Developing the under stand cropping system (PLDT) for sustainable livelihood

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate and develop a full-cycle teak (Tectona grandis) under stand cropping system or PLDT for sustainable livelihoods of forest village community in Indonesia. Design/methodology/approach An experimental analysis was used, and the population consisted of units of land of the Community-based Forest Management (in Indonesian called Pengelolaan Sumber Daya Hutan berbasis Masyarakat – PHBM) cultivated by 67 farmers. Further, farmers, the board of Forest Village Community Institution (in Indonesian called Lembaga Masyarakat Desa Hutan – LMDH), and forestry officials were also involved. The method employed was a survey approach using forest mapping result as the primary data. Secondary data were obtained from the LMDH and PHBM documents, measurement of physical conditions, model plots, and focus group discussion. Findings Findings reveal that replacing polycultural cropping system with sequential cropping one is useful in improving farmers’ income. It was proven that the products of polycultural cropping contribute only 61.23 percent of proper income. Meanwhile, through the right selection of species of shade-tolerant crops and sequential cropping the contribution can be increased to 85.28 percent: an increase of more than 24 percent. This shows that PLDT is reliable for implementation by using certain seasonal plants and cropping pattern. Next, this research limits itself to an area having teak forest, and its practical implication is to provide an alternative way for generating income and food availability. Originality/value This paper is original and has unique value because it discusses issues related to seasonal plantation grown under long-circle crops for a better living condition. The proposed plant is environment-friendly and could possibly be applied to areas having teak forests.