A Study of Oil Palm Plantation in Sukabumi Regency: Land Suitability and Socio-Economic Approach

Abstract

The increase of the world oil palm demand, encourage Indonesia to develop oilm palm industry both of expansion and conversion. Commodity crop conversion can be interpreted as a change in the cropping system from one crop commodity to another. As happened in Sukabumi Regency, West Java, commodity crops have been converted from rubber and tea to oil palm on state-owned plantation land. This research analyzes land suitability and consistency, social conditions, and the standard of living of oil palm plantation workers in the Sukabumi Regency. The data used in this study are primary data and secondary data. The method used is the visual interpretation of satellite imagery, overlay, table matching using ArcGIS, and different tests using SPSS software from the results of interviews with respondents using a questionnaire. The results show that the percentage of land area converted to commodity crops from rubber and tea to oil palm continued to be massive from 2002 to 2020. The conversion was made because the selling price of the previous commodity continued to fall. The land suitability level of state-owned oil palm plantations in Sukabumi Regency is dominated by category S3. 95% of oil palm plantations in Sukabumi Regency are following the 2011-2032 Sukabumi Regency spatial planning. The conversion of commodity crops from rubber and tea to palm oil has a positive impact on improving the social conditions and the standard of living of oil palm plantation workers. The eight recommendations are prepared based on an analysis of land suitability and consistency of land use with spatial plans. Other recommendations given are based on the social conditions and standard of living of plantation workers. It is hoped that this will form an independent local workers' association to increase the gaining power to demand justice, rights and proper welfare for workers and their families. In addition, the existence of associations can also mutually control the performance of workers in carrying out their obligations.