BANDUNG, WEST JAVA — Dompet Dhuafa again invited donors to see firsthand the implementation of zakat, infaq, sadaqah, and waqf (Ziswaf) funds in the economic field. Yes, Dompet Dhuafa provides a pleasant experience of harvesting and picking vegetables while looking at community empowerment programs, especially farmers in Agricultural Village, Lembang, Bandung, on Thursday (5/10/2023).
Previously, on Wednesday (4/10/2023), 25 donors who were members of the Husnul Khatimah Ta’lim Assembly, Cinere, had visited the Al Jabbar Grand Mosque, to see the splendor of the Prophet’s Gallery. The agenda continued with watching Buya Hamka’s movie together through the projector screen.
Arriving at the Dompet Dhuafa Agricultural Village, donors were spoiled with 10 hectares of green land filled with fresh vegetables as far as the eye could see. Again, the donors were amazed by the beauty of the Agricultural Village as known as Desa Tani.
Desa Tani is Dompet Dhuafa’s economic empowerment program in the field of horticultural agriculture aimed at underprivileged communities, with a total of 50 beneficiaries. This program was first implemented by Dompet Dhuafa West Java in December 2018.
Also present at this event were Andriansyah as Branch Manager of Dompet Dhuafa West Java and Ade Rukmana as Facilitator of the Desa Tani Dompet Dhuafa Program.
“Dompet Dhuafa Agricultural Village comes from zakat, infaq, sadaqah and waqf funds. Zakat funds are then rolled out in the form of agricultural programs, with the tagline ‘Empowered in Your Own Land’. This is a tagline as well as the hope of all of us, where farmers become more prosperous than just being farm laborers, “said Andriansyah in his presentation.
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Farmers who previously only worked as laborers with meager salaries, earning only IDR 30-50 thousand, are now empowered. According to Andri, the culture in the area is actually farming. He sees the potential to empower the farmers, even though their productivity was previously quite low due to their lack of technological skills.
“We see how the quality of vegetables in Desa Tani is good, so that later the price will also have a price in the modern market. We then assist the farmers. The community from laborers to landowners, we rent the land, they cultivate, 100% of the harvest goes into their own pockets, the beneficiaries of Dompet Dhuafa. We do not take advantage of it, because in our point of view, this is one of the distribution of zakat funds, there are zakat funds that we give directly, there are also those that are produced like this, “continued Andriansyah.
Desa Tani continues to develop and adapt to change, using Smart Farming technology by adopting digital agricultural technology that can provide convenience for farmers in managing their plantations or agriculture. In 2020, Desa Tani adapted IOT (Internet of Thing) technology.
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“What Dompet Dhuafa does through the Desa Tani Program is that we provide production assets, we rent land, we provide inputs, and Smart Farming systems. We also have intensive mentoring, research, financial literacy, and motivation,” added Andriansyah.
Ade Rukmana as the Facilitator of the Desa Tani Dompet Dhuafa Program added that Desa Tani continues to transform according to the needs and environmental conditions, has clear goals, but the most important thing is the change in behavior of the farmers, as a measure of the success of the farmers. He also added, now farmers earn from IDR 2.4 million to IDR 6 million / month.
“In Desa Tani, we apply HOW, Honestly, Open Mind, and Willingness. Honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness are all they have to maintain. We have a lot of land, a lot of money, but without HOW we won’t be able to run,” said Ade.
“Because Mang Ade saw what happened to Mang Ade before, from here Mang Ade can survive, because Mang Ade can share. Mang Ade feels that he has a reward that Mang Ade is useful for other people, and Mang Ade’s recovery is getting stronger,” he added.
Apart from coming from zakat funds, Desa Tani also comes from waqf funds. Dompet Dhuafa manages waqf productively, safely, and accountably. This was conveyed by Sulis Tiqomah, Senior Officer Retail Fundraising Waqf Dompet Dhuafa.
“The essence of waqf is different from zakat. So, when we talk about waqf at Dompet Dhuafa, we will not distribute it directly to the eight asnaf, but we will manage the collected funds in a productive management that produces waqf surplus for mauquf alaih. This is the essence of why waqf is called sadaqah jariyah, when during the economic, educational, health, social and da’wah waqf programs, as long as it is enjoyed by the wider community and the poor, that’s when the rewards flow eternally even after we die,” said Sulis.
What Donors Say about Agricultural Village (Desa Tani)
Srigiati (64), one of the donors, expressed her enthusiasm when participating in the Care Visit agenda, she said that she was happy to hear the benefits of the Desa Tani Program that were so extensive.
“Desa Tani, this is my first time here. I was happy to hear the explanation that this is the result of the distribution of zakat and waqf funds, so that such a large land can be made. I’m really happy to hear that. Many people feel the benefits, the experience of harvesting themselves, cherry tomatoes and curly lettuce,” she said.
Meanwhile, according to another participant, Endang Widiastuti (67), her journey this time made her even more grateful for life.
“Alhamdulillah, this trip makes me grateful. Yesterday, we were able to see the beauty of Al Jabbar, the Agricultural Village is also extraordinary, because it empowers farmers who were previously living in a slump and didn’t know what to do with their crops, to become productive and focus on the plants they care for. The current farmers are also modern, technologically advanced,” said Tuti.
“It was really fun! Even though I have knee and heart problems, but because I wanted to, I went along, and it was fun. I harvested tomatoes and curly lettuce. It’s amazing, we’re used to seeing it in the store, at the greengrocer, but now it’s right in front of us and we’re picking it. I wanted to take everything, I was so happy,” said Tuti.
In the future, Desa Tani will continue to develop in the fields of agriculture, animal husbandry, and agro-tourism. (Dompet Dhuafa/Anndini)