Does Social Forestry Contribute to Farmers’ Income?: Case Study in Two Javanese Mountainous Villages, Indonesia

Abstract

Social Forestry scheme has been implemented in Indonesia to address deforestation and poverty. Community-based forest management has been known as an effective way to deal with the “tragedy of the commons” and promote the environmental conservation and the sustainable livelihood of local people. The Social Forestry scheme is one of those implementations in Indonesia in which communities are given legal access to utilize the specific land area in the State Forest Area. Scholars have examined and reviewed Social Forestry scheme from economic, environmental, and social perspectives. However, the effectiveness of implementing Social Forestry in increasing household income is still often questioned. By comparing members and non-members of Social Forestry in two locations in the mountainous villages on Java Island, this study examines the impact of the scheme on household income. This study analyzes primary data in form of household survey conducted in 2023 in Tombo village (N=121) in Central Java Province and Cibulao sub-village (N=118) in West Java Province. From the results of Mann-Whitney U test, household income of members is lower than non-members in Tombo. Additionally, members tend to have limited access to education, finance, and private land in the forms of farmland and yard, compared to non-members. On the other hand, in Cibulao, farm income of members is higher than non-members. The other variables regarding accessibility such as education and finance are not different based on membership. From the regression analysis, the negative correlation between membership and household income is found in Tombo, while the positive correlation between membership and farm income is found in Cibulao. Considering the findings, this study discusses that the pre-implementation characteristics in terms of land accessibility and villagers’ sustenance opportunities may affect the economic outcomes of the program.

Skema Perhutanan Sosial telah diterapkan di Indonesia untuk mengatasi deforestasi dan pengentasan kemiskinan. Pengelolaan hutan berbasis masyarakat telah dikenal sebagai cara yang efektif untuk mengatasi "tragedy of the commons" dan mendorong pelestarian lingkungan dan mata pencaharian berkelanjutan bagi masyarakat lokal. Skema Perhutanan Sosial merupakan implementasikan di Indonesia dimana masyarakat diberikan akses legal untuk memanfaatkan lahan tertentu di kawasan hutan. Para ahli telah meneliti dan mengkaji skema Perhutanan Sosial dari perspektif ekonomi, lingkungan dan sosial. Namun, efektivitas pelaksanaan Perhutanan Sosial dalam meningkatkan pendapatan rumah tangga masih sering dipertanyakan. Dengan membandingkan anggota dan non-anggota Perhutanan Sosial di dua lokasi di desa-desa pegunungan di Pulau Jawa, penelitian ini mengkaji dampak skema tersebut terhadap pendapatan rumah tangga. Studi ini menganalisis data primer dari survei rumah tangga yang dilakukan pada tahun 2023 di Desa Tombo (N=121) di Provinsi Jawa Tengah dan Kampung Cibulao (N=118) di Provinsi Jawa Barat. Hasil uji Mann-Whitney U menunjukkan bahwa pendapatan rumah tangga anggota lebih rendah dibandingkan non-anggota di Desa Tombo. Selain itu, anggota Perhutanan Sosial cenderung memiliki akses yang lebih terbatas terhadap pendidikan, keuangan, dan lahan pribadi berupa lahan pertanian dan pekarangan, dibandingkan dengan non-anggota. Di sisi lain, di Kampung Cibulao, pendapatan pertanian anggota lebih tinggi daripada non-anggota. Variabel lain terkait aksesibilitas seperti pendidikan dan keuangan tidak berbeda berdasarkan keanggotaan. Analisis regresi menunjukkan terdapat korelasi negatif antara keanggotaan dan pendapatan rumah tangga di Desa Tombo, sedangkan korelasi positif antara keanggotaan dan pendapatan pertanian ditemukan di Kampung Cibulao. Mempertimbangkan temuan-temuan tersebut, studi ini menyimpulkan bahwa karakteristik pra-implementasi dalam hal aksesibilitas lahan dan peluang mata pencaharian penduduk desa dapat memengaruhi dampak ekonomi program perhutanan sosial.