SUMMARYReduced soil fertility and damage from pests and diseases have contributed to a decline in productivity of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) smallholdings in Sulawesi, Indonesia over the last decade. In a trial on a marginal, acidic soil in South Sulawesi, young PBC123 cocoa trees were supplied with compost, mineral fertiliser (NPK fertiliser and urea) or dolomite, alone and in combination. After 20 months, the trees supplied with compost were taller, flowered more profusely and had a five-fold higher dry bean yield than other treatments. Treatments had no impact on incidence of cocoa pod borer, Phytophthora pod rot and vascular streak dieback. All of the trees supplied with compost survived, while the control, mineral-fertiliser- and dolomite-treated trees had a mortality rate of 22–45% and symptoms of interveinal necrosis. Leaf concentrations of N, P and K were within the normal range in all treatments. In the control and mineral fertiliser treatments, leaf concentrations of Ca (0.28–0.30%) and Mg (0.11–0.15%) were deficient, but were higher in trees supplied with compost (0.78–1.21% and 0.26–0.29%, respectively). The Mg/K ratio in soil-exchangeable cations and leaves was increased three-fold by the combined compost/dolomite treatment. Supplying mineral fertiliser alone resulted in 3.3 cmol kg−1 exchangeable Al, compared to 2.2 cmol kg−1 in control soils. Since 10 kg tree−1 year−1 compost was supplied, a rate that is not practical on most cocoa smallholder farms, further investigation of cost-effective applications of organic matter in conjunction with appropriate formulations of inorganic fertilisers is recommended.

COVID-19 significantly impacts coffee production, which smallholders dominate. Unaddressed impacts will affect coffee production sustainability. However, smallholders face some constraints. This study aims to determine the impact of COVID-19 from the perspective of Arabica and Robusta farmers in Indonesia, examine technical recommendations as coping strategies, and develop an institutional model to accelerate implementation. We analyzed the divergences in the perceptions of different categories and clusters using farm-level data. Descriptive statistics, Mann–Whitney analysis, cluster analysis, and crosstab analysis were used to explore the facts. Immediate effects of COVID-19 were observed through a decline in household income, impacting the allocation of farming costs, which influences productivity related to the intensity of cultivation, particularly in purchasing and fertilization decisions. It was explored by the study that coffee livestock integration is an important strategy to improve farmers’ livelihood to mitigate the impact. The innovation sharing model complements this technical recommendation as institutional recommendations, including innovation sharing elements and processes. Four farmer clusters have been identified based on the adoption spectrum and farmer conditions. The intervention provides innovation-sharing elements for farmers who have not adopted integration. Where integration was partially completed, reusing waste is recommended by completing innovation elements and improving the sharing process.

As one of the important agribusiness crops, Amorphophallus muelleri Blume’s cultivation areas, locally known as “porang”, have significantly increased in the past recent years. The increase in cultivation area has been triggered by the significant rise of corm price and by the government program for enlargement of the porang cultivation. Consequently, farmers would eventually grow the porang on open agricultural land. As a result of cultivation expansion, an increase in corm production is required to meet export demand. Like other tuber crops, which have been cultivated on large and open areas in Indonesia, the porang plant would similarly experience severe damage and even a failure of harvest due to the diseases. The present field observation found infections caused by fungi (Phytophthora colocasia and Sclerotium rolfsii) and a plant virus significantly reduced the corm yield. The paper presented the first report of the diseases on the porang plant. Thus, the expansion of the porang cultivation area in Indonesia would be challenged by the infestation of these diseases.

Study on agriculture resource development and poverty in the country border regions were rarely found. This paper investigates the strategic program in increasing agricultural production for poverty alleviation of smallholders and reducing agriculture resource conflict, by employing Interpretative Structural Modeling. The results show that, strengthening institutional management of agriculture local resource potential should be more focused on institutions in the border regions (districts level) to avoid resource conflict in agriculture. Among the 10 strategic programs was revealed, there are three programs to encourage agricultural development and help poverty reduction in borders region. They are (1) the application of primary product processing techniques (for the farmers), (2) secondary product processing techniques for downstream (for industries), and (3) price policy improvement in borders local market (for the government). These three programs are the driving force for agricultural development in help rural poverty alleviation. In addition, local community needs more social supports and public services improvement in the border region.