Exploring drivers' interaction influencing the adoption of sustainable coffee production system through a qualitative system dynamics modelling, case study : smallholder coffee plantation in Pangalengan, Bandung, Indonesia

Abstract

As one of complex socio-ecological systems, a coffee production system comprises dynamic interactions between social, economic, and ecological factors. This type of production system which is managed by smallhoder farmers not only provides economic gain, but also social equity and may has a potential to influence environmental quality. A study focused on identifying dynamics interaction between emerged drivers (economics, social quality, environmental quality, technology) and analyzing the polarity dominance of feedback process in order to find the most influental drivers in the adoption of sustainable production system has been carried out in smallholder coffee plantation in Pangalengan, Bandung, Indonesia. Within this approach, a qualitative system dynamics modelling namely causal loop diagram (CLD) were used as a system visualization tool. These analyses resulted insight into the behaviour that may cause a potentially grown or destructive (reinforcing loops), or conversely a stabilizing (balancing loop) behaviour. A polarity loop analysis found that each main driver may has a potential to influence the system to be grown or deteriorated due to its reinforcing loop dominance. The reinforcing feedbacks would tend to escalate the process and result in a sustainable state of the system. However, conversely this behaviour also would tend to declince the feedback process and result in an unsustainable state of the system. It indicates that instability of the process are most likely existed in the system. The most influental driver in this behaviour would be social quality, regarding its highest loop polarity differences. A management and intervention strategies are needed to prevent deterioration of the system, particularly with involving the social quality driver.