Indofarm project. Report on survey activities in Bencah Umbai

Baron Vincent. 2017. Indofarm project. Report on survey activities in Bencah Umbai. Libo : CIRAD, 39 p.

Résumé : This document aims at reporting the progress of the Indofarm Project (CIRAD-SPKS partnership) and proposing improvements for the next surveys. So far, one village from Sumatra (Bencah Umbai, Riau Province) has been fully surveyed, totalling 98 smallholders and mapping 111 oil palm plots. The use of tablets supporting the Kobo ToolBox questionnaires and the GPS for mapping has worked very well for data collection. However a first analysis shows that the quality of the data itself is not fully satisfactory. We should therefore work on improving the survey's method and questionnaire; refine the training of surveyors and the set up data quality management procedures. The first part of the report explores the way the surveys are conducted by the team recruited by SPKS as well as the quality of the data obtained. We found that the surveyors often do the interview at a pace that doesn't allow good data verification, sometimes up to 7 interviews in the same day. The main issue in terms of data input and data quality is the identification of smallholders and plots. The ID numbers (NIK ad plot ID) have many typos and sometimes duplicates. Monitoring and correcting those errors is critical for further data analysis but also is we want the survey to serve as a basis for land ownership recognition. The agronomical data in terms of planting density, production etc. is sometimes incoherent. This is mostly a problem of conversion and units. A field book will be provided to the survey team for the next villages to help with data checking and agronomical observations. It appeared that the survey is very long (several hundreds of question) and that we have to define the main focus of our research. This does not necessarily mean we have to drop questions but that we have to define clearly the ones that will serve research purposes to improve the data quality and data interpretation on those specific topics. It is also important to determine what the project can provide to farmers in the short run (training guides or poster, training with agronomists, etc.) and in the long run (official land registration, advice to fertilize, price information, etc.) Socialisation with farmers and the head of village is a key aspect of the project to access data but also for SPKS to build a network that will serve its future purpose. Villagers are asking for more training and technical information on the part of CIRAD and SPKS. Moreover, additional open interviews with local governments (Kepala Desa) and the key actors of the value chain (middlemen) are necessary to fully understand the context in which palm oil smallholders make their agronomical decision. In the second part of the report we give a quick overview of the data already available on Bencah Umbai. In terms of economy and livelihood, it confirms the crucial part played by the oil palm. The adoption of the crop has fuelled the development of the village and is now the main source of income for most villagers. This development is recent, most palms were planted in 2008-2012, and was strongly correlated with a migration wave from North Sumatra (Medan's Javanese Community ). The population has doubled in the last 6 years and the village is now mostly populated by migrants (60%) who all planted oil palm. The local inhabitants (Melayu people) also massively adopted the cash crop after the migrants introduced it. The adoption of all palm was massive at the village level and globally improved the livelihood of the inhabitants (access to housing, motorcycles, electricity). It also reshaped the land ownership system and the land market, increasing the price of land and the number of transactions. Agronomical practices were also analysed. The data obtained confirms that the yield gap is important between smallholders and agro-industries. Most of them produced between 5-15t FFB/ha/ year, but the yield disparities between smallholders is strong. Most of them don't use selected planting material, and the high proportion of Dura fruits lead to price gap between independent smallholders and plasma plots. In terms of yield gap the main problems seem to be1) the quality of the nurseries and planting, 2) the fertilization (lack of K fertilizers) and 3) an inappropriate soil cover management on slopes. Most of them use chemical herbicide at a high dose, which is both hazardous and agronomically counter-productive. In terms of fertility, we make the hypothesis that most the farmers have benefit from a “forest precedent” but will face fertility problems in the next years due to improper fertilization and soil erosion. The oldest plots in the village (>10years) already show a decline in yield and the one we visited displayed acute symptoms of mineral deficiency. As a conclusion we suggests different ways in which the quality of the data could be improved, mainly through: 1) Continuous data analysis and monitoring 2) Follow up and training of the surveyors 3) additional interviews with keys stakeholders for context information 4) Feedback and focus groups with farmers.

Mots-clés libres : Oil palm smallholdings, Indonesia, Survey, Yield gap

Auteurs et affiliations

• Baron Vincent, CIRAD-DRS (FRA)

Source : Cirad-Agritrop (https://agritrop.cirad.fr/596402/)

Métriques

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