HerStory: Mothers as Changemakers

In this episode, we speak with representatives of Mama4Planet about the vital role women play in transforming agrifood systems and building more sustainable communities. We explore the challenges women face when driving change, how mothers act as everyday leaders through their knowledge and decision-making, and the mindset needed to overcome obstacles. The conversation also highlights the vision and future hopes for Mama4Planet, offering an inspiring perspective on the power of grassroots leadership and collective action.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Hello everyone and welcome to the World Food Forum Podcast. I'm Perizum, your host and co-coordinator of the Youth Food Lab Incubator. Today, you're tuning into the Her Story series, where we explore the journeys, challenges, and impact of young women shaping the future of agri-food systems. Spotlighting young women leaders, we will hear from Anisa and Listina from Mama for Planet. Mama for Planet is an Indonesian entrepreneurial initiative that believes young mothers are key towards achieving zero food waste habits at households where over 80% of the country's food waste comes from. Anissa, known as Nisa, is an alumina of the transformative research challenge and youth food lab Global, while Listina is one of Mama for Planet's champions. Let's get into it. We'll begin with the spark that motivated Anissa's entrepreneurial journey. Now, a lot of young people have ideas about changing food systems, but most of them stay ideas. Well, Mama for Planet didn't. Nisa, what was the spark from Mama for Planet? And what was the turning point that made you and your team decide to move from idea to implementation? Was it possibly the obstacles young women face when trying to lead change?

SPEAKER_02 1:27

Thank you so much, Frazim, for the opportunity. Really, really glad to be here with the team and share our stories. So Mama for a Planet is an initiative from Indonesia, especially from Slaman, that aims to empower women to prevent uh household food waste. We actually started from a very local and urgent problem back in 2022 when there was a waste emergency in our agency. What I meant by waste emergency is that at that time the waste was piling up everywhere because the landfill had reached overcapacity and could no longer accommodate more waste. So we can imagine um the smell was everywhere, flies start entering our homes, and it became very concerning both environmentally and for our health, right? And then we tried to look deeper into the data, and we found out that more than half of the waste going to landfills actually came from domestic waste, which means they came from households. And a large portion of that was actually food waste. So it was um surprising fact that we uh found out and that made us think and reflect if the problem largely starts from the household, then maybe we can bring the solution that also starts from the household. And that's where when we think uh we have the power of women, the agency of women to bring the solutions together. So we've been talking with our neighbors and communities at that time, um, by simply asking what they thought about the problem and what they needed. At that time, we talked to uh some community health workers that also act as the local leaders. And interestingly, they also share the same concerns that about the waste situation. So from there we found like a perfect partner and we co-designed the program together with the community health workers. We discussed what kind of initiative would actually be practical and useful for the community, and eventually formed a team to implement it together. So the turning point from idea to implementation, I believe, happened when we realized that we had a shared concern and a community that genuinely wanted to create change together. So it's not from us, not only from us, but within the community. So that that partnership, I think, is the key from idea to implementation. Um and you also asked about the challenge. Yes, so about about the challenge, particularly for women. In our context, we um partner with women, especially mothers, as the agent of change. And the challenge is that as a mother, there are already a lot of responsibilities with caregiving and then domestic work, sometimes professional work as well. So that mental lot is barrier when we want to introduce something new like sustainability habits. Um probably if those in the community that already aware about the environmental issue or food waste issue, they think that it is feasible. But for like a broader community, it may feel like another complicated responsibility, right? So this is where we tap in as Mama of our planet. We try to co-design the intervention that is uh very uh practical with partnership and then training of trainers and um workshops and also gamification sessions so that the broader communities know the urgency. Like, why is it important for me to do this, right? That's really where the partnership comes in. What I want to say is that Mama for Planet is is not, we we don't want to say that we are the one who like invent this program or something, but we we try to facilitate um and amplify the efforts that actually already there in the communities uh for some mothers, and then broaden the impact or influence to larger communities so that mothers can build their own motivation and directly feel the benefits of better food management and food waste prevention in their daily lives.

SPEAKER_00 6:48

Okay. No, yeah, I find it really interesting that it came from a very personal experience. So in the Slemen uh region uh the Slemen Regency, you saw that and you felt like the impact of food waste, and therefore you were driven to kind of create an initiative that would address this and also understanding that um it came from the household level, right? So mothers also have a role to play in kind of shifting uh or reducing you know food waste in different communities and of course like the importance of partnerships. Like I find it it's quite um spectacular that kind of what really made you implement really is partnering with the right people, driven by the same like motive to um to kind of uplift the existing role of woman. On to the field, aligning with Nisa's emphasis on women as agents of change, Listina offers her perspective. Her view on existing ways young women, especially mothers, act as leaders in agri-food systems, looking through their everyday knowledge, habits, and decision making, even if not always fully recognized.

SPEAKER_01 7:54

In my opinion, mothers already play a very important leadership role in agri-food system because they make daily decisions about food preparation, food storage, nutrition, and household consumption. Mothers also teach children about healthy eating habits and how to avoid wasting food. From Mama for Planet Indonesia, I realized that mothers are not only consumers but also agents of change. By managing household waste, combusting organic waste and producing ecoenzyme, mothers contribute directly to environmental sustainability. Even simple daily habits can influence the entire family and community.

SPEAKER_00 8:44

Hmm, that really lands. Young women, especially mothers, are active change makers. Through their everyday decisions, they shape what gets bought, what gets cooked, what gets wasted, and raising children the next generation to embrace good food habits. This links to Mama for Planet's recent project, where they empowered children to reduce 16% of household food waste. Effectively not only championing behavioral change but cultural shifts. Great aspirations come with their obstacles and challenges. Let's talk honestly about what gets in the way. Because this work isn't easy. And a lot of young people listening will know that feeling wanting to drive change in your community and running into walls. In response, Listina outlines the challenges young women, especially mothers, face across Indonesia when trying to lead change in their communities through household food practices and sustainability efforts.

SPEAKER_01 9:49

One of the biggest challenges women face is changing all habits and raising awareness in the community. Many people still think that food waste is normal and household waste management is complicated. Women, especially mothers, also often have multiple responsibilities at home. So finding time to educate others and start sustainable practices can be difficult. Through my experience with Mama for Planet Indonesia, I learned that small consistent action can create real change. The program helped us understand food loss and food waste management. Also it was processing, combusting, and making ecoenzyme. Slowly, people in the community became more interested after seeing practical examples that could be applied in daily life.

SPEAKER_00 10:45

Sticking with the status quo of old habits can certainly be more convenient, especially considering the weight of responsibilities young women carry at home and in the community. It's wonderful that you, Lestina, used small actions and Mama for Planet practices to steer impact that tangibly lowered food waste by almost 63% within your community and the Salem and Regency. Interestingly, the community-level barriers Lestina describes connect directly to what Nisa faced when building Mama for Planet. As a young woman entrepreneur, Nisa delves into the significant challenges she's encountered and the ways she's navigated through them.

SPEAKER_02 11:31

Yeah, because we work mainly with the community. Um one thing that we learned is that building trust takes time. And especially with mothers, we we know they have their own agencies, but also uh many responsibilities in our context. So we really try to understand that you know, tailor the content of our program to adjust the lived realities of mothers. So we don't make it like for example, when we do our workshop, we don't do lectures with slides or those things. We really um practice the actual uh steps, for example, to do composting or to do what we call bioport is another way to do it's the simple steps to do um the to decompose organic waste. So something like that, that is really practical and feasible for mothers to do, even when the program ends, they uh can continue the efforts. So that's uh we see as a challenge, but also an opportunity.

SPEAKER_00 13:11

That's very valuable, right? Because you have people that you want to work with, and in order to kind of ensure that your initiative works, you also need to create that trust, that relationship. And of course, it does take time, but something that I guess we really appreciate about your initiative is working with pre-existing. So there's a way that women uh plan their meals, there's a way that women might even understand composting, right? And these modules that you have that are also on your on your website um really help women to kind of uh adapt to their own practices, their existing, especially given that they have this triple burden, right? They have a lot of things that they already are responsible for in a way that they're able to also like uh enable this like smart um smart food shopping, but also like reduced food waste. So, yeah, that is definitely fascinating. Back in the field, we dive deeper into Listina's personal journey. As a young mother and Mama for Panad Woman champion, Listina pinpoints the biggest challenges she's faced as a change maker and the mindset that carried her through.

SPEAKER_01 14:18

The biggest challenge in my journey was encouraging people to start changing their habits, especially in reducing food waste and managing household waste properly. At first, some people were not interested because they thought these activities were difficult or not important. I overcame this challenge by starting with small action and giving real examples in everyday life. I also continued sharing new lead from Mama for Planet Indonesia through discussions and simple practices like combusting and making ecoenzyme together. The mindset that helped me most was believing that change does not need to happen instantly. Small and consistent action can inspire others over time. Passion, persistence, and leading by example become the key in my journey.

SPEAKER_00 15:18

Returning to NISA. As an alumna of the World Food Forum's Transformative Research Challenge and the Youth Food Lab Global, what role would you say these programs played? Was it networks, confidence, possibly um helping you move from theory to action or even navigating the different challenges you faced as a young entrepreneur?

SPEAKER_02 15:42

TRC and Youth Food Lab are really stepping stone and remarkable moments for us. It's a new initiative, right? Um from the TRC, it opens us to uh many opportunities, especially for the Youth Food Lab after that. So Youth Food Lab, I think, is great incubator for us to connect with other global um young leaders in the agri-food systems that inspire us to continue this work. They also um gave us mentors that we all still uh in communication until now. Our mentor really helped us to move beyond our local initiative to catch the policies. So during our time in youth lab, for example, we tried to develop a policy brief for the local government to empower or like you know, replicate the system to empower mothers as um agent of change. And the response uh were really great that they made like local um regulations about that. So it really helps us to uh broaden our impacts, and at the same time, uh Youth Foot Lab also gave us the space to share local wisdom to global audience. Uh I remember one time we shared about uh the biopore system that I mentioned before. It's a simple system, actually, and that's uh even simpler than doing uh composting. So it's actually um simply putting a pipe with lots of holes in your ground, and then just throw the organic waste there. The biopore will uh help decompose it to make uh or improve the fertility of the soil, but also to prevent flood. So that's like one of the local wisdom that we share with our global audience at the time, and uh we received um enormous like positive responses after that. So it's really um two-way, I think like two-way um positive interactions between us as um local practitioners with global audience, but also we can learn so much more about like the global practice and um connections from um others who also do work in the agri-food system.

SPEAKER_00 18:30

Oh, that that is that is so interesting. I think you know, given that your pilot actually started in a very local area where you had, I think, was it was it 21 cadres or 21 health workers?

SPEAKER_02 18:42

Yes, correct. 21 health workers from three different villages.

SPEAKER_00 18:48

Yeah, and then from there, they're even um the insight that you got that you don't just it's not only for Indonesia, which of course you know is um has a food waste challenge, but even beyond other countries that also have challenges with food waste, uh like like China, the US, um, and and others in Nigeria as well. So I think that's it was quite fascinating, and also how even even in entrepreneurship, um, there's a there's kind of like a transition that can be made to policy, into regulations. And it's also like it's wonderful that um these World Food Firm initiatives have actually facilitated uh that transition for you. We're almost wrapping up, looking into the future. Let's tune back to Lustina as she shares her hopes for Mama for Planet.

SPEAKER_01 19:34

I'm very happy and grateful to be part of Mama for Planet Indonesia. I truly hope that Mama for Planet Indonesia program can be introduced throughout all Mama in Indonesia. Because waste problems, especially food waste, are still one of the biggest environmental challenges in our country. I believe that with education, awareness, and cooperation, we can create a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable future for the next generation?

SPEAKER_00 20:04

Nisa same question, but you can zoom out a little. How do you hope Mama for Planet will continue to empower young women? Mothers, community health workers known as cadres. How could how do you hope Mama for Planet will empower them not only as household caretakers, but change makers in agri-food and climate solutions?

SPEAKER_02 20:30

Yeah, looking ahead, we really hope that Mama for Planet can continue creating space for women and community health workers uh as change makers. We want to amplify their voices and give them the space to be involved in important discussions when we talk about issues like nutrition, health, and broader agri-food system uh issues because they're they have significant roles. They're they're the real practitioners of all the regulations or like any policies um that happen in within the agri-food scope. So uh we want to continue strengthening their capacity, confidence, and feasibility. We really hope that this is like for broader audience that want to work with women, uh please include them not only as beneficiaries of the program, but truly treat women as partners, as decision makers and leaders in building more sustainable and resilient agri-food system for the future.

SPEAKER_00 21:44

Wow, ambitious and catalytic. Nisa and Listina, your stories and your work are a reminder that food system change can sometimes start at the kitchen table. With the mother, young woman deciding to do something differently and choosing intentionally to bring that to her whole community. Mama for Planet is continuing to grow and their upcoming app on with child feeding guidance is just the next step in that journey. If you're interested, you can find out more by visiting their website mamaforplanet.com. Nisa and Listina, thank you so very much for your time and everything you're building. It's been a genuine pleasure.