Traditional cropping pattern and management of home garden: Lesson learnt from Ciamis Regency, West Java Province, Indonesia

Abstract

This study was intended to provide an overview of the patterns and management of cropping systems of home gardens in Cijeungjing District, Ciamis Regency, West Java, Indonesia. Data collection started with a survey identifying the cropping patterns in the research location. Twelve sites were selected for stand conditions. Interviews were conducted with landowners concerning management and dynamics of land use for 5-10 years period. The results showed that the cropping patterns in the home garden were agri-silviculture, mixed-gardens, silvo-fishery and monoculture trees. Agri-silviculture patterns, mixed-gardens and silvo-fishery are generally managed traditionally and characterized using natural tillers, without any specific planting designs, minimal maintenance, and specific tree harvesting cycle, and in a scale of subsistence to semi-commercial. The monoculture pattern is more modern with the selection of commercial tree species, spacing arrangement design, intensive maintenance at the beginning of tree growth, planned harvesting cycle regulation and partnership funding scheme. The home garden land use system does not show much change either from the previous conditions, or the future plans. However, there is still a potential risk of land use change of home garden due to the pressure of population growth.