Learning to Grow: Hirmawati’s Journey to Better Corn Harvests

Hirmawati, 47, is a mother of three living in Omu Village, Central Sulawesi. In addition to being a homemaker, she works as a corn farmer—her primary source of livelihood. Her passion for farming led her to participate in the Corn Field School organized by ADRA Indonesia through the REAF II Project.

Before getting involved with ADRA’s activities, especially the field school, Hirmawati had no knowledge of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) or improved corn cultivation methods. Her farming was based solely on habit and local norms. For example, she used a planting space of 20 cm by 60 cm—too narrow and not in line with GAP standards. This tight spacing caused her corn plants to compete excessively for nutrients, resulting in poor growth and consistently low yields. Once, she planted 8 kilograms of corn seed and harvested only 700 kilograms.

After attending all seven sessions of the field school, Hirmawati began to implement the new techniques she had learned. “After joining the field school, I learned there are various recommended planting distances. I realized the spacing I had always used was not ideal. So in the next planting season, I used the recommended spacing of 30 cm by 70 cm and applied fertilizer according to the crop’s age,” she explained.

She also started crop rotation, planting peanuts after corn to help restore soil fertility, before planting corn again. In addition, Hirmawati learned the importance of using high-quality seeds, moving away from selecting seeds based on price alone.

“Alhamdulillah, after practicing some of the lessons from the field school, my harvest started to improve. From the first harvest after applying these methods, I produced 1.2 tons from 8 kg of seed. The ADRA team at the school said I could achieve even more, but I’m already grateful for the increase. It motivates me to keep going and improve further,” she said.

Now, Hirmawati has a strong vision: to continue applying the GAP methods and all lessons from the field school in hopes of reaching even better yields. “I’m committed to following everything I’ve learned—from the field school and the GAP sessions—on my corn field. I hope my harvests can one day be as abundant as those in Gorontalo. Thank you, ADRA. I hope ADRA continues to thrive, and we farmers here in Omu can prosper and live more secure lives,” she concluded.