NABAWAN: Thirteen women farmers here were introduced to sustainable farming practices during a two-day workshop at Kg Mansiat recently.
Over 30pc of Nabawan’s population relies on agriculture as a means of livelihood, prompting the Institute of Borneo Studies at the University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF) to organise the workshop to educate them on sustainable farming practices and social enterprise.
The workshop marked the second phase of the Community Herbs Garden: Social Business for Rural Women Entrepreneurs project, funded by the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia (APPGM-SDG) since 2021.
Director of Institute of Borneo Studies at UCSF Prof Junaenah Sulehan emphasised the significance of including women in sustainable development in rural Sabah.
She said social entrepreneurship was a powerful strategy to enable the active participation of women, particularly in rural communities, and enhance their economic prospects
The programme included training, and site visits to local farms and gardens. It provided with an opportunity for to the women to transform their herbs garden into a consistently profitable source of sustainably farmed organic herbs, spices, and various other produce for the masses.
The next phase of the project, would focus on teaching them how to process their herbs and produce, eventually leading to packaging and selling.
Vice Chancellor of UCSF, Dr Rafiq Idris, expressed the importance of uplifting marginalised communities and ensuring that they are vital players in Sabah’s 21st century economy.
He hopes UCSF would continue coordinating capacity-building workshops and programmes, especially those that have a high-impact for rural communities.
