goingplacesmagazine.com
|
55
| August 2019
Langit Collective products are available to buy online at
langit.com.my for shipping within Malaysia, and in select
shops in Kuala Lumpur and Penang.- The founders of Langit Creative – (from left) Chia,
Chan, Lim and Chen - Long Semadoh Valley in Sarawak
- Rice is still planted and harvested by hand
- Heirloom rice has luscious colours and subtle
flavours of earth and flora - Rice burger – a healthier option
Three years on and the collective now works
with three communities in the valley with 40
farmers onboard from the initial three farmers
- Uncle Liun, Auntie Ribed and Uncle Rumie,
who are now the collective's model farmers
and spokespeople at the communities. Langit
procures rice from the farmers twice a year,
each time around seven tonnes, which is around
10 percent of the excess rice. The farmers are
paid more than twice what they would get
in the local markets and purchasing is done
right at their doorsteps. The farmers would get
RM3.40 for a kilogramme of white rice at the
market; Langit would buy it at RM7.40
per kilogramme.
By making it economically viable for the farmers
to continue farming, this helps to preserve the
heirloom rice – the seeds face extinction if they
are not planted. Langit also hopes that the
success of the project will encourage the young
to come back to the villages to pursue farming.
The farming here is still traditional; the rice
is planted and harvested as it has been for
generations, by hand. Water buffaloes are
used to fertilise the fields and clear the land
in between seasons. Langit hopes to take
the farming methods one step further by
encouraging more sustainable practices so that
the farmers will go chemical-free and have
better knowledge at managing their land. As
more farmers want to come on board, Langit
sets the condition that it would only work
with those who use very little, or no,
chemicals, which spurs the farmers to
rethink their practices.
During the planting and harvest seasons, in
January and August respectively, the four
stay with the Lun Bawang community and
do their share of field work. They've taken to
calling Zi, the actuary, the apprentice farmer.
To complement its plans, Langit Collective
runs five-day experience tours to the Lawas
Highlands during these seasons to allow curious
guests a glimpse of rural farming and the
natural beauty of the Long Semadoh Valley, a
hidden corner of northern Sarawak.
The project doesn't just stop with rice. There are
many small-time farmers in these rural areas
producing amazing food, much of which we
never see in supermarkets. Currently, Langit
also buys and sells organic black pepper from
a young Bidayuh farmer and ginger from two
Dusun women in Sabah.
"Everyone is farming something, but it's
not going far enough nor is it bringing them
income," said Lim. "These are very simple
solutions that we can think of, but it is already
showing significant improvement in their
livelihoods and in their opportunities. We hope
that one day, this Langit model can be adapted
or adopted by other communities. There is so
much work to be done on the ground." ■
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