Brewing a safer tomorrow by expanding social protection for Indonesian coffee farmers

LAMPUNG, Indonesia (ILO News) - In the coffee-growing village of Tanjung Begelung, Pulau Panggung, Tanggamus district, Lampung, Ria Elfa Efriyani works each day in the fields, carrying out physically demanding tasks—from using sharp tools to lifting heavy coffee bags. The journey to the farm itself is often hazardous due to poor road conditions.

While Ria and members of her Women’s Coffee Farmer Group have only experienced minor injuries so far, she is acutely aware of other farmers in nearby areas who have suffered serious accidents, forcing them to stop working and leaving their families without income. For many, the lack of health insurance compounds the hardship, as medical expenses become an additional financial burden.

Many farmers are unaware of the social security schemes available to them as non-wage workers... We hope this initiative will increase the number of farmers participating in these programmes.

Faisal Yamani, Head of the BPJS Ketenagakerjaan Pringsewu Employment Office in Lampung

The experiences and observations of Ria reflect the findings of a 2024 survey conducted by the ILO among coffee farmers in Tanggamus district. The survey revealed that the majority of coffee farmers lack health insurance and coverage for employment injuries. This absence of social protection significantly undermines their ability to cope with the consequences of occupational injury and diseases, leaving them and their families without income support during times of crisis.

To promote access to social security benefits among coffee farmers, the ILO’s Vision Zero Fund and Nestlé Indonesia, supported by the Social Security Offices for Health (BPJS Kesehatan) and Employment (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan), organized a one-day awareness raising event in Sumberejo, Tanggamus district, on 28 April. In conjunction with the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, the event aimed to inform farmers about their entitlements to social security on death, employment injury and old age benefits as non-wage workers.

© ILO

© ILO

The event reached 119 participants, including coffee farmers, representatives of women’s and young farmer groups, primary health care providers, government authorities and private sector stakeholders, such as Nestlé agronomists and coffee collecting businesses. Members of the Pulau Panggung Women’s Farmer Group were also among the event participants and contributed actively to the discussions.

Faisal Yamani, Head of the BPJS Ketenagakerjaan Pringsewu Employment Office in Lampung, expressed strong appreciation for the joint initiative by the ILO and Nestlé Indonesia to connect the Social Security Office with farming communities, enabling farmers to enrol in and benefit from existing social security schemes.

“Many farmers are unaware of the social security schemes available to them as non-wage workers,” Faisal noted. “They also don’t realize that some schemes are subsidized by the government, making them accessible even to poor farmers. We hope this initiative will increase the number of farmers participating in these programmes.”

We are proud to collaborate with the ILO and government institutions to raise awareness and encourage enrollment, especially among women farmers who play a central role in coffee cultivation.

Sufintri Rahayu, Director of Corporate Affairs & Sustainability PT Nestlé Indonesia

Likewise, Jemmy Firmansyah, Head of BPJS Kesehatan in the Tanggamus branch, highlighted that ensuring social health insurance benefits everyone is a collective responsibility, rooted in the spirit of mutual cooperation. He emphasized the importance of all stakeholders—including policy makers, implementing bodies, contributors and insured individuals—remaining aware of their respective roles and obligations.

As of February 2025, data from BPJS Ketenagakerjaan Lampung reveals that only 36.2 percent of Tanggamus District’s 150,258 workers are currently enrolled in employment social security scheme, with coverage among non-wage workers at just 6.6 percent.

Meanwhile, 98.4 percent of the population in Tanggamus District (638,652 people) have enrolled in the national social health insurance (BPJS Kesehatan) programme. However, only 60.1% of those enrolled are actively contributing through personal payments, employer contributions or government subsidies, and thus eligible to receive benefits.

© ILO

© ILO

The participants welcomed the opportunity to engage directly with representatives from the BPJS, using the opportunity to ask questions and clarify their concerns. Following the event, the group unanimously agreed on the importance of obtaining health and employment injury insurance coverage. They expressed their intention to enrol in these schemes to better protect themselves against health risks, occupational injuries, and work-related diseases.

In her welcome remarks, Kristina Kurths, Project Manager of the ILO Vision Zero Fund, emphasized the importance of social health and employment injury insurance for farmers facing illness or injury. “By listening to farmers’ needs and concerns, we can design more effective strategies to promote uptake among farmers and overcome barriers like poor information, payment difficulties and low trust in providers.”

“Ensuring coffee farmers have access to social protection, including health and employment injury insurance, is a vital step in creating a more resilient and inclusive agricultural community. We are proud to collaborate with the ILO and government institutions to raise awareness and encourage enrollment, especially among women farmers who play a central role in coffee cultivation,” concluded Sufintri Rahayu, Director of Corporate Affairs & Sustainability PT Nestlé Indonesia.

Building on the positive outcomes of this awareness-raising event, the ILO will continue working in partnership with the Social Security Offices for Employment and Health as well as Nestlé, to expand social security coverage among coffee farmers in Tanggamus district.