Reviving rural futures through women-led agroforestry
Articles Steward Leadership

Reviving rural futures through women-led agroforestry

Indonesia

Aliet Green is backing Indonesia’s women farmers to restore agroforestry land, withstand climate change, and increase earnings from coconut sugar and other ingredients they have long produced.

#SL25 #stewardLeadership
lastiana utami Verified

lastiana utami

Founder @ Aliet Green

See profile
Posted 29/09/2026
Challenge

In Kulon Progo, Indonesia, smallholder farmers are watching their agroforestry yields decline. Extreme weather and poor land management are disrupting coconut sugar production, putting unstable incomes under further strain.

 

Women do much of the traditional work of preparing crops, yet face persistent barriers to economic opportunity. Farmers with disabilities risk being pushed further to the margins. Without better ways to manage land and water – and a reliable route to higher-value markets – the communities tending these farms remain exposed to both climate and financial shocks.

 

 

 

Solution

Aliet Green’s answer is to make farmers part of a profitable, traceable supply chain. The women-owned social enterprise sources crops from more than 1,800 smallholders, around 90 per cent of them women, and includes farmers with disabilities. It turns their produce into certified ingredients such as coconut sugar, coconut syrup and vanilla for buyers in the United States, Europe and Asia.

 

On the ground, farmers learn “recharge, retain and reuse” techniques that capture water which might otherwise be lost to runoff, evaporation or flooding. Aliet Green also supplies seedlings and standardised tools to improve productivity and quality.

 

At its processing facility, traditional preparation meets proprietary drying technology designed to improve hygiene and lower moisture levels. A paperless system traces purchases, farmer check-ins and geotagged seedlings. This accountability helps the company command premium organic and Fair Trade prices. Between 2023 and 2025, it reported annual revenue of US$2.6 million to US$4.3 million.

 

 

Between January 2024 and January 2026, Aliet Green brought 599 hectares under regenerative organic management and distributed more than 10,000 seedlings, including dwarf coconut trees and vanilla vines. More than 1,800 farmers received training and over 10,000 production tools.

 

Impact

The value of that support is measured not only in healthier farms, but in household incomes. Aliet Green reports that participating farmers achieved income growth of more than 20 per cent through improved productivity and access to premium markets. Its work directly affected over 6,000 people in farming households.

 

The impact has travelled beyond the fields. More than 95 community infrastructure projects, including road access and safety barriers, benefited over 10,000 people, while education initiatives supported more than 100 farmers’ children. Women also make up over 60 per cent of employees at Aliet Green’s processing facility.

 

With expansion into Cilacap in Central Java and Buton in Sulawesi, the business is showing how rural producers can share in the value created from the crops they grow.

 

 

Future outlook

Aliet Green now intends to take its model further across Java and Sulawesi. Over the next two to three years, it plans to add between 300 and 500 smallholders to its network, distribute 10,000 to 15,000 standardised production tools annually and continue regular training for farmers and processing-facility employees.

 

By the third year, it aims to onboard every farmer onto a mobile application that will enable paperless, real-time data collection. Over five years, the company also plans to distribute 5,000 agroforestry seedlings, establish three satellite kitchens for decentralised processing and pilot domestic waste-management systems serving 300 to 500 farmers.

 

The ambition is larger than increasing the supply of organic ingredients. By placing women and farmers with disabilities within a traceable and commercially viable value chain, Aliet Green aims to show that rural communities can lead the transition to regenerative agriculture, and share in the value it creates.

 

Aliet Green is Indonesia's leading Fair Trade and Regenerative Organic Certified producer of natural, handmade ingredients, sourced from smallholder farms in Yogyakarta. Founded in 2009 by Ms Lastiana Yuliandari, it is Indonesia's only pioneering B Corp, Social Enterprise and Women-Owned business in the ingredient sector. Nearly 2,000 smallholder farmers across four villages grow organic coconut, vanilla, ginger and turmeric within agroforestry systems spanning over 600 hectares, more than 1,700 of them women and 20 living with disabilities. Farmers are paid 39% above the regional minimum wage and a Fair-Trade premium fund, decided by farmer committee, has invested over $180,000 in community infrastructure since 2014. The regenerative approach has restored over 200 hectares of degraded land and sequesters an estimated 40,000 tonnes of CO2 annually. Aliet Green exports 100% of its production across the world, working exclusively with mission-aligned buyers who share its commitment to fair, transparent and regenerative organic supply chains.

Explore Topic

Equality Climate Change Governance Sustainability Steward Leadership

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The SL25 partners - Steward Leadership Institute, the INSEAD Hoffmann Institute, WTW and The Straits Times - are not responsible for the statements and opinions expressed by the organisations behind the SL25 projects. These organisations are responsible for the truthfulness, accuracy and completeness of their content in their applications as well as those presented on this site, which are not guaranteed by the SL25 partners. All information on this site reflects the submissions received as of 15 Apr 2026, the closing application date for SL25. Inclusion to the SL25 list is based on the particular project(s) described in the application form. SL25 is not intended as a blanket endorsement of the organisation as a whole.

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Articles Steward Leadership

Reviving rural futures through women-led agroforestry

Indonesia

Aliet Green is backing Indonesia’s women farmers to restore agroforestry land, withstand climate change, and increase earnings from coconut sugar and other ingredients they have long produced.

#SL25 #stewardLeadership
lastiana utami Verified

lastiana utami

Founder @ Aliet Green

See profile
Posted 29/09/2026
Challenge

In Kulon Progo, Indonesia, smallholder farmers are watching their agroforestry yields decline. Extreme weather and poor land management are disrupting coconut sugar production, putting unstable incomes under further strain.

 

Women do much of the traditional work of preparing crops, yet face persistent barriers to economic opportunity. Farmers with disabilities risk being pushed further to the margins. Without better ways to manage land and water – and a reliable route to higher-value markets – the communities tending these farms remain exposed to both climate and financial shocks.

 

 

 

Solution

Aliet Green’s answer is to make farmers part of a profitable, traceable supply chain. The women-owned social enterprise sources crops from more than 1,800 smallholders, around 90 per cent of them women, and includes farmers with disabilities. It turns their produce into certified ingredients such as coconut sugar, coconut syrup and vanilla for buyers in the United States, Europe and Asia.

 

On the ground, farmers learn “recharge, retain and reuse” techniques that capture water which might otherwise be lost to runoff, evaporation or flooding. Aliet Green also supplies seedlings and standardised tools to improve productivity and quality.

 

At its processing facility, traditional preparation meets proprietary drying technology designed to improve hygiene and lower moisture levels. A paperless system traces purchases, farmer check-ins and geotagged seedlings. This accountability helps the company command premium organic and Fair Trade prices. Between 2023 and 2025, it reported annual revenue of US$2.6 million to US$4.3 million.

 

 

Between January 2024 and January 2026, Aliet Green brought 599 hectares under regenerative organic management and distributed more than 10,000 seedlings, including dwarf coconut trees and vanilla vines. More than 1,800 farmers received training and over 10,000 production tools.

 

Impact

The value of that support is measured not only in healthier farms, but in household incomes. Aliet Green reports that participating farmers achieved income growth of more than 20 per cent through improved productivity and access to premium markets. Its work directly affected over 6,000 people in farming households.

 

The impact has travelled beyond the fields. More than 95 community infrastructure projects, including road access and safety barriers, benefited over 10,000 people, while education initiatives supported more than 100 farmers’ children. Women also make up over 60 per cent of employees at Aliet Green’s processing facility.

 

With expansion into Cilacap in Central Java and Buton in Sulawesi, the business is showing how rural producers can share in the value created from the crops they grow.

 

 

Future outlook

Aliet Green now intends to take its model further across Java and Sulawesi. Over the next two to three years, it plans to add between 300 and 500 smallholders to its network, distribute 10,000 to 15,000 standardised production tools annually and continue regular training for farmers and processing-facility employees.

 

By the third year, it aims to onboard every farmer onto a mobile application that will enable paperless, real-time data collection. Over five years, the company also plans to distribute 5,000 agroforestry seedlings, establish three satellite kitchens for decentralised processing and pilot domestic waste-management systems serving 300 to 500 farmers.

 

The ambition is larger than increasing the supply of organic ingredients. By placing women and farmers with disabilities within a traceable and commercially viable value chain, Aliet Green aims to show that rural communities can lead the transition to regenerative agriculture, and share in the value it creates.

 

Connect

Aliet Green is Indonesia's leading Fair Trade and Regenerative Organic Certified producer of natural, handmade ingredients, sourced from smallholder farms in Yogyakarta. Founded in 2009 by Ms Lastiana Yuliandari, it is Indonesia's only pioneering B Corp, Social Enterprise and Women-Owned business in the ingredient sector. Nearly 2,000 smallholder farmers across four villages grow organic coconut, vanilla, ginger and turmeric within agroforestry systems spanning over 600 hectares, more than 1,700 of them women and 20 living with disabilities. Farmers are paid 39% above the regional minimum wage and a Fair-Trade premium fund, decided by farmer committee, has invested over $180,000 in community infrastructure since 2014. The regenerative approach has restored over 200 hectares of degraded land and sequesters an estimated 40,000 tonnes of CO2 annually. Aliet Green exports 100% of its production across the world, working exclusively with mission-aligned buyers who share its commitment to fair, transparent and regenerative organic supply chains.

Explore Topic

Equality Climate Change Governance Sustainability Steward Leadership

Want to leave a comment? Sign up or log in.

The SL25 partners - Steward Leadership Institute, the INSEAD Hoffmann Institute, WTW and The Straits Times - are not responsible for the statements and opinions expressed by the organisations behind the SL25 projects. These organisations are responsible for the truthfulness, accuracy and completeness of their content in their applications as well as those presented on this site, which are not guaranteed by the SL25 partners. All information on this site reflects the submissions received as of 15 Apr 2026, the closing application date for SL25. Inclusion to the SL25 list is based on the particular project(s) described in the application form. SL25 is not intended as a blanket endorsement of the organisation as a whole.

Have a perspective worth sharing?

Submit an idea, propose a course, or start a conversation that moves the field forward.

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