI), Samdhana Institute, Jaringan Madu Hutan Nusantara (JMHI), Jasa Menenun Mandiri, Sintang, Yayasan Riak Bumi -Pontianak, Yayasan Dian Tama -Pontianak, Perkumpulan Indonesia Berseru (PIB), Rumah Organik, Forum Komunikasi Kehutanan Masyarakat (FKKM), WARSI, Jambi, Yayasan Anak Dusun Papua (YADUPA) Jayapura, Yayasan Mitra Insani (YMI) Riau, Yayasan Konservasi Way Seputih (YKWS) Lampung, Yayasan Palung, KIARA, Yayasan Petak Danum, Yayasan Penabulu.