The sustainable development of tree crops and the prevention of vegetation fires in South Sumatra, Indonesia: jungle rubber

This is one of a series of reports prepared during 1999 by the Forest Fire Prevention and Control Project (FFPCP) which together cover field-level prevention, detection and control of vegetation fires in Sumatra Indonesia. The FCCP is funded by the European Union and the Indonesian Government and started work in 1995 based in South Sumatra province under the Provincial Forestry Office (Kanwil Kehutanan). The project locates vegetation fires using NOAA satellite imagery and helps improve local capacity to prevent and fight fires at the district level. FFPCP includes a rural development component to study and act on the underlying causes of the fires. Tree crops provide the main source of income for farmers in South Sumatra and their cultivation practices may increase or reduce the incidence of vegetation fires. The major farming area is on the peneplain where most farmers grow rubber in association with annual crops, forest species and fruit trees in an agroforestry system called 'jungle rubber'. The work reported here examines cultivation practices and the relationship of the rubber-producing smallholders with forestry and agro-industrial companies. The objectives were: to provide a detailed picture of the status and evolutionary trends of the smallholder rubber sector in South Sumatra; to analyse the influences of present and developing practices that may result in fewer or more vegetation fires; based on this analysis, to provide guidelines on actions to reduce the extent of vegetation fires; and to identify areas where detailed studies are needed to further develop these guidelines. Findings are based on field interviews with farmers, village leaders, local officials, NG0s, and managers of agro-industrial companies and wood factories in South Sumatra, and also on meetings with government and donor organization in Jakarta and Bogor.