Orang Asli Youth Empowered Through Organic Farming in Sitiawan*
LUMUT, Sept 20 — Orang Asli youth Imran Azman @ Len, 18, has big aspirations for his future. Rather than spending his time idly in his remote Orang Asli village of RPS Bainun in Temenggor, Imran made the decision to pursue organic farming.
“I want to help my family achieve economic independence,” Imran shared with Malay Mail during a visit to the farm of social entrepreneur Chris Thong, located in Kampung Gunung Tunggal.
Imran is one of four Orang Asli youth from his village undergoing training on Thong's 1.2-hectare farm. Thong, who has been farming for over a decade, is committed to teaching organic farming skills to empower the Orang Asli community.
Thong's involvement with the Orang Asli began in 2017 when he first visited Kampung Sungai Tebang in RPS Bainun with members of the Wesley Methodist Church Sitiawan. They brought daily necessities to the villagers but soon realized this was not a sustainable solution.
In 2021, Thong decided to put his farming experience to use, teaching the community how to farm and fostering long-term self-sufficiency. His pilot project began with a single family, providing them with 30 chicks to raise. He chose chicks because they grow quickly, giving the family a product to sell early on. “It helps build their confidence,” Thong explained.
Since then, the project has expanded, and today, 12 families in the village are engaged in farming. They grow a variety of organic produce, including long beans, corn, eggplant, pumpkin, roselle, okra, and guava. Thong noted that 40% of the profits from sales go directly to the farmers.
### Learning New Skills
Like Imran, 19-year-old Mustani Badel from the same village is also learning organic farming. Mustani sees farming as a way to provide for his family and ensure his future, rather than relying solely on gathering produce from the jungle.
“By learning how to farm, I can cultivate the land in my village and support my family,” Mustani said. In addition to farming, he’s learning valuable business skills from Thong, something he had not gained in his previous four jobs.
Thong collects the produce from RPS Bainun every Wednesday, and while his own farm harvests daily, the Orang Asli farmers harvest weekly.
### Overcoming Challenges
One of the key challenges Thong faces is marketing the products. Many people assume organic products are expensive, but Thong emphasizes that his mission is to make organic produce affordable.
To address this, he introduced subscription-based programmes—Imp 107 and Imp 57—which allow customers to receive a monthly supply of organic goods. The Imp 107 package includes a free-range chicken, freshwater fish slices, organic vegetables, and fruit juice, while Imp 57 focuses on organic vegetables. Occasionally, quail eggs and wild honey are also included. The subscriptions are priced at RM107 and RM57, with RM7 from each subscription going toward supporting needy families and the education of Orang Asli children.
The products are available for delivery in Sitiawan, Ipoh, Penang, and Kuala Lumpur. They can also be purchased from two organic shops, two sundry shops in Sitiawan, Kampung Koh Market, and the Adventist Hospital’s organic shop in Penang.
For more information on the Imp 107 and Imp 57 programmes, visit their Facebook page or email jwaorganik@gmail.com. Thong can also be reached at 016-5515944.
