Just south of Jogjakarta in central Java, nestled in the rolling hills of central Java is Sriharjo village. It looks like many of the other villages that dot the surrounding countryside but scratch the surface and you’ll find a difference. This village is a model of sustainability. Defended against the threat of climate change, it supports the land and the local community, provides for peoples’ lifestyles and nurtures valuable environmental knowledge.
Around the world, farmers and governments are faced with the challenge of ensuring food security while the global population rises and the area of agricultural land under cultivation declines. Challenges include urbanization, increasing use of agrochemicals, and land degradation. Meanwhile, fluctuations in climate and rainfall threaten to upend traditional agricultural patterns and severely disrupt food production.