The Samara Project is Samara Lombok’s non-profit organization which will work hand-in-hand with our local community on new farming initiatives, food production, hospitality training and employment opportunities.

The long-term vision of this sustainability project will be actualized in phases, beginning with our Organic Gardens. We have partnered with Executive Chef Wouter Eggermont of the award-winning Viceroy hotel in Ubud, Bali on an initiative to train our local team with organic gardening skills at the Viceroy to bring back to Lombok. The construction of the farm’s rice paddy fields (pictured above) is already underway, and are gardens are growing a variety of local herbs and vegetables including.

PHASE 1 – THE SAMARA FARM PARK

We have kicked off Phase 1 of a 10-hectare organic Farm Park which sits adjacent to our Samara Hills site. The vision is to support our local community by developing proper water management and irrigation systems, and give farmers the opportunity to earn an income by selling produce to Samara Lombok and the surrounding area.

This organic, chemical-free farm consists of approximately 4 hectares of rice paddy fields and 6 hectares of fruit trees producing high-value cash crops such as avocados and mangos. We completed our first rice harvest in March of this year, and distributed output to our local community, and are now growing a variety of local herbs & vegetables (i.e. chilis, turmeric, eggplant, cucumbers, etc.). This is a positive step forward for our local farmers, who are currently reliant on corn production, which has a low value in the market and is poor quality due to years of over-working the soil and lack of water.

Samara Lombok clients and guests will also benefit greatly from the Samara Farm Park by having access to fresh, organic fruits and vegetables on the farm, and will be guaranteed healthy ingredients at Samara Beach Club and nearby restaurants which we will supply to. There is also a focus on wellness within the Farm Park with spa & aromatherapy areas as well as walking and cycling trials and local style ‘Ataps’ / resting points to watch the world go by in serene surroundings.

PHASE 2 – HOSPITALITY SCHOOL

The second phase of The Samara Project is a Hospitality School, where local youth will receive an international standard education with the opportunity for an internship and full-time employment at Samara Lombok following their graduation.

We are delighted to be partnering with a local sustainable architecture firm on Lombok for this initiative, Bamboo Lab. The vision for the school is to provide members of the local community with the necessary skills and training to thrive as Lombok emerges from the shadow of Bali, already on pace to become the next tourism hotspot. Echoing our ethos of sustainability and community empowerment, Bamboo Lab sources all materials from the island and provides employment opportunities for our local community.

We are aiming to welcome our first round of students into the programme in 2022.

Contact enquiries@samaralombok.com to learn more.