Yasmah

Nestled in the valley of the West Sumatran mountain range, Yasmah grows her onion farm. Previously worked as a migrant worker in Jakarta for years, Yasmah decided to return home to Solok West Sumatra in 2019 as she wanted to live close to her big family. With the support of working capital from Amartha, she started farming by renting a plot of land from her neighbor. Yasmah begins her day at the crack of dawn, trudging across treacherous terrain and slick dirt, in order to tend to and clean the onion plants in her field. Onions are harvested after around 75 days of growing and bought by the length, with prices ranging from IDR 21,000 (US$ 1.30) to Rp27,000 (US$ 1.70) per kilogram. To run her onion farm, Yasmah hired two assistants who happened to be her neighbors and close relatives. Working capital that flows to the grassroots economy will eventually help create jobs in the village and reduce urbanization as the opportunity to generate more income flourishes from the bottom of the pyramid.