Community Engagement

5EyesFarm is in the middle of Purwasari Village, a traditional agricultural village in Bogor regency, West Java. The Sundanese community is mainly made up of subsistence farmers with small plots and some support business enterprises like small shop owners or transport providers.

The residents of Purwasari are colourful, creative and happy people who are always hospitable, always welcoming and have warm hearts and strong family ties. 

The village is well run following the government system of having volunteer social workers to help with needs among families as they arise. There is no social security although there is now basic health cover provided by the government.

Education has great potential for improvement and there are many opportunities to work with the village in creating small business and jobs for youth, teaching English and exchanging knowledge in farming skills and methods, helping with sanitation initiatives and other healthily and good food projects.

Waste management is another large area with potential for business and employment opportunities and we hope to grow this area and work with the village to introduce ideas and create sound models together.

Sundanese culture and society goes back a long way and has a strong anamistic spiritual base. The traditional music is sweet and melodic (the music most people associate with Bali is actually from here) and there is a deep material knowledge of medicine and traditioal remedies from plants, herbs and spices.

They came up the hill, a whole group of them. They started to ask if they could see the farm. And they kept asking again and again if we could teach them.

These are school aged children from the village ranging in age from between 6 and 16, boys and girls. Older groups tend to be all girl or all boy but still, they want to learn. English, about the world, Green-ed on the farm. They are bright, keen and quick to grasp new knowledge. They are poised and ready with pencil and books. They are hungry for what we all take for granted.