Many people are aware of the need to grow plants around their houses, even without a desire to reduce greenhouse gases.

Raising something on a plot of land, according to conventional wisdom, is enough to create fresher air, grow vegetables or spices, liven up the home or maybe even generate some extra income.

However, space remains a problem. In the nation's crowded cities, many live in homes with small yards and a limited amount of productive land.

Such circumstances motivated 'ecopreneurs' Soeparwan Soeleman and Donor Rahayu to set up Halaman Organik, an organic gardening community, as a part of FAM Organic, their farming and gardening company.

FAM Organic is the Bandung, West Java-based couple's organic plantation business, selling the fruits they harvest to supermarkets in Bandung and other destinations in West Java.

Soeparwan was educated as an electrical engineer at the Bandung Institue of Technology (ITB) and worked for IBM and Lenovo for 25 years, while Donor studied microbiology at ITB, which she describes as the key for understanding organic agriculture.

Sprouting: Halaman Organik was launched to dispel notions that a plantation-sized estate was needed to grow things organically.
However, Donor makes it clear that you don't need a technical degree to start a garden. 'Not much space is needed, but the plants are quite productive.'

After the pair began to share organic gardening tips over public groups on Facebook, the response prompted them to arrange offline meetings and to organize workshops on cultivating organic crops.

Donor says that where there's a will, there's a way. 'As long as one is really determined to grow crops, a small area can suffice.'

Halaman Organik was launched to dispel notions that a plantation-sized estate was needed to grow things organically. The organization encourages people to start small, even with home gardens.

As part of their think-small strategy, Donor and Soeparwan introduced a 'verti-culture' plantation concept, growing plants vertically instead of laterally, by hanging them on pot tier structures from ceilings or attaching them to walls.

Apart from appearing unique and beautiful, such arrangements also save space, enabling cultivation in narrow places.

On display: People mill about one of the small-scale gardens maintained by FAM Organic.
Focusing on home gardens was Donor's idea. 'A yard is part of a household, which is the smallest unit of society. The various organic plants raised in the garden will make a family healthy. Eventually, the whole society will also be vigorous.'

Rising public interest also prompted the couple to hold sessions on crop planting and maintenance ' and on more esoteric topics aimed at an urban audience, such as using glasses, milk cartons and juice bottles as planters.

Halaman Organik also promotes the use of biopores (flood prevention holes) that can also be used to make compost and contribute to environment sustainability.

The biopores mean that while growing crops without chemicals and pesticides, a community can turn household waste into useful fertilizers.

Donor and Soeparwan teach community members methods how to disrupting the lifecycles of plant pests. 'When the period for vegetable planting is over, the next turn should go to decorative plants or spices. This method will halt the life cycles of pests so that the use of chemical pesticides will no longer be needed.'

According to Donor, a major principle of organic planting is knowing how to avoid using chemicals. This makes knowing how to fight pests naturally an essential piece of information, as is how to restore trace elements found in the soil without depending on chemicals.

'Two basic things are often overlooked by modern [farming] estates. They grow the same plants without [fallow] intervals. As a result, the trace elements in soil are reduced, along with the emergence of widespread pest infestations,' Donor said.

Family focus: 'A yard is part of a household, which is the smallest unit of society,' Donor says. 'The various organic plants raised in the garden will make a family healthy.'
Halaman Organik also sells seeds for flowers and vegetables that are seldom cultivated locally, including red spinach, sunflowers, rosemary and mint. 'Over time, I hope that Indonesia can supply a diverse kind of seeds for vegetables, spices and ornamental plants in sufficient quantities,' said Donor.

Ficky Yusrini, a journalist and young housewife in Depok, West Java, said that she reached out to Halaman Organik via social media when looking for information on organic cultivation as she planned her backdoor garden.

'Any plant is okay, as long as the air gets fresher and cleaner,' said Ficky. 'When the crops are flourishing, I won't need air conditioning any more for my house.'

While Ficky said she came across Halaman Organik when looking for seeds to plant, she later benefitted from the tips the group offered online, especially its suggestions for vertical planting and converting of used containers into pots for crops.

The organization, which has won several green community and green entrepreneurship awards, has reason to be proud. 'Let's hope this indicates a lot more people are now practicing organic planting in their house yards,' Donor said. 'A lot more families are going to be healthier.'

For more information, visit halamanorganik.org.

Plant pride: Children show off their handiwork after a class sponsored by Soeparwan and Donor.

' Photos courtesy of FAM Organic and Halaman Organik