USAID's Sustainable Environmental Governance Across Regions (SEGAR), through the Swandiri Inisiatif Sintang (SIS), facilitated a significant event involving three assisted villages: Sungai Buluh, Jaya Mentari, and Pekulai Bersatu. This event took place on July 25, 2023, at the Botanical Hall of the Sintang District Plantation Agency. The central theme of the event was "Enhancing Community and Farmer Engagement to Strengthen the Sustainable Commodity Supply Chain in Sintang Regency." The primary objective was to provide an opportunity for independent smallholders to submit the required documents for the Cultivation Registration Certificate (STDB) to the Sintang District Plantation Agency.

During the event, representatives from village governments and independent smallholders had the privilege of meeting Mr. Arif Setyabudi, the Head of the Plantation Development Division, and Mr. Subarjo, the extension coordinator of the Sintang District Plantation Agency. Mr. Arif explained that the submitted files would undergo thorough re-verification and a completeness check by the STDB publishing team. Subsequently, a field inspection would be conducted, involving relevant government agencies (OPDs) to assess the alignment of farmers' land plots with the submitted documents. Once all data are confirmed, the STDB can be approved. The entire issuance process is anticipated to take between 6 to 12 months per village. This duration is due to the two-stage verification process, which involves technical coordination across OPDs and field verification, covering a sample of 5-10% of the total proposals.

Since its inception in February 2023, the SIS's collaboration with the USAID SEGAR project in these three villages has led to significant progress. A total of 338 land parcels, owned by independent smallholders, have been proposed for STDB registration. This includes 108 plots owned by 90 independent smallholders from Jaya Mentari Village, 125 plots owned by 81 independent smallholders from Pekulai Bersatu Village, and 105 plots owned by 76 independent smallholders from Sungai Buluh Village. The proposed commodities cover a variety, including palm oil, rubber, jengkol, and cocoa. (*)