Community Development As a Tool in Controlling … Case Studies and Countr… · As a Tool in Controlling Peatswamp Degradation Case Study: ... technological solution for solving

Community Development As a Tool in Controlling

Peatswamp DegradationCase Study:

Rasau Jaya, West Kalimantan INDONESIA

Mira Sophia Lubis**Center for Wetland, People & Biodiversity (CWPB),

Tanjungpura University, PontianakWest Kalimantan, INDONESIA

Introduction• Peat is commonly distributed in West

Kalimantan, particularly in coastal areas, and some are found in upper part of Kapuas River Basin.

• Rasau Jaya is one of subdistrict in PontianakDistrict, which has 6 villages.

• Rasau Jaya has become one of the important hinterland area for Pontianak City (the capital city of West Kalimantan Province), to supply food and labor.

Map of INDONESIA

West Kalimantan Province & Pontianak District

Rasau Jaya Subdistrict

Spreading of Peatswamps in West Kalimantan Province

NoDistrict Area

(Ha)Peatswamps

(Ha)%

1. Sambas/Bengkayang 1.229.600 71.250 5,79

2. Pontianak/Landak 1.817.120 450.000 24,76

3. Ketapang 3.580.900 627.500 17,52

4. Sanggau 1.830.200 98.000 5,35

5. Sintang 3.227.900 107.200 3,32

6. Kapuas Hulu 2.984.200 322.500 10,81

7. Kota Pontianak 10.780 1.100 0,93

Total 14.680.700 1.677.550 11,43

Source: Dinas Pertanian Tanaman Pangan (2003)

Current Issues

• Agriculture on peat land facing some difficulties especially in soil fertility and the peat physical condition.

• The conversion of peat swamp forest into agricultural area by making water drainage will lowering ground water level.

• Land preparation by slashing and burning, unmanaged plantation without any maintenance are the caused of this low productivity level.

• Until now, peatland still classified as marginal land for agriculture, and there is still no technological solution for solving the problems of agriculture in peat land.

• Lack of capital and market access.• Peat land fire mostly associated with land

clearing by oil palm plantation companies and also caused by land preparation for annual plantation by local farmers.

• Land use conversion to various uses.

Problem Identification

• The current peatland practice is not sustainable, like burning practice in peatland agriculture that has caused forest fire.

• The problems of forest fire, illegal logging and land conversion have made this area liable to a variety of natural disasters like flooding and haze.

Fig.1. Spreading of peat area in Kuala Dua Village Fig. 2. Peat area which has been hoed to remove weeds.

Fig.4. Forest fire on peatland areaFig. 3. Spreading of peat area in Rasau Jaya Umum Village

Management Strategies

• Our Vision“Government, farmers and whole community together we achieve the sustainable peatland agriculture by the year 2016”

• Principles of Wise UseAll the area of peat swamp forest must be managed and preserved as conservation area, there will be no more land clearing and land use conversion of peat swamp forest into another function.

Principles of Wise Use... (continued)

For the peat land agriculture area, land preparation must be done with the environmental friendly agricultural technique such as controlled burning that will become zero burning technique in the year 2016. Agricultural system on peat land can be approached by polyculture which consist of the development of vegetables, horticulture, food crops and annual plant for plantation and forestry.Farmers community is the major group that should be empowered in order to gain the goal of sustainable peat land agriculture.

Program Strategies

• Public Consultancy• Community-based Agricultural Program• Micro Credit• Market Access• Training and Counseling

Public Consultancy

• In this program, interaction between stakeholders considered as the mechanism of communication and coordination that must be done, starting from good planning, implementation and evaluation of the program.

• Public consultation must be conducted minimum three times in planning phase, implementation phase and evaluation phase.

Commodity-based Agricultural Program

• There are several sectors of commodities in the sustainable agricultural development on peat land: food crops, vegetables, holticulture, plantation, forestry, livestock, fishery.

Fig.6. Bean (Arachis hypogaea L)

Fig.7. Maize (Zea mays) Fig.8. Pare (Momordica charantia L)

Fig.5. Kangkung (Ipomea aquatica)

Micro Credit

• One of the alternatives to fulfil the financial needs for the development of the sustainable agriculture on the peat lands, is the savings and lendings money organized by the local community themselves.

• It is important to strengthen the capability offarmer groups to collect funds that can be lended in turn among the members of the farmergroups.

Market Access

• To raise the farmer’s income, the marketprice of the agricultural products should be determined according to the quality and the limited supplies.

• To open the market access for the agriculture products, especially vegetables and fruits can be facilitated by the government and non-government organizations.

Fig.9. Public hall in Parit Haji Ali Fig.10. Elementary school in Tebang Kacang Village

Fig.11. Government bank in Rasau Jaya Fig.12. Traditional market in Kuala Dua

Training & Counseling

• The process of training, counseling and learning by local farmers can raise the capacities and independent of themselves.

• The program will develop the capability of the farmers to rehabilitate their socio-economic conditions and their environments in order to gain better life standards in the future.

Fig.13. Public meeting among the local farmer groups Fig.14. Rice-paddy on peatland

Fig.15. In-depth interview with local farmer Fig.16. Celery harvesting

ConclusionThe principles of wise use on peatland management in the case of Rasau Jaya Sub-district in West Kalimantan should based on theincreasing of community awareness in controling the peatswamp degradation.

In broader context, which related to The South China Sea & Gulf of Thailand environment, the development of sustainable peatland agriculture in West Kalimantan might decrease the transboundary haze, and create better environment.

West Kalimantan Province

South China Sea

Gulf of Thailand

-Thank You-