AB043. Empowering farmers as agents of change for planetary health: a participatory action research among honey guava farmers in Indonesia
Abstract

AB043. Empowering farmers as agents of change for planetary health: a participatory action research among honey guava farmers in Indonesia

Eka Lestari Mahyuni1, Muhammad Daniel Azlan bin Mahadzir2,3, Mengieng Ung2, Zai Feng Elliot Eu4, Reni Novia1, Achmad Siddik Thoha5, Renzo R. Guinto2

1Universitas Sumatera Utara, Faculty of Public Health, Medan, Indonesia; 2SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore; 3SingHealth Office for Sustainable Health, Singapore, Singapore; 4Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore; 5Universitas Sumatera Utara, Faculty of Forestry, Medan, Indonesia

Background: Health-sustainable precision agriculture (H-SPA) offers a transformative approach for Indonesian smallholder farming and environmental sustainability. Its adoption is often hindered by top-down technology transfer models, overlooking farmers’ realities, local knowledge, and ecological context. This leads to unsustainable practices and minimal community impact. The objective is to explore how participatory methodologies empower farmers as change agents for planetary health in H-SPA implementation for honey guava cultivation in Langkat, Sumatera Utara. It examines how bottom-up engagement fosters local H-SPA stewardship, promoting eco-friendly practices and community resilience.

Methods: A participatory action research (PAR) approach engaged Teluk and Karang Gading communities via extensive socialization and co-learning from February to August 2025. Six of 25 initial farmers (24%) committed long-term participation. Data included participatory observation during engagement and focus group discussions (FGDs). Thematic analysis evaluated shared H-SPA understanding, PAR principles, team roles, and initial motivations.

Results: The project established a multi-stakeholder PAR team, rooted in mutual respect and inclusive dialogue, evidenced by six farmer volunteers. Iterative FGDs dismantled traditional hierarchies, fostering shared H-SPA understanding and leading to co-developed roles as co-researchers and positive role models. Strong initial commitment, driven by solving agricultural challenges and reducing environmental impact via H-SPA, was demonstrated. Capacity-building within the PAR framework enabled farmers to adopt drone and sensor technology, promote ecological pest management, and become continuous community learning providers for planetary health.

Conclusions: This study highlights PAR’s profound value in promoting H-SPA adoption. This good practice is crucial for fostering climate-friendly food systems, integrating health, Agri-Technology, and building farmer community resilience in Indonesia.

Keywords: Community resilience; health-sustainable precision agriculture (H-SPA); honey guava; participatory action research (PAR); planetary health

Footnote

Conflicts of Interest: This study was supported by a research grant from Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU), provided through its international collaboration program with the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute (SDGHI). The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare.

Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the noncommercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

doi: 10.21037/jphe-26-ab043
Cite this abstract as: Mahyuni EL, Mahadzir MDAB, Ung M, Eu ZFE, Novia R, Thoha AS, Guinto RR. AB043. Empowering farmers as agents of change for planetary health: a participatory action research among honey guava farmers in Indonesia. J Public Health Emerg 2026;10:AB043.

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