Family resilience of smallholder farmers in Indonesia’s oil palm plantation

Abstract

Problems about family are still analyzed in general and do not specifically look at the livelihood aspect. Whereas from the social sciences lensed, livelihood is the main factor that significantly contributes to the resilience of family. One of the family issues which became a major problem in Indonesia is family resilience in the oil palm plantation context. Families in the plantation sector always have tremendous challenges either from internal, external, or structural layers. At the internal level, families have to bear with psychological and physical issues which may trigger them to become more vulnerable. From an external level, the work ambiance in palm plantations, as well as price fluctuation and access to financial capital, may threaten the families who work and live surrounding palm plantations. Furthermore, from a structural level, families have to deal with biased and unfair regulations which undeniably make them much poorer and more suffered. This study aimed to analyze the vivid condition of smallholder families in the oil palm plantation context and how they deal with those challenges. Besides, this study also aimed to formulate some strategies to make them become a resilient family. This study used qualitative methods, by conducting FGDs and in-depth interviews with smallholder farmers of oil palm plantations as key informants in two different plantation areas in Indonesia; Lampung and Kalimantan.