Oekan S. Abdoellah

Commercialization of homegardens in an Indonesian village: vegetation composition and functional changes

We examined structural and functional changes in the homegardens of Sukapura village, located in the upper Citarum Watershed of Indonesia, in relation to the increasing commercialization of agriculture. Our main purpose was to examine the structure and function of these homegardens during the rapid economic development of this area and the ecological, social, and economic implications of changes. A standard vegetation survey was used to describe the compositional and structural patterns of vegetation in the sampled homegardens, and interviewed 94 randomly selected respondents to help us understand the functions of their homegardens. The results suggest that commercialization in the agricultural sector has changed the structural patterns and functions of these homegardens. Plant diversity in commercialized (intensively managed) homegardens has decreased owing to the use of monocultures. The change from subsistence towards commercial farming has been accompanied by decreased plant diversity, higher risks, higher external inputs, increased instability, and reduced social equitability. The specific needs and preferences of the owners and market pressures were the main factors that triggered the development of intensive agriculture in the study area, leading to increased commercialization of homegardens.

Traditional perennial crop-based agroforestry in West Java: the tradeoff between on-farm biodiversity and income

Agroforestry systems have been re-evaluated with a renewed scientific interest as appropriate models for achieving sustainable production while maintaining planned and associated biodiversity and agroecosystem functioning. Traditional bamboo-tree gardens in West Java are known to play substantial ecological and socioeconomic roles. In this study, we attempted to elucidate the relationship between income generation and biodiversity by studying 83 bamboo-tree gardens that varied in species composition and degree of commercialization. We conducted a survey of the vegetation and interviewed the owners or managers of each plot. We identified 42 planned and utilized species and 19 associated non-use species. Eight vegetation groups were identified by two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN), each of which varied in individual densities of different utilization species types, Simpson’s diversity index, management intensities, and potential annual gross income. The group with the highest potential income generation was dominated by clove trees (Syzygium aromaticum); however, this group also had a lower level of diversity and higher levels of management intensity than the other groups, but all of the pairwise groups were not significantly different. About 60% of the villagers used at least some fuelwood as a domestic energy source, and almost all of them collected fuelwood from bamboo-tree gardens regardless of ownership. There were no significant differences in density of potential fuelwood species among the vegetation groups. There were significant positive correlations between income and most management activities. The regression model between gross income and Simpson’s diversity index with the best fit was a unimodal curve, which strongly suggests that maximum diversity can be conserved at an intermediate level of income. Nevertheless, this intermediate level of gross income is probably not adequate as the primary source of income for garden owners, although some gardens had the potential to achieve higher income levels with no decline in diversity. We suggest that maximizing individual density and multistratifying canopy layers could improve profitability within perennial crop-based agroforestry systems in West Java.

Kebon tatangkalan: a disappearing agroforest in the Upper Citarum Watershed, West Java, Indonesia

A comprehensive study was carried out on a typical indigenous agroforestry system, called kebon tatangkalan, in the changing agricultural landscape of the Upper Citarum Watershed, West Java, Indonesia. The main objectives of the study are to elucidate the structural patterns, multidimensional functions, and dynamics of this multi-layered agroforest. The study has identified 12 groups of different plant assemblages indicating that this type of agroforest contributes considerably to the heterogeneity of the agricultural landscape in the study area. Multivariate analysis suggests that elevation and slope are the biophysical factors that correlate most significantly with the distribution of plant species in kebon tatangkalan. The presence of this man-made vegetation is currently declining from the landscape due to population growth and rapid regional economic development. Serious effort to revitalize this traditional agroforest is needed to prevent its disappearance. Introduction of highly productive species and establishment of integrated policies in regional land-use planning and management are measures that should be taken into account in preserving this traditional agroforestry system.

Non-forest fuelwood acquisition and transition in type of energy for domestic uses in the changing agricultural landscape of the Upper Citarum Watershed, Indonesia

Abstract Despite of energy transition — from traditional to commercial fuels — that has been occurring in the last three decades, the role of non-forest fuelwood in fulfilling domestic energy in rural areas of Indonesia is still significant. A study on fuelwood use and the contribution of agroecosystem components in fulfilling fuelwood requirements was carried out in the Citarum Watershed, a watershed that has been experiencing very rapid development in agricultural and industrial sectors in West Java, Indonesia. The study examines the importance of non-forest sources of fuelwood for domestic energy and estimates the subsidy gained from fuelwood use (in kerosene equivalent and US

Community dependency on forest resources in West Java, Indonesia: the need to re-involve local people in forest management.

equivalent). The results indicate that, even though there has been a transition in the type of energy used in the study area, fuelwood use is still significant. Although, the agricultural landscape in the watershed is rapidly changing, the existing agroecosystem components, bamboo-tree gardens in particular, still play a substantial role in fulfilling the fuelwood requirements of the local people. The study concludes that the decline of non-forest fuelwood sources will affect considerably the magnitude of ‘free’ energy subsidy which in turn will affect the livelihood of the villagers, especially those with lower income. Therefore, to ensure the sustainability of fuelwood supplies from the present agroecosystem components, efforts in maintaining these sources should be undertaken.

Double Burden of Malnutrition in Rural West Java: Household-Level Analysis for Father-Child and Mother-Child Pairs and the Association with Dietary Intake.

Abstract Policies aimed at the exclusion of local communities from forest management are inappropriate, especially in a densely populated area with a low level of land ownership. Here we demonstrate that termination of the Tumpang Sari program, which allowed local communities access to areas for controlled cultivation in several parts of the state forest area in West Java, Indonesia, did not cease illegal cultivation of the forestland. Moreover, illegal cultivation continues to be conducted by many people. This has created not only a land degradation problem but also has affected other forest resource users, the fuelwood collectors and the dairy cattle farmers. Therefore, the re-involvement of local communities in better forest management is required to avoid further environmental degradation as well as enhance poverty alleviation programs.

Organophosphorus Pesticide Exposure of School Children in Agricultural Villages in Indonesia

Indonesia is facing household-level double burden malnutrition. This study aimed at examining (1) household-level double burden for the mother-child and father-child pairs; (2) risk of adiposity of double burden households; and (3) associated dietary factors. Subjects were 5th and 6th grade elementary school children (n = 242), their mothers (n = 242), and their fathers (n = 225) in five communities (1 = urban, 4 = rural) in the Bandung District. Questionnaires on socioeconomic factors, blood hemoglobin measurements, and anthropometric measurements were administered. For adults, body fat percentage (BF%) was estimated by bioelectrical impedance (BF%-BI) and by converting skinfold thickness (ST) data using Durnin and Womersley’s (1974) formula (BF%-ST). Food frequency questionnaires were also completed. Double burden was defined as coexistence of maternal or paternal overweight (Body mass index (BMI) ≥ 23) and child stunting (height-for-age z-score <−2) within households. Maternal-child double burden occurred in 30.6% of total households, whereas paternal-child double burden was only in 8.4%. Mothers from double burden households showed high adiposity; 87.3% with BF%-BI and 66.2% with BF%-ST had BF% >35%, and 60.6% had waists >80 cm. The major dietary patterns identified were “Modern” and “High-animal products”. After controlling for confounding factors, children in the highest quartile of the “High-animal products” dietary pattern had a lower risk of maternal-child double burden (Adjusted OR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.21–1.04) than those in the lowest quartile. Given that the “High-animal products” dietary pattern was associated with the decreased risk of maternal-child double burden through a strong negative correlation with child stunting, improving child stunting through adequate intake of animal products is critical to solve the problem of maternal-child double burden in Indonesia.

Circularity of Wastes: Stakeholders Identity and Salience for Household Solid Waste Management in Cimahi City, West Java Province, Indonesia

The effects of environmental chemicals on children’s health are important issues in Asian developing countries undergoing rapid urbanization, although little data have been reported. We investigated the organophosphorus (OP) pesticide exposure of 235 elementary school children living in three agricultural villages in the Citarum watershed, Bandung, Indonesia, through urinary and blood biomonitoring. We evaluated four common dialkylphosphate (DAP) metabolites of OP compounds: dimethylphosphate (DMP), dimethylthiophosphate (DMTP), diethylphosphate (DEP), and diethylthiophosphate (DETP). Moreover, blood cell acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was assessed using blood samples. The collection of biological samples was accompanied by a questionnaire-based survey on sociodemographic indicators, food consumption, and behavioral patterns. The detection rates of DMP, DMTP, DEP, and DETP were 8.6, 21.7, 17.2, and 29.8%, and the median levels of dimethyl-, diethyl-, and total DAP were 5.8, 3.1, and 11.8nmol /L, respectively. These exposure levels of OP pesticides were lower than those reported in developed countries, possibly due to the low consumption of farm-grown fruits and the infrequent use of OP pesticides. The detection rate of DAP was highest in the village practicing pisciculture, where the use of pesticides was expected to be the lowest among the three villages, although the reason for this was not clear from our interview results.

Multi-source water pollution in the Upper Citarum watershed, Indonesia, with special reference to its spatiotemporal variation.

This paper presents the operationalisation of stakeholders identity and salience theory (Mitchell RK, Agle BR, Wood, DT, Acad Manag Rev 22(4):853–886, 1997) with the purpose to classify the stakeholders involved in the household solid waste management in Cimahi City, West Java Province, Indonesia. This classification will benefit circularity of solid waste management strategies that involve diverse actors needing to collaborate. Several studies have been conducted to identify the stakeholders in solid waste management, but none has been carried out yet to classify their salience in the systematic approach described by Mitchell’s theory. Such classification aims to draw a line between the stakeholders who play a vital role in the household solid waste management process and those who have minor contributions towards the process. Hence, the research questions aligned to this aim are: (1) Who are the stakeholders of household solid waste management in Cimahi City? And (2) who are the most salient stakeholders of household solid waste management in Cimahi City? The research utilised a qualitative method approach. Data collection techniques contained in-depth interviews, non-participant observations and reading documentation. Triangulation was applied to validate the collected data. Even further, data was analysed by the Miles and Huberman model. The result of this research has identified stakeholders with important influence and impacts on the household solid waste management in Cimahi City. The identified stakeholders were classified into two categories: (1) formal sector (government, NGOs and private ones) and (2) informal sector (not officially registered waste collectors and recycling entities). The stakeholder salience for household solid waste management depends on their type of activities, which were reducing and handling. In the reducing activities, one of the “definitive” stakeholders affiliates to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. Whilst for the handling activities, the “definitive” stakeholder comes from the municipality of Cimahi City. Understanding the identity and saliency of stakeholders will help develop household solid waste management strategies with circular economy principles.