In June 2026, 80 farmer members, Internal Control System and Internal Management System officers, Fairtrade Premium committee members and cooperative leaders from seven organic coconut sugar cooperatives completed a three-day Training of Trainers held across the districts of Banjarnegara, Purbalingga, Kebumen and Purworejo in Central Java, conducted by the Indonesia Organic Alliance (Aliansi Organic Indonesia - AOI) as facilitator of the Programme conducted under the “Transitioning Towards Green Resilience: Building Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural Communities” project funded by European Union and implemented by Fairtrade International and Fairtrade NAPP in collaboration with Bina Desa.

A Home-Grown Pool of Organic Expertise for Central Java's Coconut Sugar

Demand for organic coconut sugar is growing in international markets, and the cooperatives that produce it in Central Java are preparing to answer that demand with expertise of their own. In June 2026, the Indonesia Organic Alliance (AOI), as facilitator of the Programme supported by Fairtrade International, Fairtrade NAPP, Bina Desa and European Union, worked with its partners to conduct a Training of Trainers (ToT) on Sustainable Agriculture across four districts of Central Java: Banjarnegara, Purbalingga, Kebumen and Purworejo.

The three-day trainings brought together 80 participants, 50 men and 30 women, drawn from farmer members, Internal Control System (ICS) and Internal Management System (IMS) officers, Fairtrade Premium committee members and the management of seven cooperatives, among them Nira Kamukten, Coco Sugar Manise, Manunggal Adil Sejahtera, Tirta Nira Sejahtera, Sari Manggar Alami and Karya Manis Sejahtera.

With this first ToT of the series, these cooperatives now have a wider circle of local trainers who understand organic regulations and can walk alongside farmer groups as they work towards meeting organic certification requirements. Knowledge of organic standards no longer rests on a few outside experts; it now lives within the cooperatives themselves.

EU and NOP Organic Standards, Decoded

For cooperatives selling organic coconut sugar to buyers in Europe and the United States, the EU and NOP organic regulations decide what may carry the organic label and reach the market. Dedicated sessions walked participants through both schemes step by step, from the principles of organic agriculture and how certification schemes work, to the rules governing production, handling, processing and labelling of organic products. For many participants, the labelling requirements were entirely new territory, and understanding them means their cooperatives can now prepare products that meet what international buyers ask for at every stage of the product's journey. Participants left with a clear picture of the requirements their cooperatives must fulfil to supply organic coconut sugar to international markets, and the confidence that comes from knowing the rules first-hand.

Paperwork That Powers Group Certification

Group certification stands or falls on documentation, and the training turned this into a practical skill. Through hands-on workshops on developing internal organic standards, identifying organic critical control points and analysing risk, participants practised drafting the documents, procedures and internal control mechanisms that certifiers look for. The gains were immediate: Coco Sugar Manise Cooperative used the training to begin establishing its first Internal Management System, a step its chairperson expects will strengthen record-keeping and management across the cooperative. Strong internal systems also make every kilogram of coconut sugar traceable from the farm to the buyer, reinforcing quality assurance for organic products and placing group certification on a firmer foundation.

Standards Tested Where the Sugar Is Made

What makes a standard real is how it holds up on an actual farm. Participants put their new knowledge to work through observation practice at members' coconut groves and palm sugar processing kitchens, assessing how organic standards apply under real conditions. They learned to identify potential non-conformities, draft corrective action recommendations and work out the risk mitigation steps needed at both the farm and the cooperative level, then presented and analysed their findings together. This practice builds the internal inspection skills that keep compliance a year-round strength of the group, with cooperative members themselves able to check, correct and improve their own systems well before an external audit arrives.

Farming with Nature, Not Against It

Sessions on land management, biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation and adaptation gave participants concrete techniques they can apply on their own land. For farms on sloping ground, they learned to construct drainage ditches, establish buffer zones that prevent contamination from neighbouring fields, and use terracing and boundary planting to reduce erosion and landslides. They explored how to maintain soil fertility through regular organic fertilisation, using livestock manure only after it has been composted for at least three months, and how to manage dry leaves in environmentally friendly ways instead of burning them. Several participants described a changed way of seeing their farms: caring for biodiversity is not an extra task but part of protecting a legacy for future generations.

Shared Roles at Home, New Trainers for the Community

The training's session on gender-inclusive approaches struck a chord, showing how sharing roles and responsibilities within farming households lightens workloads and adds to family well-being. Just as important, the clear and unhurried way facilitators delivered every session gave participants the confidence to become trainers themselves. Many are already preparing to translate the materials into their local language and train fellow cooperative members on the EU and NOP standards, so that the knowledge gained by 80 people multiplies across seven cooperatives and thousands of member farms.

Carrying the Knowledge Home

The newly prepared trainers now return to their cooperatives to mentor farmer groups in their own regions, in their own language. The cooperatives will keep strengthening documentation, traceability and internal controls so that production becomes more consistent and internationally recognised organic practices reach more member farms, widening the path towards obtaining and maintaining organic certification and accessing both domestic organic and export markets. The journey continues from here: consistent record-keeping across every member farm will take continued practice, and participants suggested holding trainings like this more often so knowledge keeps growing. As the first Training of Trainers in the series, this activity marks one step in a longer journey that Fairtrade NAPP, AOI and the cooperatives are walking together, towards farmer-led organic coconut sugar production that is sustainable, better prepared for a changing climate, and able to contribute to stronger livelihoods for farming families in Central Java.