Agricultural functions in producing food timber fiber and various
other marketable products have long been known by policy makers
and the population at large. Other functions of the agricultural
landscape however such as environmental services food security
employment of about 40% of the 99 million labor force in Indonesia
buffer of the country's economy at times of crisis and maintenance of
rural amenities get less recognition than they deserve. This paper
reviews environmental services as part of the multifunctionality of
agriculture and discusses whether rewarding farmers for those
services is justifiable. Discussion is focused on the major agricultural
systems including lowland rice annual upland farming smallholder
plantation and monoculture estate as well as on conservation
practices within the systems. The main indicators discussed include
soil erosion and sedimentation flood mitigation carbon
sequestration and biodiversity. As forest is converted to agricultural
lands some of its environmental services disappear. The nature of the
succeeding agricultural systems determine the degree of recovery of
the services. Further conversion of agriculture to industrial and
settlement areas results in subsequent and mostly irreversible
disappearance of agricultural environmental services. Lowland rice
fields can filter sediment from the surface flows in a landscape and
contribute to flood mitigation; two important functions in areas
upstream of flood-prone areas. Smallholder plantations characterized
by complex agroforestry systems sustain various positive functions
including erosion control flood mitigation carbon sequestration and
biodiversity. Monoculture tree-based systems are low in biological
diversity but they can still contribute in sequestering carbon flood
mitigation and erosion control. Annual crop-based farming systems
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have relatively low erosion control flood mitigation biodiversity and
carbon stock. Intensive vegetable farming being mostly distributed
on steep slopes with high chemical inputs threatens water quality in
the area downstream and may contribute to sedimentation depending
on the overall filter functions of the catchment. With the high and
increasing population pressure the demands for using the lands
including the less suitable ones for agriculture as well as for
settlement and industry also increase and the environment is more
and more threatened. Therefore the environmental services become
scarcer and more precious. Farmers' services in the forms of
practicing environmentally benign farming systems and
implementation of conservation practices such as life fences grass
strip and modification of micro relief (sediment pits terraces furrow-
ridging) within a fragile environment deserve recognition and
rewards from the beneficiaries. Furthermore the government can
increase effectiveness of incentives for two-pronged (economic and
environment) practices for example by realignment of the funds of
national land rehabilitation movement.
Publication year
2004
Authors
Keywords
Agroforestry, Environment, Lowland, Sloping land, Timber
