MADIUN, EAST JAVA — DD Farm Madiun has conducted multiple training programs for farmers called “Sekolah Ternak.” This program has been held at least five times at DD Farm Madiun. A paid training session will be held again in November 2023.
The imposition of fees in this training is a form of commitment from the participants to be more active and enthusiastic about participating in the program until completion. The participants will also get other benefits besides the material, namely t-shirts, stationery, supporting materials during training, and consumption.
In fact, many farmers were very enthusiastic about participating in this training. Apart from local residents, they also came from various regions outside Madiun. Some of them came from Surabaya, Solo, Yogyakarta, and the farthest participants were from Kalimantan.
Also read: Through Farming Experience, DD Farm Pundong Grows the Empowered Spirit of Dhuafa Community
“The response of the surrounding community is good. They are happy with the presence of DD Farm here. We also collaborate with farmers around here to get involved in the activities we hold, including training on animal husbandry,” said the Head of DD Farm Madiun, Benny Wijaya, Monday (21/8/2023).
Benny hopes that the DD Farm Program in Madiun will continue to grow, so that it can expand its range of benefits. This is one proof that Islamic philanthropic activities, including productive zakat, are able to empower the poor and underprivileged. The ABK members in the Madiun cage are small farmers who are always isolated by collectors who play cheating as they please.
One of the crew members of DD Farm Madiun is Ahmad Jati Kusuma (22), a native of Jatisari, Geger District. He was born into a family of small farmers. His father, who was originally a breeder too, decided to change his profession to become a factory worker. Maybe in his mind, working as a laborer is more visible income.
Ahmad joined DD Farm Madiun since its inception, in 2020. Previously, he only helped his father in a group farm. In addition, this junior high school graduate also worked in tempeh production. He admitted that he did not complete his vocational high school education because he wanted to help support the family economy.
He was then interested in becoming a crew member at DD Farm because he wanted to learn more about the actual farming process.
“It’s fun working here, a lot of experience. I learned a lot about animal husbandry, who knows if I can have my own livestock,” said Ahmad.
Ahmad also told us about his daily activities in the barn. Among other things, feeding livestock, making feed, treating sick sheep, and cleaning up manure. While at DD Farm, he admitted that he had attended the Livestock School class several times. His hope for the future, after successfully absorbing knowledge about the livestock business, Ahmad also wants to have his own cattle barn. (Dompet Dhuafa/Muthohar)