By Martin Ablola and Michelle Lapiz

Photo courtesy of Set Sambath, NTFP-EP Cambodia

From September 23 to 27, 2024, partner communities gathered for the Capacity Building on Enhancing Resilience to Forest Fire, and Local Livelihood and Market Linkages (AFoCO-CLMV) Project Learning Exchange visit in Jakarta and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. This collaborative event was organized with NTFP-EP Indonesia, the SCAL Program of NTFP-EP Asia, PARARA Indonesian Ethical Store and Café, and local NTFP producers in Yogyakarta. Participants included local partners from Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam, representing a variety of communities and organizations. Among them were NTFP-EP Cambodia and community forest enterprise partners from areas like Phrey Hum, Sangker, and Trapaing Lapeak, along with ARMI and community members from Champasak in Lao PDR, and NTFP-EP Vietnam with participants from Quan Ninh and Gia Lai provinces. 

The five-day event brought together a diverse group of people from non-government organizations (NGOs), partner communities, and forestry departments across Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam. This learning exchange is a cornerstone of NTFP-EP Asia’s efforts to foster connections and shared learning among staff, community partners, government officials, and NGO collaborators. Through visits and interactive sessions, participants exchanged insights on sustainability, women’s empowerment, business management, and organizational growth, strengthening ties and building knowledge to support their local communities. 

This learning exchange offered participants from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam fresh insights into various topics, including sorghum food preparation, Indonesian bamboo plantations, sustainable harvesting, and conservation practices. They also explored non-timber forest product (NTFP) social enterprises, with a focus on marketing, branding, packaging, and labeling of NTFPs, as well as their medicinal and pharmaceutical uses. These activities kicked off at the PARARA Ethical Store, setting the stage for a week of hands-on learning. 

The next day, select CLMV participants met with Ms. Taehyun Kim, the Program Manager from the ASEAN-Republic of Korean Project Management Team (AKPMT), and Mr. Fikri from the ASEAN Secretariat’s Food, Agriculture, and Forestry Division, to discuss the project’s initiatives and possible partnerships. 

In Yogyakarta, participants visited Tumpeng Menoreh and Rosse Bamboo, two communities engaged in ecotourism, bamboo, and honey production. They discovered how locals manage social forestry and ecotourism businesses, supported by the local forestry department.  

At Rosse Bamboo, they deepened their understanding of sustainable bamboo management, covering topics such as harvesting techniques and furniture design.

The group also met with Denayu, Denbagus, and Wedangku—women-led enterprises specializing in modern herbal teas—and enjoyed a visit to Babagaran Segara Gunung Culture House. Here, they were captivated by stories from community members like Ibu Nia and Pak Ismail, and they witnessed the batik dyeing process, brought to life by a young artist, Ibu Nuri. The day concluded with a traditional Indonesian Wayang puppet show. 

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The final day took participants to LAWE, a women’s empowerment group that has built a successful social enterprise around traditional woven textiles, transforming them into dresses, bags, wallets, and more, which they market both locally and internationally. 

This exchange was part of the AFoCO CLMV Project’s ongoing efforts to strengthen community forestry livelihoods, market linkages, and community forestry enterprises (CFEs) across Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam, equipping participants with valuable skills and perspectives to support their local communities. The activity and the project are supported by the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Cooperation Fund (AKCF) and the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO). 

This narrative report was created and maintained with the financial support of the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund (AKCF). Its contents are the sole responsibility of NTFP-EP and do not necessarily reflect the views of the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund.