[ENG] The seeds of resistance from Lampung

Seeds hold a prominent role for farmers and families of Indigenous peoples. They are one of the most powerful means of increasing productivity and ensuring food security. For the farmers of the Lampung Farmers Union (SPL), seeds are the symbol of the livelihood of their people and their resilience against environmental degradation. 

SPL and their struggle against land injustice proved how a small community of farmers can grow into a broad, organized, farmer-led group fighting against environmental conflicts and injustice. 

In January 2024, SPL was born as an alternative political tool for the people, driven to organize resistance against all forms of oppression and injustice, especially those experienced by farmers. 

What began as land reclamation campaigns fighting for agrarian reform and food sovereignty soon grew into a larger movement. SPL’s determination to defend farmers’ rights against land grabbing, intimidation, and criminalization is reflected in its community-led actions ranging from protests and public discussion to legal education, advocacy, and women farmers’ movement and solidarity.

Despite their continued struggle for justice, Lampung farmers still face repetitive patterns of repression. One of them is Uun Irawati, known to many as Tini, a woman farmer cultivating land in Kota Baru, now claimed as property of the Lampung Provincial Government. 

Tini and her two children were criminalized after she joined a farmers’ movement resisting the governor’s decision to increase the rental fees of the farmers. When she was being evicted from their land, Tini and her family stood their ground, supported by fellow farmers in solidarity. However, this act of resistance led to criminalization.

For months, the threat of imprisonment hung over her family, but LBH Bandar Lampung (Bandar Lampung Legal Aid) stepped in by providing legal assistance and advocating for their case. The organization also mobilized solidarity campaigns, not just in Bandar Lampung but also in other cities. They even helped bring her case to the national level in Jakarta.

After nearly eight months of legal proceedings, Tini and her family were finally freed from the threat of imprisonment through a restorative justice process, an out-of-court settlement. However, this freedom came at a cost: they were forced to pay 40 million rupiah in damages to the owner of the tractor as part of the settlement conditions. 

When SPL and other civil society groups learned about this, they immediately organized solidarity fund drives to help Tini’s family. Ultimately, they were able to fully cover the damages. 

Reflecting on her experience, Tini believes that she would not have been this strong, nor would she have escaped criminal charges, without the solidarity of farmers and other civil society networks.

Tini’s story is not unique. Across Lampung and beyond, farmers who defend their land often face the same cycle of criminalization. Land grabbing activities are closely linked with Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP), where farmers who resist are labeled as criminals, and legal instruments are weaponized to silent dissent.

SPL understands that the law is often used as a political tool for oppression, while the community has no capital other than solidarity. When this happens, all SPL members must work together to monitor cases and advocate for the cessation of unfair law enforcement processes. They also build alliances beyond their villages, generating solidarity from other grassroots movements, civil society organizations, and networks across Indonesia.

Through its partnership with SPL, LBH Bandar Lampung has expanded farmers’ access to justice, providing not only legal representation but also education, organizing support, and solidarity-building. For both groups, legal empowerment means more than winning a case. It means helping farmers understand their rights, recognize the root causes of agrarian conflict, and claim their role in shaping Indonesia’s food security and future.

SPL has demonstrated the power of communities to stand on their own feet and confront injustice together. What began as a local struggle for land and livelihood has evolved into a broad, organized movement grounded in collective action, legal empowerment, and solidarity. In parallel, LBH Bandar Lampung has shown how legal aid can go beyond the courtroom: standing with communities, amplifying their voices, and strengthening their fight for justice.

The dynamic of both has become one of the most important gems for the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) as they come from rural farmers communities, but has risen to be one of the most significant assets in bringing inspiration and a vital source of hope for other farmer’s associations in Indonesia. 

Today, there are four SPL local chapters across different Lampung districts: Lampung Timur, Lampung Selatan, Lampung Tengah, and Tulang Bawang with more than 5000 members, most of whom are family heads. They come from different ethnic, religious, professional and cultural backgrounds, including Indigenous communities. They are united by their shared fate of living under the shadow of land grabbing activities.

This story is written by Monica Vira A K and Prabowo Pamungkas from YLBHI.

About the Indonesia Legal Aid Foundation

Established in 1970 by a group of human rights lawyers, YLBHI (Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation) is one of the oldest NGOs in Indonesia, working primarily by providing legal aid and assistance. YLBHI is also one of the largest NGOs in Indonesia, with 18 branch offices (called LBH Offices) across Indonesia. 

YLBHI along with LBH Offices play a significant role among organizations, groups, and networks working for human  rights and equality in the country. YLBHI also has become a strategic organization in Indonesia’s democracy, human rights, rule of law and social justice. YLBHI has the idea of structural legal aid (legal aid for structural cases, the cases that usually impact the welfare of the people related to human rights) which has been strongly influencing, not merely litigation at the judiciary system, but also becoming part of social movement entities.