Tree-crop diversification by smallholder farmers in Southern Sumatra to diversify sources of income

Abstract

Tree crop diversification becomes a common component of farmers strategies to diversify their sources of income, to deal with price fluctuation and also to adapt to a changing environment. This study examined farmers activity in tree-crop diversification and factors that encourage rural households in tree planting. A combination of household interviews and participatory field surveys was conducted to collect primary data. Data was analyzed descriptively and quantitatively. The results show that farmers mainly engaged in planting trees with agroforestry system, even there were also some people who develop trees with monocultures system. The tree species most developed in the research area are Magnolia champaca, Azadirachta excelsa, and Anthocephalus cadamba. The diversification decisions of communities depends on age, education level, the number of family members, expenses, and assets. Farmers who have wider landholdings and relatively have high incomes will be more interested in doing tree crop diversification on their land. Of the households surveyed, the respondents have the main job as a farmer in which the average age was 50 years old and the majority had education level up to elementary school and junior high school. The average expense of the respondents was 1.437 million rupiah per month in which the average of land holding is 2.68 hectares. In southern Sumatra, farmers try to mix some tree-crop in their land in order to increase their income, to get cash income in different time (maintaining food security), and reduce some risks because the changes of environment, market and policy. Therefore, this practice can provide economic resilience for farm households.