sras

Project title :  Smallholder Rubber Agroforestry System (SRA S)
Project contact : Dr. Laxman Joshi
Timeframe : April 2004 - June 2008
Funding : Common Fund for Commodities (CFC)
Budget : US$ 1,750,462
Location & Partners : West Kalimantan, West Sumatra, Jambi and South Sumatra, Indonesia and Northern and Southern
Thailand. Indonesia Rubber Research Institute, Prince of Songkla University (Thailand), University of Helsinki
(Finland), Centre de cooperation Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement
(CIRAD ), Kasetsart University (Thailand)
Website : http://www.worldagroforestry.org/sea/Projects/CFC
Brochures : download here (in PDF)

This project is testing and promoting technologies which have the
potential to improve the productivity of smallholder rubber
agroforestry systems without conversion to monoculture and while
maintaining biodiversity.

Indonesia has the world's largest area
planted in rubber; some 3.3 million hectares. Currently, the rubber
industry is dominated by the smallholding sector which has lower
productivity compared to monoculture plantations. Many of the
smallholding's rubber plantations are in jungle rubber and farmers lack
the management techniques and technologies to improve production.

The
project is investigating how improved traditional rubber agroforestry
systems, which have low to medium inputs and allow for diversity of
farm income through the use of rubber clones and associated perennial
crops, have the potential to be as productive as those of monoculture
plantations.

Demonstration/training plots have been established
on farmers' fields to develop and test different technologies for
improvement using high yielding clones under traditional practice. The
technologies include: an environment similar to jungle rubber; rubber
intercropping with food crops; different fruit and timber trees; and
rubber planting in grasslands using cover crops and fast growing tree
species to control weeds.

Through the budwood garden programme,
farmers have access to information on improved rubber planting and
training in nursery management and grafting techniques. This enables
them to affordably produce high quality planting material for valuable
fruit, timber and other useful species.

The use of tree growth
simulation models help determine efficient crop combinations, optimum
cropping densities, patterns and practices suitable for different
socio-environmental contexts.

Rubber agroforestry, as a
non-timber forest production system, is well recognised for its value
in conserving biodiversity. One component of this project is to
identify how biodiversity can be managed to enhance productivity as
well as increase household income.

The adoption of recommended
technologies by farmers and any obstacles to adoption has been assessed
and cost-benefit analyses carried out for different management
techniques and practices. This close monitoring and repeated evaluation
has helped fine-tune rubber agroforestry technologies and approaches to
ensure optimum benefits to smallholder farmers.

The findings of
the project are being disseminated broadly in a range of ways,
including practical extension materials in local languages, reports,
articles and workshops. The involvement of farmer networks, research
and extension professionals has also greatly assisted in the rapid
dissemination of results. Findings are made available to local
institutions, researchers and national and international organisations
amongst rubber producing member countries of the Common Fund for
Commodities.

World Agroforestry Centre
ICRAF Southeast Asia Regional Office
Jl. CIFOR, Situ Gede
Sindang Barang, Bogor 16115
PO Box 161 Bogor 16001, Indonesia
Ph: +62 251 8625415, fax: +62 251 8625416
Email: icraf-indonesia@cgiar.org