By: Natalia Trita Agnika

One day, Sophia Kwano can be seen cleaning the Dutch cocoa farm in Klaisu Village, South Gresi District, Jayapura Regency, Papua. This Papuan woman is also involved in harvesting cocoa, peeling cocoa pods, fermenting, and drying them. Apart from Sophia, in her village, there are two other women who also work on the Dutch cocoa farm.

Sophia works on the Dutch cocoa farms with her husband, Arkilaus Lensru. "Before, I didn't understand that what I was doing was actually helping the family's economy as well as helping conservation," she said. She only found out about this after receiving training from WWF-Indonesia on "Women's Role in Conservation". During the training, the women who have been actively running family economic improvement activities gained new knowledge about the importance of conservation and family financial management. They were also invited to map other potential businesses that support the family economy, especially for environmentally friendly businesses.

Working on Dutch cocoa farms does contribute to conservation. Cocoa trees cultivated using the principles of agroforestry keep the forest sustainable. The trees that grow between the cocoa trees serve to shade the cocoa trees from getting too much sunlight, which is not good for the growth of the cocoa trees. Organic farming techniques are also friendly to the environment. Sophia knows that what she is doing benefits the forest. "Because the cacao farm is in the forest, farmers are not allowed to cut down other trees in the forest. Because they get income from cacao, there is less need to take wood from the forest to sell. In addition, if there is critical land, it is immediately cleared to become a cocoa plantation," he explained.

Dutch cocoa farming is very helpful for Sophia's family's economy because it is the main source of income. The results are marketed to WWF and sometimes there are local buyers who also come to the village. Despite the lack of equipment, the proceeds from cocoa farming have enabled Sophia to send her adopted son, Kerlen Kwano, to college at the University of Cenderawasih, Papua, in his final year.

Women's involvement in cocoa farming is welcomed positively by the men in their village. What Sophia is doing is proof that women have a role to play in improving the family economy based on natural resources and conservation.