Jambi, Indonesia — The Indonesian Peasants Union (Serikat Petani Indonesia/SPI) concluded its 5th Congress on July 25, 2025, in Jambi Province, reaffirming its commitment to agrarian reform, food sovereignty, and grassroots political power. The congress brought together thousands of peasants from 29 provinces and featured multiple assemblies, leadership elections, and strategic declarations outlining SPI’s direction for the next five years.

SPI Chairperson Henry Saragih, who was re-elected for the 2025–2030 term, emphasized the continuity of SPI’s mission since its founding nearly 27 years ago. During different sessions throughout the congress, Henry recalled SPI’s contributions both nationally and internationally, particularly in pushing for the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP).

“Our struggle has been a long journey, even reaching the international level, with the adoption of UNDROP,” he said during the Peasant Women’s Assembly. At the closing of the congress, he urged members to maintain their determination. “Our past struggles should fuel our optimism and determination to keep moving forward. If we stay confident, committed, and united, we will succeed,” he said.

National Congress: Charting a Political Path for Indonesia’s Peasantry

Held at the Jambi City Hajj Dormitory, the SPI Congress is the organization’s highest decision-making space. This year’s theme was “Forging People’s Political and Economic Unity to Fight for Agrarian Reform and Food Sovereignty Towards Social Justice.” The event included participation from SPI’s regional chapters, allied movements, government representatives, and international partners.

At the opening, several speakers underscored the significance of uniting the peasantry with other people’s movements. Labor Party President Said Iqbal called for worker–peasant solidarity in advancing a welfare state, while Walhi’s Zenzi Suhadi emphasized that social justice is essential for sustaining the peasant movement. Jambi Vice Governor Abdullah Sani spoke of agriculture’s importance to the provincial economy and expressed hope that the congress would generate new ideas to strengthen the role of peasants in national development.

SPI has steadily expanded its presence across 29 provinces, defending 600,000 hectares of land, developing agroecology practices, and influencing agrarian policy. The congress was an opportunity to consolidate this progress and reflect on current political and economic challenges. A significant part of the proceedings involved adopting key organizational documents: a revised statute (AD–ART), the Organizational Guidelines (GBHO), the SPI Foundational Manuscript, and the Congress Resolution Manuscript.

Also central to the congress were three major assemblies leading up to it: the Peasant Women’s Assembly, the Youth Farmers’ Assembly, and the Farmers’ Cooperative Assembly. Each resulted in foundational documents, including the Declaration of SPI Peasant Women: “Peasant Women are the Mothers of Sovereignty”, the Manifesto of the Indonesian Youth Farmers’ Movement: Land, Sovereignty, Future, and a cooperative strategy focused on food sovereignty, agrarian reform, and social justice.

Zubaidah, Chair of SPI North Sumatra and a prominent peasant leader, spoke during the Peasant Women’s Assembly. “We want to advance and strengthen the vision of SPI’s peasant women. After this meeting, we hope for the strength to occupy and shape organizational structures at every level,” she said.

Peasant Women in Agrarian Struggles

The Peasant Women’s Assembly, held on July 20, brought together delegates from across the country to reaffirm the role of women in the national peasant movement. Speakers included representatives from allied people’s movements, such as the Indonesian Trade Union Confederation (KSPI), the Indonesian Traditional Fisherfolk Union (KNTI), and the Urban Poor Network. Deputy Minister for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, Veronika Tan, emphasized that gender equality in agriculture is part of President Prabowo’s development goals. “We need to ensure equal access to land, capital, training, and technology, as well as women’s participation in decision-making,” she said.

The women’s assembly declaration outlined five points: peasant women’s central role in multiple crises; the role of agroecology and local seeds in food sovereignty; villages as centers of life; the importance of organization; and the necessity of political struggle to secure land rights, end corporatization, and dismantle patriarchal systems. “This assembly is vital because we want to voice our rights as peasant women to realize food sovereignty and agrarian reform,” said Ratih Kusuma, from SPI’s Women Farmers Department.

The Migrant Question in Indonesia

A separate highlight was the Transmigrant Farmers’ Meeting, held in Sukamaju Village, East Tanjung Jabung, on July 25. The event marked the final activity of the congress. According to SPI Chair Henry Saragih, the location was historically significant: “This is where SPI in Jambi first emerged and later expanded throughout the province.”

A transmigrant in the Indonesian context refers to a person or family who moves from one part of Indonesia to another—usually from densely populated islands like Java, Bali, or Madura to less populated areas such as Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, or Papua—under a government-run program called transmigration (transmigrasi).

The meeting addressed historical and ongoing issues in transmigration areas. Henry criticized the New Order-era transmigration program, saying it “was inconsistent with the Basic Agrarian Law,” and had contributed to violations of Indigenous rights and economic hardship among migrants. Delegates from Papua, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi shared accounts of land conflicts, mining encroachment, and criminalization of farmers.

Wenda, from the SPI Papua Mountains Preparatory Committee, called for support for farmers in conflict zones. Dwi Putra from South Kalimantan reported that mining expansion had displaced entire villages. “One village in Balangan district disappeared due to mining. It’s heartbreaking,” he said. Mustamin, from Southeast Sulawesi, expressed hope that the forum would amplify farmers’ voices and resistance efforts.

The congress also produced a dedicated document on transmigrant farmers for the first time, indicating SPI’s commitment to agrarian reform in these regions. The closing activities included a planting session in the Tanjung Jabung Timur Food Sovereignty Zone and a visit to an Agrarian Reform Village for a pineapple harvest.

International Solidarity

La Via Campesina’s General Coordinator Morgan Ody acknowledged SPI’s global contributions to the peasant movement. SPI also passed resolutions supporting Palestinian farmers and expressing solidarity with global struggles against injustice. Other resolutions addressed the criminalization of peasant activists, a proposed revision of the Forestry Law, and SPI’s stance on the 2025 Cooperative Bill.

Mugi Ramanu, newly elected Chair of the National Peasants Council (MNP), stated that the congress resolutions would guide SPI’s future strategy, particularly in relation to global developments on food systems. “On food issues especially, with new international agreements emerging, we must pay close attention in the coming years, as these will impact Indonesia’s food sovereignty,” he said.

Closing the congress, Henry Saragih stressed the need for coordination at all levels.

“This is a difficult struggle, but if we work together with synergy at all levels, we can fulfill the mandate entrusted to us by the peasantry,” he said.