By Olivia Miwil - March 19, 2022 @ 11:40am
KENINGAU: Oswald Iking made a life-changing decision last year when he chose a career in rice cultivation instead of taking on a managerial position with an international fashion brand in Norway.
He started a community project in cultivating hill paddy at his hometown Kampung Kuyungon in Tambunan, near here, in August 2021.
"Some villagers have abandoned traditional farming for many years. However, now we see people as young as 20 and those working in Kota Kinabalu, coming back every weekend to work at their farms.
"We have also collaborated with the Tourism Association of Tambunan to give opportunities for more people, including students and tourists, to experience the process of producing hill paddy," he told the New Straits Times.
To date, he said there are 30 traditional farmers in the village who have joined the programme.
Oswald, 43, also said the project saw their first harvest last month and started selling the produce at the Eco Tamu Kuyungon every Tuesday.
"Before this project, the yield was less and only for our own consumption. Sometimes, the yield was not even enough for us. Now, we have a chance to share the product with other people outside the village.
"It takes six months for the paddy to fully mature and cultivation is only once a year. We are now considering planting it twice a year to meet the demands.
"We will also plant several (traditional) paddy varieties such as Rahum, Worik, Lombug, Monsorulung, Dihangkang, Silou, Magalad and Tadong under this project," he said.
It has been a rewarding career change for Oswald. He said he had become too comfortable with modern life, including working in Kuala Lumpur for 14 years. However, he thought that the traditional ways of hill paddy farming should be preserved for its cultural and community values.
"This activity can be a solution to the problem of overconsumption. Being a consumer alone is not sustainable, we must also be able to produce.
"Traditional farming is a method practised by my ancestors and grandparents, but the methods have evolved to make it more efficient.
"Though modern farming is necessary, some of its practices may not be ethical especially on the excessive use of chemical fertiliser, pesticides and herbicides," he said.
Apart from the farming project, Oswald is mulling at promoting an "off-the-grid" tourism product.
The idea stemmed from his friends, who grew up in the United States. They often voiced their desires to experience a different kind of lifestyle which is more sustainable.
He said Kampung Kuyungon is surrounded by forest reserves and the river that runs through this village supplies fresh water to the whole of the Tambunan district.
"Such a condition has shaped the villagers' lifestyle for many centuries. We have adapted to the concept of living in harmony with nature.
"With a growing interest in eco-friendly lifestyles, an experience to see how life can be 'off-the-grid' would add value to the existing tourism products."
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