Community-Based Agroforestry in Saddang Watershed, Indonesia

CHALLENGE

Floods, landslides, and unpredictable rainfall have reduced crop yields and incomes in the Saddang Watershed, Indonesia, threatening local livelihoods and food security.

SOLUTION

“Community Adaptation for Forest-Food Based Management in Saddang Watershed Ecosystem” project promotes agroforestry and social forestry to restore land, diversify income, and strengthen climate resilience.

OVERVIEW

The Saddang Watershed in Indonesia has been severely affected by floods and landslides, particularly in the Enrekang, Tana Toraja, and North Toraja districts. These disasters stem from changing rainfall patterns, human-induced land-cover changes, and the area’s steep topography. Unpredictable weather disrupts agricultural production, especially coffee cultivation in the Toraja region, leading to reduced yields and incomes, with local communities earning about 33% less than the provincial minimum wage. Additionally, legal barriers have complicated efforts to utilize forest areas for climate adaptation and food security initiatives.

These issues are addressed in the project “Community Adaptation for Forest-Food Based Management in Saddang Watershed Ecosystem,” financed by the Adaptation Fund (AF), implemented by the Partnership for Governance Reform (Kemitraan) of Indonesia, and executed by the Environmental and Climate Change Adaptation Consortium (KAPABEL). The project promotes agroforestry as a sustainable solution to improve food security and economic resilience. Communities are supported in obtaining social forestry permits, enabling them to manage and rehabilitate 60 hectares of land with edible species such as breadfruit and taro. Non-timber forest products, including honey and sugar palm, are identified as alternative income sources. Through providing tools and training, and connecting communities with cooperatives for product distribution, the project aims to boost economic resilience. It also integrates climate adaptation strategies into local government policies to ensure sustainable development.

Details

Recently, catastrophic floods and landslides have affected the upstream area of the Saddang Watershed, particularly in the Enrekang, Tana Toraja, and North Toraja districts. Changes in rainfall intensity and patterns, coupled with human-induced land-cover changes and the topographical characteristics of the area, are among the complex factors contributing to these disasters (Kemitraan, 2015; BPS, 2015). These changes have also reduced food and trade commodity production in the region. For example, the Toraja region, known for producing coffee, has struggled as unpredictable rainfall disrupts the coffee plants’ fruiting cycles (Kemitraan, 2015; BPS, 2015). This decrease in agricultural productivity impacts the economic resilience of local communities, where the average monthly income is approximately USD 115.98—33% lower than the provincial minimum wage of USD 175.61 (Kemitraan, 2015; BPS, 2015).

One of the aims of this project is to encourage the use of forest foods as an alternative for food security in the Saddang Watershed. To achieve this, the project focuses on several aspects: institutional intervention to support the legal use of community land through a social forestry scheme, introducing nurseries and native seed banks to support agroforestry and alternative food choices, and providing techniques, technology, and education to process forest food products to increase resilience. The project, led by KAPABEL, ran for 18 months, starting on October 20, 2020, and is responsible for implementing the activities outlined in the project document.

Institutional support for climate adaptation through social forestry

The project aims to promote climate adaptation by rehabilitating the target community area using agroforestry land-use patterns. This involves planting edible species that can be processed into food products, such as breadfruit (Artocarpus communis) or “kluwih” (A. altilis), and taro (Colocasia esculenta). However, a critical institutional barrier is that some community areas are designated as “forest areas” under Indonesian Forestry Law, making it illegal to conduct activities without a legal permit from the national government.

To overcome this, the project helps the community obtain permits for the social forestry scheme, allowing them to manage the target area as agroforestry. This also increases the size of vegetated areas, with a goal of rehabilitating 60 hectares of land by the project’s end.

Restoring economic resilience through non-timber forest products

The project seeks to identify potential non-timber forest products as alternative income sources for the community. In addition to previously mentioned species, other forest food commodities like honey, sugar palm, and tuber plants can be processed to add value. The project plans to introduce food processing techniques and tools and facilitate connections with cooperatives and business actors to distribute products to retailers. This effort will be built upon the existing community capacity and also be supported by community and institutional capacity-building activities, incorporating climate change adaptation action plans into local government policies and planning documents.

Examples of techniques and tools introduced to the community include energy-efficient stoves for processing palm sap into palm sugar, crystallization machines to speed up sugar production, and environmentally friendly honey harvesting technologies. These tools will include safety equipment for community members harvesting honey in the forest.

All the above activities will be monitored and evaluated quarterly according to predefined targets. For example, social forestry intervention targets include the creation of 10 social forestry groups with each food processing facility. Further, targets for food forest products aim to allow the social forestry community to create two types of food products that can be sold on the market.

PROJECT DETAILS

• Project Name: Community Adaptation for Forest-Food Based Management in Saddang Watershed Ecosystem
• Location: Enrekang, Tana Toraja, and North Toraja districts (Sulawesi Island, Indonesia)
• Funding: Adaptation Fund (AF)
• Grant Amount: USD 835,465
• Duration: 2020-2022

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This article is based on the work carried out by Kemitraan, the KAPABEL Consortium, and the Adaptation Fund, as detailed in the report “Community Adaptation for Forest-Food Based Management in Saddang Watershed Ecosystem.” AP-PLAT extends its appreciation to the original authors for their invaluable insights and findings, and to Faris Salman of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) for preparing the manuscript.

Related Information

Project Report – Community Adaptation for Forest-Food Based Management in Saddang Watershed Ecosystem

Project described in Adaptation Story by Adaptation Fund

Project document: Kemitraan. 2019.  Community Adaptation for Forest-Food Based Management in Saddang Watershed Ecosystem

Central Bureau of Statistics (Indonesia) [BPS]. 2015.  Table of Natural Disasters that occurred in Watershed Areas for Period of 2009 – 2014.

Central Bureau of Statistics (Indonesia) [BPS]. 2016.  Village in Numbers: Tana Toraja, Toraja Utara, Enrekang, Pinrang.