Motives for Community Involvement in Agricultural Practice in Forest Production Area: A Case study at Kesatuan Pemangkuan Hutan/Forest Management Unit Kebonharjo, Central Java

Abstract

Development of Kesatuan Pengelolaan Hutan (KPH) is a policy of the Indonesian government to give wider chances for local people in rural area to manage the forest more efficiently and sustainably. However, almost half of the total forest area in the country have not been intensively managed, only few reports have discussed the relationship between development of KPH and local livelihoods. Hence, this study aimed to examine the motives for community involvement, particularly in agricultural practices in forest areas at KPH Kebonharjo, Central Java. This study was conducted through cross-sectional survey and data were analysed using word descriptions and verbatim discussions. The findings of this study indicated that the forest area of KPH Kebonharjo covers about 32.5% of the total area of 42 villages and the community involvement in agricultural activities in forest area was quite high in some villages. Income-generating activities were the main motive and household size, capital, knowledge, and access to credit were investigated as important roles in farmers’ decisions to be involved in such activities. The study suggests that future research needs to focus on identifying the socio-economic perspectives and livelihood strategies of local communities.