Reintroducing and scaling sorghum in East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia: Retracing and learning from the change processes Triggered by Mama Tata of Adonara Island

The amazing story of Maria Loretha (‘Mama Tata’) shows that innovations, such as the reintroduction of sorghum on the semi-arid Adonara island in Indonesia, can start with local entrepreneurs and informal agents of change. This article goes back to 2007 and retraces the processes leading to the successful reintroduction of sorghum and other local crops. Initiatives were taken in many different activity domains: - seed collection, multiplication and sharing; finetuning agricultural practices; community meetings and group formation; sorghum processing and food product development; marketing and transport and transport to advocacy for revaluing sorghum in farming systems and diets. Results were scaled largely via informal networks of Mama Tata and the groups and associations she is part of. The process of change was gradual, with strong local ownership. The achievements are therefore robust and sustainable. This case learns that development actors, both public, non-governmental or private, can align to local initiatives and change agents. The experiences also learn that, rather than one silver bullet, it is the combined effect of Mama Tata’s initiatives and activities that led to sustainable change.