ANALYSIS EMPOWERMENT OF INDEPENDENT SMALLHODER FARMERS OF RUBBER IN THE RIAU PROVINCE

Eri Sayamar, Rosnita and Roza Yulida

Agribusiness Department, Riau University Corresponding author : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ABSTRACT

Rubber farming of independent smallholder farmer in general are still in progress naturally without any intervention of a third party, so that the productivity of smallholder rubber farming is still low. This will certainly have an impact on the empowerment of the rubber farmers. This study aimed to analyze the level of empowerment of independent smallholder farmers of rubber in farming activities in Riau Province. This study was used explanation research that it is intended to discover and develop the theory. Respondents were choosen by disprosional stratified random sampling. A total of 575 farmers from three districts potential rubber commodity in Riau Province. To answer the purpose of using the Likert Scale's Summated Rating (SLR). The results showed that the level of empowerment of smallholder farmers of rubber in the province of Riau included in the categorized quite well from the institutional aspect and productive economy, but is still not good than the aspect of human resources.

Keywords: empowerment, smallholder farmers, rubber

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STUDIES ON CLIMATE CHANGES AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT: FINDINGS AND LESSON LEARNED FROM WEST SUMATERA, INDONESIA   

Rudi Febriamansyah  

Andalas Univesity, Padang - INDONESIA Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

ABSTRACT  

As background, this paper try to review South East Asian climate at a millenial scope, i.e. Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) c.18,000 yrs B.P. to present. SEAn climates match the culture of ethnic groups. Natural resources provide them ecosystem services. Started from around 1850s, the Industrial Revolution was already spewing greenhouse gases (GHG) hence the Anthropogenic Climate Change (ACC) problem. Aside from ACC, exponential human population growth (HPG) and deforestation (DF) are closely knit problems. Under a business-as- usual scenario, ACC will destroy natural resources and makes people vulnerable to ACC extreme events. In specific, this paper have tried to expose some empirical facts of the regional changes of climatic variabilities in West Sumatera, Indonesia and presents such identification of its impacts on natural resources and agricultural activities in the region. This study chose the case site in the surrounding Singkarak Lake as the rain-shadow region in West Sumatra.This PEER-USAID sponsored study found that there are significant changes of seasonal pattern of rainfall in this region during the last 30-40 years. The area in the eastern part of Singkarak relatively has become drier than in the western part Singkarak. Results from the vulnerability analysis shows that the villages in the eastern region became much more vulnerable compared with the villages in the west. Approximately more than 500 ha of upland paddy (rain-fed paddy) in the eastern region Singkarak is already over 30 years are not reprocessed, and many people are now working on dry-land crops and rubber plantation, or even work in non-agriculture jobs or migrate to the cities. Paddy farmers in this region are facing difficulties to set up their planting schedule. Some seasonal fruits, such as local mango (kwini) no longer have a peak plentiful annual harvest. From those identification studies, it can be concluded that the effects of global climate change has affected the regularity of the local climate in this area of study and then influence the natural resources condition and agricultural activities. Such empirical researchesare still being conducted in order to develop such adaptive agricultural management models, integrated catchment management model as well as the study on the behavioral changes of farmers in this affected regions of climate change.  

Keywords: climate changes, agricultural activities, socio-economic impacts   

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Constrains, Opportunities and Challenges

In 2011, the Bonn Challenge was announced with a goal to restore 150 million hectares of deforested and degraded lands by 2020. This ambitious goal was reinforced during the UN Climate Summit 2014 in New York where more than 130 signatories including governments, companies, civil society and indigenous peoples endorsed calls to restore more than 350 million hectares of forests and croplands by 2030. In the Asia-Pacific region, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) has adopted an aspirational goal of increasing forest cover in the region by at least 20 million ha by 2020, and member countries of the Asia Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC) and other organizations are placing increasing emphasis on forest restoration.   Almost 1.6 billon people in the world, and particularly in Indonesia minimum 20 million communities depend on forest for their livelihoods.

In light of these global targets and emerging national commitments, it is imperative to develop low-cost strategies and techniques for landscape restoration. Lots of efforts to restore, many programs such as rehabilitation, one man-one tree, one million/billion planting, moratorium illegal logging: no new permit, Concession for Restoration ecosystem, Social forestry [community forest-HKm, customary forest-Hutan Adat, private forest-Hutan Rakyat, and Village forest-Hutan Desa], conservation village, fire-free village, law enforcement, contesting and negotiating in international forum such as above mentioned, Climate Change-Bonn Challenge for financing, forming the Peatland Restoration Agency (known as Badan Restorasi Gambut) to challenge 2 million ha peatland restoration until 2019. In other hand, lots of practices to degrade such as forest land conversion to palm oil land, designed-forest fire slash and burn practice without controlling, illegal logging, land encroachment, land grabbing, issued contradictive-policies between sector in same land,  forestry sector issue to plant the land, in other hand the mining sector issue to opening land for mining, etc. Almost stakeholders know well the benefits of restoration that are for water supply, prevent disaster (landslide), and biodiversity. They know what relation: upstream-downstream, the forest business is long term purposes. Also local community with their local knowledge could know well to manage environmental friendly. The question is: why they don’t act their knowledge to implement? The answer is that other priority of land uses. There are other interests. Therefore, the key problem is: how to manage the stakeholder’s interest. As we known, every decision, also restoration; the decision is benefit to in one side, and make suffer or pain on the other hand.  What kind of such way to tackle? Underlying problem of forest landscape restoration is not just technical problem, but a social and political problem prior to vary interest of stakeholders who either benefits or suffer due to forest landscape restoration decision. Unharmonized regulation makes an unsynchronization of implementation to invest FLR, particularly related regulation that derive to access forest state for local community. However need to be excavated. The policy or regulation concerning land restoration that has already been issued is lacked of socialization so that only few stakeholders are aware. Also, to many NGO driving, i.e. WARSI, CO2 operate BV. There are more 40 NGOs/ENGO work in West Sumatra.

Indonesia allocated 12,7 million ha for community’s access for forest products for their livelihoods. It is therefore, artificial regeneration is important to benefit. Despite these economic and environmental advantages, FLR is often overlooked when restoration policies and programs are designed for a number of reasons, including: lack of its recognition as a viable restoration option; perverse incentives favoring clearing of young secondary growth for plantation development or other land uses; lack of institutional support by government agencies and other organizations; unclear tenure and property rights; lack of incentives for local communities; and uncertainly over the restoration process and outcomes.   FAO with Forest R &D Centre through technical program TCP/RAS/3512 indicated that tailoring stakeholders and partner become important and crucial.

Goals

A workshop and training will be organized in Padang, West Sumatra. These programs will have convened in collaboration with UNAND and Forestry Province Office. The aim is to better understand the challenges and opportunities for FLR and to promote its inclusion as a major component of large-scale restoration initiatives.  Also, the organizing is to enhance technical capacities of Government and communities to identify opportunities, plan, and implement FLR.

The specific objectives of the workshop are as follows :

• Raise awareness among policy makers and practitioners regarding the potential of FLR in contributing to the achievement of forest restoration goals. 
• Share experience in and scope for using artificial regeneration as a tool for forest restoration.  Discuss key issues related to restoring forestlands through artificial regeneration: including the  ecology, techniques an monitoring of regeneration; enabling policy, regulatory and institutional framework; and the economic and social dimensions of natural regeneration, and its role in  identify barriers, gaps and opportunities for mainstreaming the application of artificial regeneration as a viable and effective strategy in forest restoration to community benefits; and
• Develop recommendations on the way forward to promote the use of artificial regeneration in regional and national restoration initiatives. The result of the workshop will also feed into the consultation on regional strategy and action plan for forest and landscape restoration which will be incorporated into the national strategies.
• Promoting farest landscape restoration program for students in West Sumatra through photography and short film events.

Date and Venue :

10-11 October 2017

Graduate Program Andalas University, Padang, West Sumatera

Agenda and Design

Exhibition Program

Ministry of Environment and Forestry

1.  Kepala Badan Penelitian, Pengembangan dan Inovasi (FOERDIA)

2.  Kepala Pusat Litbang Hutan

3.  Sekretaris Ditjen PSKL

4.  Direktur Penyiapan Kawasan Perhutanan Sosial, Ditjen PSKL

5.  Direktur Kemitraan Lingkungan, Ditjen PSKL

6.  Direktur Usaha Jasa Lingkungan dan Hasil Hutan Bukan Kayu Hutan Produksi, Ditjen PHPL

7.  Direktur Kawasan Konservasi, Ditjen KSDAE

8.  Kepala Bidang Program dan Evaluasi, Puslitbang Hutan, BLI

Forestry Province Office of West Sumatera

9.   Kepala Dinas Kehutanan Provinsi Sumatera Barat

10. Sdr. Yonefis Yusman, SH.MM.

11. Sdr.Kusworo, SP.,MM.

12. Kelompok Kerja Perhutanan Sosial Prov. Sumatera Barat (1 orang)

13. Kepala BP DAS Provinsi Sumbar

Solok District

14. KPPHL Solok

15. Kelompok Kerja Perhutanan Sosial Kab Solok, Sumbar (1 orang)

Local Community

16. Wali Nagari Indudur

17. Ketua BPAN Indudur

18. Ketua Kerapatan Adat Nagari Indudur

19. Ketua HKM Indudur

20. Anggota HKM Indudur (1 orang)

21. Wali Nagari Hutan Sirukam

22. Ketua BPAN Sirukam

23. Ketua Kerapatan Adat Nagari Sirukam

24. Ketua Lembaga Pengelola Hutan Nagari Sirukam

25. Anggota Lembaga Pengelola Hutan Nagari Sirukam (1orang)

Environment Non-Government Organization

26.  CO2 Operate BV

27.  WARSI Sumatera Barat

28.   Bagong Pagasa Fondation – Philipine

Universities

29.  Universitas  Andalas

30.  STKIP PGRI Sumatera Barat

FAO Representatives

31.  Ir. Ageng Herianto (FAO Indonesia)/Team

National Expert

32.  Dr. Titiek Setyawati, MSc.

33.  Ir. Atok Subiyakto,MSc.

34.  Dr.Maman Turjaman, DEA.

35.  Ir. Watty Karyati (Perencana Madya, Ditjen Planologi Kehutanan dan Tata Lingkungan)

36.  Deden Djaenuddin, SSi.,MSi.

FAO FLR: TCP/RAS/3512

37.  National Project Coordinator FAO-FLR TCP/RAS/3512

38.  Staf administrasi (1 orang)

Displays, exhibitions and Contest

Through display, exhibition and mass communication, to expect a process of disseminating messages Forest Landscape Restoration to a large number of audiences through some forms of technology at a time, that are the means of public communication reaching to the large, scattered, heterogeneous and anonymous audience at the same time. These are also expected to prove a boon to Forest society. There are the powerful means that do not only influence today’s world but also shape the globe of tomorrow on Forest Landscape purposes. Organizer Committee will invite all partners to be involved in this exhibitions and media corner.

Photography and short movie contest have a positive impact to enhance awareness of youth community on forest landscape restoration. The photography and short movie contest theme is “FLR-Leveraging Ecological Function and Enhancing Livelihoods”. The contest participant was from University Student in West Sumatera.