About PRISMA

Agriculture is a sector where the environment plays an important role. The sector is dependent on the environment, but agriculture can also impact the environment if not done correctly – incorrect use of agricultural inputs, overuse of soils, etc. The rural poor are the intended program beneficiaries and depend heavily on environmentally sensitive resources for their livelihood such as waterways, topsoil, etc. These resources can be negatively impacted by agricultural activities supported by the program as well as wider environmental change, such as climate change.

Agriculture and poverty are interlinked. A large percentage of rural poor in Indonesia depend on farming for food, income, and jobs. Rural men and women are often held back by limited access to functioning agricultural markets, including poor policies and weak agriculture-related public institutions. Where regulatory issues emerge as a constraint in a particular sector, these are addressed by the PRISMA team as part of the intervention work.

PRISMA recognises that women, people with disabilities, the youth, and indigenous people can play vital and central roles in the economy. However, these segments typically face higher structural and social barriers to accessing and benefitting from markets and are often overrepresented among the poor. Not only do these segments struggle the most to engage economically but they are also least likely to benefit from economic growth compared to other segments of the poor.

PRISMA acknowledges nutrition as an important investment to human capital and economic development. However, stunting – a growth faltering condition resulting from persisting undernutrition and recurrent infections especially in the first 1000 days of life – remains a significant problem in Indonesia. Stunting has long term health and economic effects on individuals and societies as it hinders cognitive and physical development, reduces productive capacity, and increases the risk of diseases.

As a Market System Development (MSD) program working in the agriculture sector, PRISMA is inevitably exposed to various environmental impacts, both those it inflicts on and those it receives from the environment. The rural poor as the intended program beneficiaries depend heavily on environmentally sensitive natural resources for their livelihoods. These resources can be impacted negatively by programmatic activities, as well as by wider environmental change (including climate change).