Holiday Ayo - A global company engaged in the life sciences related to health and agriculture, Bayer, is committed to the welfare of small farmers in the country. This commitment is maintained even though the world is currently struggling with inflation.

Admittedly, inflation has also disrupted Buyer's operations, both in Asia, including Indonesia. Even so, Bayer ASEAN Managing Director and CFO, Ernst Coppens said the parties most affected by this situation were small communities, such as MSMEs and small farmers in the region.

"Indonesia is affected by high inflation, MSMEs are badly hit. This is a real threat to the sustainability of MSMEs in Indonesia," he told the media crew, Saturday (9/24/2022).

More than just a form of responsibility, Coppens said the company wanted to create an empowering ecosystem. MSMEs and sustainable farmers, one of which is through the Better Life Farming initiative.

Bayer understands the important role of MSMEs in the value chain of business models as facilitators of local ecosystems to improve business efficiency, reduce transaction costs, and facilitate smallholder access to supply chains. Thus, the people in the village have the opportunity to increase their income, as well as their quality of life.

"So, will this condition affect progress? No. We are committed to support them by reaching out to more partners to support MSMEs, to improve the lives of farmers in this difficult time," said Coppens.

In Asia, the Better Life Farming program has empowered 2,000 agricultural smart kiosks or so-called Better Life Farming Centers in India, Indonesia and Bangladesh. Bayer collaborates with small business actors in the village and provides them with assistance, which aims to make their kiosks more innovative and professional. In Indonesia, of the 600 Better Life Farming Centers formed, 103 of them are led by women with an average sales increase of up to 35 percent per year.

"This shows our seriousness, not just CSR, but commitment. This is our investment in Indonesia to reduce the impact of global challenges. Sustainable improvement. Not philanthropic, this is a sustainable initiative," he emphasized.

The program does not only empower farming communities for food security. This holistic program also provides farming families with knowledge and access to independent and women's health training, providing access to contraceptives, to education on stunting prevention. This program is also an implementation of Bayer Health's vision for All Hunger for None. To date, the BISA program has empowered 800,000 smallholder farmers in 15 provinces and 90 sub-districts in Indonesia.

“Until 2030, Bayer is committed to continuing to expand the benefits of the BISA program. Bayer has a target to improve the welfare and health of 4 million smallholder farmers, 1 million economically vulnerable people, and 1 million women in urban or rural areas,” he said.

In collaboration with stakeholders who share the same passion, Bayer believes the BISA program can be implemented and extended to various regions. Furthermore, this program is expected to be able to build a more resilient Indonesia through maintained food security and improved health quality.