Improving strategies for sustainability of short-term agricultural utilization on degraded peatlands in Central Kalimantan

Abstract

Indonesia is the major contributor of peatland areas in the tropics; however, exploitation of peatlands for various needs with improper management such as illegal logging activities, conversion to plantations, and expansion of smallholder agriculture has caused peatland degradation. In Central Kalimantan Province, only 1.5 million ha (57%) of the total 2.6 million ha peatland is categorized as pristine peatlands forest and the remaining 1.1 million ha is categorized as degraded. Degraded peatland is a significant source of CO 2 emissions as well as one such alternative for agricultural expansion. There is scientifically unfounded belief that drained peatland agriculture can be made "long-term sustainable"; therefore, the main idea is only short-term utilization of degraded peatlands for agriculture in a relatively sustainable manner, while effort for conservation and reforestation for long-term sustainable keeps going on. Prospective structural analysis was used to identify the most influential and sensitive variables to be influenced for determining the locally most crucial areas of improvement for enabling short-term agricultural utilization of degraded peatlands in a relatively sustainable manner. This method is a part of strategic foresight toolbox for scenario building process, which observes interrelation and influence among different variables in order to understand the most relevant factors for the development of a specific area. Based on the analysis, the strategies considered for enabling short-term agricultural utilization of degraded peatlands in a relatively sustainable manner include improvement in soil fertility and suitability for agriculture, infrastructure related to peatlands agriculture, institutional capacity, innovation technology and dissemination, farmer knowledge in sustainable peatlands agriculture, and plant productivity. Agricultural

Sustainable peatland management in Indonesia : Towards better understanding of socio-ecological dynamics in tropical peatland management

“…On the other hand, it is important to note that the market price of these recommended swamp rice varieties is often lower than the market price of the other local rice varieties (e.g. Siam unus, Lemo, and Pandak) because the local rice varieties are more preferable for the local communities in our study area (in line with Surahman et al 2018;Noor et al 2014). This low market price can hinder peatland farmers to further implement the rice swamp agriculture.…”

“…On the other hand, Central Kalimantan is also an important producer of water spinach (BPS Central Kalimantan 2018a, 2018b), which can be grown under undrained conditions. We also note that although swamp rice farming may be considered as an important alternative for agro-food development on the (degraded) peatlands in Indonesia (Surahman et al 2018),…”

“…Approximately 47% of total peatland areas in Central Kalimantan (1.2 million ha) was categorised as forested areas (undisturbed and disturbed forests), while 43% of total peatland areas (1.1 million ha) was degraded peatlands (Surahman et al 2018 Figure 5.1, BRG 2018).…”

Towards better use of Indonesian peatlands with paludiculture and low-drainage food crops

“…Uda et al 2017Uda et al , 2018. Approximately 47% of the total peatland area in Central Kalimantan (1.2 million ha) is still forested (including degraded and well-preserved forests) and the remainder is either converted to plantation (mostly oil palm) or degraded (Surahman et al 2018). Degraded peatlands are not used structurally for agriculture (some annual cropping with shifting cultivation may occur), mostly covered with ferns and shrubs, and burned frequently (typically at least once in 3 to 4 years).…”

Minimizing carbon loss through integrated water resource management on peatland utilization in Pulau Burung, Riau, Indonesia

“…Peatland is one of the suboptimal land types that is feasible to be an alternative for food production in the agricultural sector [15]. One of the crops that is produced in plantations in Indonesia's peatland is coconut.…”