The Role of Agroforestry in Supporting Food Security in Small Islands (Case in Pahawang Island, Indonesia)

Abstract

Agroforestry has many benefits, especially in improving the economy and food security. The purpose of this study was to analyze food availability and the level of community food security in Pahawang Island, Indonesia. The data were analyzed descriptively and based on the House hold food security access scale (HFSAS) on 9 variables. The results showed that the food provided from the agroforestry area consisted of vegetables, fruits, tubers and empon-empon while the food that could not be provided from the agroforestry area was rice, fish, tempeh, tofu, chicken, meat and others. etc. are obtained from the sale of agroforestry products. The revenue from this agroforestry product reaches Rp. 641,085, 000 per year or equivalent to 64,108.5 kilograms of rice per year. This means that for 14 days the community can survive if Pahawang Island experiences a disaster that causes people to be unable to leave the island. Based on the calculation results, the average food security score of Pahawang Island is included in the category of moderately food security with a score of 15.6. Agroforestry management in Pahawang Island needs to be maintained because it has proven to be able to improve community food security. The addition of commercial plant species also needs to be done, especially from the types of fruits and woody plants.