The role and impact of oil palm plantations in landscape management in South Tapanuli District, North Sumatra, Indonesia

Abstract

This study was conducted in South Tapanuli District, which is one of the two oil palm centres implementing the landscape management project. Data collected from Regional Plan documents and 169 smallholder samples and analysed with Cross Tabulation and Compare Means Test. The results show that landscape management has been implemented through Regional Planning and various regulations. However, many institutions are authorized to manage landscape, which occasionally result in confusing and contradictory decisions. Through regulations, the Government has limited the expansion of oil palm plantations by specifying Forest and Food Regions. Intensification and diversification approaches are also considered as alternatives for balancing land allocations among sectors and commodities. Intensification is taught through the Sustainable Oil Palm Field School Program, which can improve smallholder knowledge and implementation of landscape management. However, smallholders with larger plantation areas are less interested in participating in the program. Diversifications were indicated through the smallholder cropping system, which is focused on potential commodities such as rubber, coffee or cacao. Smallholders perceive other commodities as less profitable because most of their agribusiness systems are less developed than the palm oil agribusiness system. Therefore, improvement in every potential agribusiness system is recommended to optimize landscape management in South Tapanuli.