Background

Indonesia has the world's largest area, with 3.3 million ha, planted to rubber and is the world's second largest rubber producer after Thailand, with more than 1.8 million tons in 2003 (Agriculture Department, 2005). Currently, the rubber industry in Indonesia is dominated by the smallholding sector, which contributes around 76 % of the total natural rubber production or about 83 % of the total rubber area (Directorate General for Estate Crops, 2001). However, compared to the estates, the rubber smallholdings are generally left far behind in terms of yield and productivity.

The low productivity in the smallholding levels were caused by the limitation of management and technology as many of the smallholding’s rubber plantation were in the jungle rubber, instead of monoculture rubber. In this system, forests were cleared by ‘slash and burn technique’ then food crops were planted in short period with the rubber in the intercrop. After the food crops harvesting for several times, the lands were abandoned as the soil wasn’t fertile anymore and the rubber trees were left with the slow growth. After 8-10 years when the rubber girths were big enough to be tapped, farmers went back to the jungle rubber and started tapping. This activity can be continued until the next 15-20 years.

The “Improving the Productivity of Rubber Smallholdings through Rubber Agroforestry Systems” or SRAS project was prepared in 1998 to improve the productivity of farmers’ rubber based complex agroforestry systems through the adoption of improved RAS. This system might increase the rubber yield without being rubber monoculture and still able to maintain the biodiversity as in the rubber jungle.

In early 2002, the proposal of SRAS Project was approved by the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) to be supported. At a planning meeting in September 2002 in Bogor Indonesia, the key partners met to review the project components and to develop ideas for implementation of project activities. In April 2004, the key partners which are the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) Southeast Asia, Indonesia Rubber Research Institute (IRRI) Sembawa, Prince Songkla University (PSU), Thailand, CIRAD, Kasetsart University (KU), Thailand, and University of Helsinki (UH) were met again to establish the detail activities and workplan for the SRAS Project 2004-2007.

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Project rationale

Past research and development work in smallholder rubber agroforestry in Indonesia has indicated potential and feasibility of improvements in these agroforestry systems to enhance both their economic and ecological services. Traditional systems can be enhanced to increase their rubber productivity. These improved rubber agroforestry systems require only low to medium input levels but can elevate and diversify farm income through the use of rubber clones and associated perennial crops (viz. timber, fruits, pulp trees and rattan).

Networks of on-farm participatory trial plots and budwood gardens established under previous research projects in Indonesia can be used to: (i) document best management practices in rubber based agroforest; (ii) conduct comprehensive cost benefit analyses of RAS systems; (iii) enable farmers to have access to IGPM techniques; (iv) evaluate and demonstrate the prospective advantages of these improved systems to smallholders in major rubber producing areas in Indonesia.

The results of past research address a range of rubber-based agroforestry systems, applicable in Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar. The development and dissemination of technical recommendations can be extended to fit a wide range of rubber-based agroforestry systems and in non-project farm situations and strategies.

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Objectives  

The overall aim of the project is to enhance the productivity of traditional rubber agroforest by adapting available technology through active participation of rubber smallholders. Their specific perspectives and problems (such as lack of capital, poor returns to labour and risks) and environmental concerns to sustain biodiversity and productivity of natural resources will be appropriately addressed.

The specific objectives are:

• to promote alternative strategies for smallholder rubber development through complex agroforestry  systems and to reach poor farmers with a practical replanting problem;
• to improve the income of smallholders through productivity enhancement;
• to promote the use of an effective participatory approach leading to a better innovation adoption process on a large scale that improves adaptability of RAS by local farmers;
• to improve in-depth knowledge of complex agroforestry systems;
• to enhance synergistic cooperation between Agriculture and Forestry research departments in development of common expertise;
• to validate environmentally-friendly alternatives taking into account the traditional agroforestry practices of local populations, in particular practices that enable production and income diversification; and to give access to a source of seeds of various timber and fruit species for further dissemination especially in genetically poor environments such as Imperata savannahs;
• to develop sustainable agroforestry alternatives to deforestation (slash and burn) through testing and promoting innovative cropping patterns of RAS to decrease pressure on forest conversion; and
• to monitor the innovation-adoption process by farmers incorporating participatory approaches based on discussions with producers on technology development.

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Locations

Indonesia

ICRAF with its partners have conducted much research on rubber agroforestry systems in West Kalimantan , West Sumatra , Jambi and South Sumatra of Indonesia under previous RAS technology development. In West Kalimantan traditional Dayak agroforestry system and the transmigration areas in sheet Imperata savanna are included. In Jambi the local Melayu farmers, residing on flatter lands in the peneplains and on hilly areas in the buffer zones of a national park, are included. The local Minang Kabau farmers of West Sumatra cultivate rubber in the hilly degraded areas. Indonesian Rubber Research Institute, Sembawa is already has a wide network of research in South Sumatra where rubber cultivation is relatively managed more intensively. Representing a range of ecological and socio-economic contexts, these sites also have the much needed plots that can be developed into demonstration trial plots for the current project.

Thailand

In Thailand, although the main focus will be smallholder rubber farms in the southern provinces, efforts to transfer the adapted RAS technology in the north will be attempted as this the areas where new plantations of rubber are established.

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