FOOD FOR GOOD
Natasha Gott of The Learning Farm on giving during pandemic, farming as a means of personal development for marginalised youth.
English:
In this episode, our host Bianca Vega is joined by Natasha Gott, board member of The Learning Farm (TLF) and founder of Sadar Market. The Learning Farm provides a safe space for marginalized youth, including refugees, to learn, grow and express their creativity— all through the media of organic farming. By learning about organic farming, she hopes that students will bring this knowledge back to their respective homes and communities in order to avoid the proliferation of harmful commercial farming practices. The Learning Farm’s three pillars of focus are ‘personal growth’, ‘communication and literacy’, and ‘healthy body, healthy mind’. This is so, Natasha explains, as TLF are not only looking to help people to sustain themselves financially, but also to help grow people with established principles.
After the Covid-19 pandemic hit, TLF started a collaboration with Medco Foundation to provide fresh vegetables for public kitchens that feed medical front-liners who work at Emergency Covid-19 hospital Wisma Atlet Senayan. They also make deliveries to several institutions in need around Jakarta, including orphanages. Natasha believes highly nutritious food such as fresh fruits and vegetables are vital in boosting the immune system, which makes them all the more important in a pandemic era.
Natasha shares that she has found it rewarding to see her students grow, and is especially proud that they’ve had refugees participate in their training program. Even though the social enterprise has taken a hit due to the global outbreak, she hopes that TLF can bounce back after the pandemic and will continue to be a safe space for marginalised youth all throughout Indonesia.
In this episode Natasha also discusses how gardening at home can instill a newfound appreciation for our food, the differences between organic farming and conventional farming, and how learning about nature is essentially an act of learning about one’s self.
Bahasa Indonesia:
Pada episode ini, host kami Bianca Vega berbincang dengan Natasha Gott, board member dari The Learning Farm (TLF) dan founder dari Sadar Market. The Learning Farm merupakan wadah aman bagi pemuda-pemudi yang kurang mampu, termasuk para pengungsi, untuk belajar, tumbuh dan mengekspresikan kreativitas mereka — semua melalui media pertanian organik. Dengan belajar bertani organik, Natasha berharap siswa-siswi akan membawa pengetahuan ini kembali ke kampung halaman masing-masing untuk dipraktikkan, alih-alih praktik pertanian konvensional yang bersifat merusak. Fokus pembelajaran di TLF terdiri dari tiga pilar, yaitu ‘pengembangan diri’, 'komunikasi dan literasi', dan 'tubuh sehat, pikiran sehat'. Natasha menjelaskan bahwa tiga pilar ini dipilih karena TLF tidak hanya ingin membantu para peserta untuk mencapai ketahanan finansial, namun juga untuk membentuk pribadi-pribadi yang berprinsip.
Setelah pandemi Covid-19 melanda, TLF memulai kolaborasi dengan Medco Foundation untuk menyediakan sayuran segar untuk dapur umum para pekerja medis di Wisma Atlet Senayan, sebuah rumah sakit darurat untuk pasien Covid-19. TLF juga melakukan pengiriman ke beberapa lembaga yang membutuhkan di sekitar Jakarta, termasuk beberapa panti asuhan. Natasha percaya makanan bernutrisi tinggi seperti buah-buahan dan sayuran segar sangat berperan dalam meningkatkan sistem kekebalan tubuh, sebuah hal yang semakin penting di tengah era pandemi ini.
Natasha bercerita bahwa ia merasa senang melihat peserta TLF berkembang, dan lebih bangga lagi akan keikutsertaan pengungsi-pengungsi dalam program TLF. Meskipun operasi TLF telah terpukul oleh pandemi, ia berharap TLF dapat bangkit kembali setelahnya dan akan terus menjadi ruang yang aman bagi pemuda-pemudi yang kurang mampu di seluruh Indonesia.
Dalam episode ini Natasha juga membahas bagaimana berkebun di rumah dapat menanamkan apresiasi baru terhadap makanan kita, apa perbedaan antara pertanian organik dan konvensional, dan bagaimana mempelajari alam sejatinya sama dengan mempelajari diri kita sendiri.
***Transcript coming soon!***
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