MTCP 2 Indonesia holds training on computer-based financial management for farmers’ organizations

Pict Training on Computer-based Financial Management
for Farmers’ Organizations

In an organization, either it is profit or non profit organization, good and systematic financial information will help the organization in order to make a good plan. Financial report will show good financial performance and governance of the organization as well. The financial report can be used as a base to make decision by the organization internally or by the outsider. Financial information availability is started from budget planning process, financial policy, financial transaction, financial book keeping, financial document checking, clustering the financial transaction, and then financial report.

Based on the need of good financial information, MTCP-2 Indonesia held a traning on computer-based financial management which was participated by national farmers organization such as Aliansi Petani Indonesia (Indonesian Peasant Alliance/API), Serikat Petani Indonesia (Indonesian Peasants Union/SPI), and Wahana Masyarakat Tani dan Nelayan Indonesia (Indonesian Farmers and Fishers Alliance/WAMTI), and a non-governmental organization (NGO) the Indonesian Human Right for Social Justice (IHCS).

The training was conducted at Hotel Sofyan Jakarta on December 17-19, 2015. There were 20 participants attended the training. The aims of the event are to provide understanding among farmers’ organizations and NGO’s staffs to be able to present a systematic and accountable financial information which meets with the standard of financial accounting of non-profit/profit organization.

“The knowledge of financial and accounting management needs to be understood and applied by the organization’s staffs,” said Muhammad Nuruddin, the secretary general of Indonesian Peasant Alliance (API) at the opening of the event. “The training of financial management will help farmers’ organizations improving the financial management performance and the accounting process, in order to be able to enhance the accountability of the organization”.

Furthermore, API’s Secretary General hopes that the training will help to improve human resources (members and staffs) in managing farmers’ organization finance, since it is important to farmers’ organization and it’s business organization. The availability of good and systematic financial information will then help the decision making process and formulating the organization’s strategic planning. This was also agreed by Muhammad Rifai, the facilitator of the financial training.

“Financial information as an accountability of the organization drags attention of the members’ organization and the society in general,” Muhammad Rifai explained to the participants. “Financial management and the use of accounting is a need either to profit or non profit organization. Accounting will produce financial information which is very useful to the internal organization such as organization staffs in order to develop organizational financial management or to the outsider such as donor, government, auditor, and public in order to know the accountability of the organization”.

The training held in three days was aimed to enhance the capacity of the farmers’ organization in financial management and accounting. Furthermore, farmers’ organizations are hoped to have good skill in applying computer-based financial management system.

“This training on how to use Quick Book is very useful to me and abridging my work as a book keeper at SPI,” admitted Ati Sulastri interviewd by Ferry Widodo of API Secretariat. According to the treasurer of SPI, the subject presented during the training is simple and easy to be practiced. “I have no obstacle during the training. The lessons are simple to be applied,” she added.

Meanwhile, Eman Sulaeman of Koperasi Hanjuang, Banten, admitted that the training is very useful to the cooperative. Koperasi Hanjuang gains access to market as it has special request from PT Orindo Alam Ayu (Oriflame), a famous beauty supplier, to provide honey which is amounted IDR 225 million per month (at average USD 1 = IDR 13,600).

“We really need good financial book keeping system,” added Eman Sulaeman, the director of Koperasi Hanjuang. “The training is just held in a perfect right time, as we have our first downpayment of the honey selling to the company. Thank to API national secretariat, let Indonesian farmers are achieving prosperity on our own land. Amen!” he concluded. (fw/ink/23/12/2015).