Search

Peoples’ utilization and management of non-timber forest products in a sustainable manner is influenced by traditional knowledge and regulations. Communities near forests in Southern Sumatra, Indonesia, continue to rely on forest resources to cover their basic needs. However, as more people use the forests to collect non-timber forest products, their availability is decreasing. Qualitative research methods and literature studies were applied in this paper to document local communities in the provinces of South Sumatra, Bengkulu, and Jambi in applying their traditional knowledge and local wisdom to manage dragon’s blood (Daemonorops spp.) and cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmanii Blume). These priceless NTFPs (non-timber forest products) played a significant role in supporting people’s livelihoods and protecting the natural resources in their forest area. The community implemented a sustainable harvesting system to maintain the availability of resources so that the community still has the opportunity to collect NTFPs as a source of income in the future. Along with the decrease in these natural resources, the community has begun to develop an agroforestry system of NTFPs, coffee, and other crops. This domestication activity was expected to ensure the sustainability of production and to prevent overexploitation of forest resources. In the long run, involving indigenous knowledge was needed in maintaining natural resources to achieve sustainable development of NTFPs agroforestry in Indonesia.

Community Forestry becomes new paradigm in the forest management system in Indonesia. Through this mechanism, it is expected that the role of the community in forest management will be stronger and the benefits of forests to improve community welfare can be realized. This study aims to determine the impacts of community forestry programs and also to observe further how the community rehabilitates marginal forest areas as an effort to reduce the effects of climate change. Surveys, FGD and interviews to stakeholders and community groups that obtain forest management rights are conducted to collect data. The research-results explain that community-forestry-permit provides a freedom for the community, hence they could manage the land optimally. The implementation of community forestry still requires assistance from local government as a facilitator so that the programs carried out are truly useful and provide optimal results. Furthermore, the establishment of institutions, program design, and planning in the management system also still needs to be strengthened. The term of climate change has not been widely known by the community in rural areas of South Sumatra. However, they have realized the impact of climate change. Rehabilitation activities and several efforts to increase the number of land cover in community forestry area will be an opportunity to improve the ecosystems condition, mitigate the climate change and diversify commodity choices of the community for better livelihoods.

Rural community in peatland is less concerned actor during the recurrent fire disaster. This disaster has already diminished the source of livelihoods. There is limited information about the dynamics of the livelihoods related to the use of fire in peatland. This paper examines the dynamics of rural livelihoods and the adaptation livelihoods strategies in degraded peatland. Data are collected by field survey, in-depth interview, focus group discussion in three villages at Riau Province and they are analyzed descriptively. Peatland is the only remaining important resource for the rural people after fire disaster. They will select prospective commodities based on their capabilities and access to market. Rural community are more intensive in using the resource of peatland for their livelihoods with the growing interest to several commodities. Recent community livelihoods depend on some certain commodities (palm oil, areca nut, rubber) and tend to conduct expansive and monoculture land use strategy rather than polyculture strategy. Diversification livelihood with adaptive and valuable commodities through trainings, continuous coaching and building business.

Peatlands in Indonesia have been objected to draining, burning and converting into agriculture lands causing huge greenhouse gas emissions and triggering climate change. To reduce emissions on peatland but still keep maintaining community livelihoods, farmers need to be trained with best practices on peatland uses and management. Under the Haze Free Sustainable Livelihoods Project, three trainings have been conducted, namely training on nursery and land preparation without burning, training on post harvests processing of fish and corn, and training on honeybee cultivation. The training participants are community who live in and around the Peatland Hydrological Unit of Kampar-Indragiri Rivers, Riau. An impact assessment of the completed trainings has been conducted which employe four-level evaluation model as proposed by Kirkpatrick (1994). The results indicatesthat all of the trainings improve participants’ knowledge and skill. Moreover, the honeybee cultivation training has also transformed participants’ behaviour to be more preserve and maintain nectarpollen and resin producing trees, pollen and sap. The trainings, however, are yet to affect household income although an increase of profit has been recorded on some champion participants.

Social forestry program is intended to improve people’s welfare and at the same time as an effort to conserve the forest. This paper examines the awareness of local communities toward social forestry programmes implemented by Ministry of Environment and Forestry of Republic Indonesia. This research was taken place in Bumi Kawa Village, Ogan Komering Ulu District. Survey, interview and focus group discussion methods were employed to collect the data. Descriptive qualitative method was used to analyze the data obtained during the research. Almost all of the people interviewed have a particularly favourable perception of the social forestry programmes implemented. Currently, the community has accessed the forest area and planted it with coffee. With the existence of social forestry program, community access to forests becomes a legal activity. The community can manage the land by implementing agroforestry system that is developing agricultural crops under forest trees. The type of tree that has been well known by the community is bambang lanang (Michelia champaca). This type of plant is suitable to grow in this region and has economic value. Based on the discussion, social forestry program is the best type of management for running the forests in this area. Communities were willing to further participate in tree planting activities. Moreover, women also had positive perception towards social forestry program although they were not fully involved in managing the forest. Some incentives were needed so that the local people will continue to participate in the long term environmental preservation.

Tree crop diversification becomes a common component of farmers strategies to diversify their sources of income, to deal with price fluctuation and also to adapt to a changing environment. This study examined farmers activity in tree-crop diversification and factors that encourage rural households in tree planting. A combination of household interviews and participatory field surveys was conducted to collect primary data. Data was analyzed descriptively and quantitatively. The results show that farmers mainly engaged in planting trees with agroforestry system, even there were also some people who develop trees with monocultures system. The tree species most developed in the research area are Magnolia champaca, Azadirachta excelsa, and Anthocephalus cadamba. The diversification decisions of communities depends on age, education level, the number of family members, expenses, and assets. Farmers who have wider landholdings and relatively have high incomes will be more interested in doing tree crop diversification on their land. Of the households surveyed, the respondents have the main job as a farmer in which the average age was 50 years old and the majority had education level up to elementary school and junior high school. The average expense of the respondents was 1.437 million rupiah per month in which the average of land holding is 2.68 hectares. In southern Sumatra, farmers try to mix some tree-crop in their land in order to increase their income, to get cash income in different time (maintaining food security), and reduce some risks because the changes of environment, market and policy. Therefore, this practice can provide economic resilience for farm households.

Food sovereignty is the aspiration of many parties and the vision of the Government of Indonesia. Making new fields (sawah), building and repairing irrigation, and provide incentives for the cultivation of food crops is the program being run by the government. On the other hand, the facts show that the conversion of sawah to other uses still exists in many places and cannot be prevented. However, Semende communities living in the upland of South Sumatra to show different performance; they tried to maintain the tradition of sawah at the time of changes in knowledge and the growing population. This study aims to understand and explain the success of the Semende communities in achieving food sovereignty. Research questions answered by qualitative research methods, especially through ethnographic notes concerning sawah management practices by Semende communities. The results showed that the preservation sawah closely related to tunggu tubang tradition and the social conventions of the existence of forests in the upstream region. Sustainability of sawah is the result of consistency and belief of Semende people about important value of sawah as cultural identity and basic capital of the household economy. These beliefs bring forth innovative attitude to maintain the existence of sawah. Therefore, the construction of physical infrastructure to achieve food sovereignty must be accompanied by socio-anthropological approach to the lives of farmers and forest control in the upstream region of sawah by community groups.