A Sustainable Upland Farming

System for Indonesia

PERTEMUAN 1V DAN V
 Farmers dependent on upland
agriculture represent approximately
70% of the total farm population of
Indonesia, and constitute the poorest
strata of the rural population.
UPLAND PROBLEMS
The most common problems
encountered in
upland farming are:

1 erosion
2. water shortage,
3. low soil fertility and productivity, and
4. lack of sufficient production factors
such as good seeds and credit
Soil:
 Acid,
 deficient in phosphorus, potassium, calcium
and magnesium.
 The organic matter content low
 soil CEC are generally low,
 aluminum and manganese contents are often
so high (they are toxic to plants, and have a
high rate of P fixation).
 The main physical constraints are the low
available water holding capacity, and the
susceptibility of these soils to erosion.
LAND POTENTIAL
 Approximately 47.1 million ha are
available as new agricultural land
(with slopes of 0-3%, 3-8%, and
8-15%).

 15-20 million ha are potentially

suitable for the cultivation of tree
crops or estate crops.
 Indonesiaconsists of four large
islands and thousands of small
ones.

 More than half of the total land

area is either swampy or very
steep (slope > 15%), and therefore
unsuitable for agricultural
development.
SOLUTION
 Nutrient Management
 Soil Acidity and Liming
 Management of Organic Matter
 Such soils should be considered marginal for
growing food crops (annual crops) under
traditional agricultural systems, but are still
suitable for tree crops or estate crops and
pasture development.
 Mixed farming, including silvipasture (a tree

crop-food crop-pasture system), is a possible

alternative for upland farms.
The Farming Systems Approach

This is producing alternative technologies for managing uplands

(five components):
1. soil and water conservation and management (Soil vertility
management);
2. cropping systems (food crops, fodder);
3. livestock;
4. tree crops; and
5. an economic evaluation.

Inland fisheries are another important component of the

farming system in some areas.

A combination of annual and perennial crops is very

important part of this approach.
Soil Fertility Management
 Nutrient Management
 phosphorus deficiency is the main constraint,
 followed by potassium deficiency.
 Fertilizer efficiency is low, due to the high
rates of phosphorus fixation and the rapid
leaching of nitrogen and potassium.

 The application of organic matter, in the form

of composted manure and crop residues,
increases the efficiency of applied chemical
fertilizers.
Soil Acidity and Liming
 Soil acidity is a major constraint in most
upland soils, because of aluminum toxicity.

 Lime can be used to overcome this constraint,

 while tolerance to aluminum saturation

varies depending on the kind of crop.

 Upland crop rotation systems should consider

lime applications for the most acid sensitive

crops.
 Management of Organic Matter

 The addition and management of organic matter improves the growth

environment of the plant and increases the benefits of fertilizer use
(Tables 2, 3 and 4). Soils which are poor in organic matter lose their
buffering capacity, and fertilizer efficiency decreases.

 Organic matter plays a very important role in sustaining soil

productivity. Hence the crop residues, animal wastes, cut biomass of
hedgerow crops and cover crops should be managed properly, to
increase soil productivity.


Table 2 Effect of Alley Mulching Applied to an Oxisol
on Soil Physical Properties and Organic Matter
Content, and on Yield of Food Crops, in Jambi, West
Sumatera
Table 3 Effect of Alley Cropping System on Erosion
and Run-off in Ungaran,
 methods of controlling erosion and improving
soil physical properties (Table 4)
Table 4 Effect of Mulching and Tillage
on the Yield of Food Crops
Table 5 The Effect of Raised Bed Terraces
Edged with Grass on Soil Erosion in Upland
Central Java
Table 6 Effect of Raised Bed Terraces on Soybean Yield
and Rate of Erosion
Figure 1 Total Runoff and Total Soil Losses from Different Treatments on
Figure 2a The Concept of Alley Cropping
(Source:B.T.Kang etal ., 1986)
Figure 2 Conservation Methods Used in Upland Farming, Indonesia
CROPPING SYSTEM
 Tree crops
 Food and Forage Crops
Table 7 Comparison of Yield in Terms of Calories,
Protein and Income Per Hectare of Two Cropping
Systems on Slopeland in Jambi, Sumatera
Tree Crops
 Tree crops are planted in rows running east-
west. Different types of tree are planted in
sequence, to avoid shading and to maximize
the utilization of solar radiation.
 1st stage : Coconut, oilpalm, durian, petai.
 2nd stage : Clove(Cengkeh), cinnamon(kayu

manis), nutmeg(pala), jackfruit(nangka).

 3rd stage : Banana, orange, pineapple, root

crops, medicinal herbs, spices (rempah2).

Figure 3 Integrated Conservation Farming
System for Flat to Gently Sloping Uplands
Figure 4 Integrated Farming System for Slopelands
Socio_economic Analysis

 Food Crops
However, in general a medium level of inputs,
including fertilizers, is necessary.
 Terracing (Table 8)

 Tree Crops The selection of tree crops

depends on the land potential, farmer
preferences, and marketing prospects for the
product. Both coconut and banana offer good
potential at present.
Tabel 8. Economic Analysis of the Third Year
of the Integrated Farming System
 Credit
Subsidies and credit are needed at the early
stages, especially for conservation practices
such as the establishment of terraces and
hedgerows and for purchased production
factors such as seed and fertilizer.
AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT AS A FUNCTION OF
AGROECOSYSTEM PROPERTIES (Conway, 1984)

AGRICULTURE PRODUCTIVITY STABILITY SUSTAINABILITY EQUITABILITY

DEVELOPMENT

a. Swidden Low Low High High

cultivation
b. Traditional Medium Medium High Medium
cropping
(sedentary
cropping
system)
c. Improved High Low Low Low
(new
tecnology)
d. Improved High High Low High
31
(new (ex. pest and
 HYPOTHETICAL EVOLUTION OF AN
UPLAND AGROECOSYSTEM (Kepas, 1985)
UPLAND PRODUCTIVITY STABILITY SUSTAINABILITY EQUITABILITY
AGROECOSYSTEM

a. Traditional Low Medium High High

cultivation
(Low population)

b. Traditional Very Low Very Low Low Medium

cultivation (high (erosion) (erosion)
population)

c. Reforestation Low High High Low

d. Cash cropping High Low Low Low

(ex. Potato) (pest and (pesticide
disease) resistance ;
erosion)

e. Tree Gardens and Medium Medium Medium Medium

Cash cropping

f. Integrated Tree High Medium High High 32

TUGAS
1. TERJEMAHKAN SELURUH MATERI DI SLIDE
2. JELASKAN MASALAH 2 YG TERJADI DI
UPLAND DAN BAGAIMANA SOLUSINYA
3. APA PERBEDAAN UPLAND DAN LOWLAND