Buku kurikulum pelatihan ini disusun sebagai bagian dari pembelajaran program Sustainable Farming System in Asian Tropical Landscapes (SFITAL) yang diterapkan di Kabupaten Labuhanbatu Utara, Sumatera Utara. Kurikulum ini ditujukan sebagai panduan bagi penyuluh dan praktisi dalam memberikan pelatihan agroforestri sawit guna mendukung peremajaan sawit rakyat, peningkatan ketahanan ekonomi, dan keberlanjutan produksi.
Pada tahun 2024, kurikulum ini telah diuji melalui pelatihan untuk sekitar 800 pekebun sawit di Labuhanbatu Utara, dengan materi dari ICRAF dan Masyarakat Agroforestri Indonesia (MAFI). Ke depan, kurikulum ini diharapkan dapat diadopsi di kabupaten penghasil sawit lainnya untuk meningkatkan kesejahteraan pekebun.
Tag: agricultural extension
Kunci sukses menuju ISPO: Saatnya kelembagaan pekebun jadi prioritas. Cerita Petani Sawit #3
Kelembagaan pekebun merupakan wadah yang dibentuk dari, oleh, dan untuk pekebun, berdasarkan kesamaan kepentingan, kondisi sosial ekonomi, sumber daya, dan jenis komoditas yang diusahakan. Bentuk kelembagaan dapat berupa kelompok tani kebun, gabungan kelompok tani, koperasi, maupun organisasi lain yang berfungsi sebagai sarana belajar, kerja sama, dan unit usaha. Perannya penting dalam meningkatkan produktivitas dan pendapatan petani secara berkelanjutan.
Pembentukan kelembagaan dapat dimulai dari kelompok sosial yang ada maupun pekebun yang belum terorganisir, dengan dukungan penyuluhan berbasis kesamaan kepentingan. Keberhasilan kelembagaan ditentukan oleh peran aktif pengurus, partisipasi anggota, serta prinsip kebebasan, keterbukaan, kesetaraan, dan kemitraan. Pemerintah daerah, desa, dan penyuluh pertanian berperan strategis dalam pembinaan, fasilitasi, dan pendampingan agar kelembagaan benar-benar memberi manfaat nyata bagi pekebun.
Dulu Ragu, Kini Menghasilkan: Cerita Intercropping Sawit dan Non-Sawit. Cerita Petani Sawit #5
Banyak petani beranggapan bahwa menanam tanaman sela di kebun sawit menghasilkan (TM) tidak bermanfaat karena sawit akan mengganggu pertumbuhan tanaman lain. Pengalaman petani di Desa Terang Bulan, Kabupaten Labuhanbatu Utara, menunjukkan tanaman durian dan pisang memang berhenti berproduksi setelah sawit berumur di atas 10 tahun, sehingga sebagian petani enggan mencoba intercropping. Namun, analisis tim SFITAL bersama penyuluh mengungkap bahwa kegagalan tanaman sela lebih disebabkan kurangnya pemeliharaan, seperti pemupukan dan pengendalian gulma maupun hama.
Kini, pola pikir petani mulai berubah. Melalui Kebun Belajar Agroforestri Sawit yang dibangun SFITAL bersama Kelompok Tani Pandan Wangi, Desa Terang Bulan menjadi desa percontohan sekaligus contoh nyata keberhasilan intercropping sawit dengan tanaman non-sawit bagi petani di sekitarnya.
Kumpulan poster materi pelatihan agroforestri sawit
Booklet ini merupakan kumpulan poster edukatif yang memuat materi pelatihan agroforestri sawit secara komprehensif dan aplikatif. Materi di dalamnya mencakup manfaat penerapan agroforestri sawit, hal-hal penting yang perlu diperhatikan dalam pengelolaannya, serta dasar-dasar perancangan sistem agroforestri sawit yang berkelanjutan. Selain itu, dibahas pula panduan pemilihan komoditas pendamping sawit yang tepat, pengaturan jarak tanam yang optimal, dan langkah-langkah dalam pembangunan serta pemeliharaan kebun sawit. Booklet ini juga mengulas strategi pengelolaan tanaman pendamping kelapa sawit agar tercapai produktivitas yang tinggi sekaligus menjaga keseimbangan ekosistem. Disusun secara visual dan informatif, booklet ini menjadi referensi praktis bagi petani dan penyuluh di lapangan.
Climate-Smart Practices for Sustainable Rice Farming: Impacts on Farm Technical Efficiency and Income in Pasuruan, East Java, Indonesia
The agricultural sector is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and highly vulnerable to climate change. Climate-Smart Rice Cultivation (CSRC) offers a pathway to improve productivity, resilience, and reduce emissions in rice farming. This study evaluates CSRC’s impact on technical efficiency and income in Pasuruan District, East Java, under the ‘Rejoso Kita Phase 2’ project by World Agroforestry (ICRAF). A total of 249 rice farmers—168 CSRC adopters and 81 non-adopters—were surveyed using structured interviews. Stochastic frontier analysis and Propensity Score Matching (PSM) were applied to control for selection bias and estimate treatment effects. CSRC adopters statistically significant achieved higher technical efficiency (0.872) compared to non-CSRC (0.737). Although CSRC farmers achieved higher income (IDR 5,782,717) compared to non-CSRC (IDR 4,290,970), the difference was not statistically significant. Key determinants of adoption include age, experience, and land tenure; younger and more experienced farmers are more likely to adopt. These findings suggest that scaling CSRC can enhance resource-use efficiency and strengthen climate resilience, especially when supported through targeted outreach to younger farmers, capacity-building programs, and risk-mitigating incentives. Policy recommendations include promoting CSRC branding, strengthening value chains, and facilitating access to direct marketing channels to improve economic benefits over time.
Climate-smart agriculture and household food security: the case of smallholder farmers in semi-arid Tanzania
Smallholder farmers in the semi-arid districts of Kongwa and Chamwino, Tanzania, are increasingly vulnerable to food insecurity due to the escalating impacts of climate change. This study examined the association between climate-smart agriculture (CSA) adoption and food security using survey data from 380 households. The findings indicate that manure application, drought-tolerant seeds, and tree intercropping are the most widely adopted CSA practices, although the adoption rate declines as adoption intensity increases: approximately 25% of households adopt only one practice, while fewer than 5% implement six. CSA adoption was associated with higher dietary diversity (HDDS), improved food consumption scores (FCS), and lower household food insecurity access scores (HFIAS) and reduced coping strategies index (rCSI). CSA adoption was also associated with higher farm income, with greater adoption intensity amplifying both food security and income benefits. Household characteristics, including education, gender, off-farm income, asset ownership, and access to extension services, were linked to variations in adoption and outcomes. These findings highlight the potential of integrated CSA strategies to support food security and livelihoods. Policies promoting CSA intensification, addressing socio-economic barriers, strengthening extension services, and targeting gender disparities can enhance the effectiveness and inclusivity of CSA adoption in semi-arid Tanzania.
Guidelines for Extension Agents on Establishing and Improving Agroforestry Systems and Management in Sri Lanka: Version 1
This technical manual developed to strengthen the capacity of extension agents, farmers, and land managers in designing, establishing, and improving climate-resilient agroforestry systems across Sri Lanka’s diverse agroecological zones. Produced by World Agroforestry (ICRAF) under the Green Climate Fund-supported Knuckles Project, the publication presents agroforestry as a key climate-smart agriculture strategy capable of simultaneously improving productivity, strengthening adaptation to climate change, and contributing to climate change mitigation. The manual provides practical guidance on agroforestry principles, species selection, farm design, homegarden management, smallholder and plantation agroforestry systems, and strategies to enhance adoption. It highlights how agroforestry can diversify income sources, improve food security, conserve biodiversity, regulate water resources, increase soil fertility, reduce erosion, and sequester carbon, while also addressing climate-related challenges such as droughts, floods, extreme temperatures, and changing rainfall patterns. Drawing on scientific evidence, local knowledge, stakeholder consultations, and examples from Sri Lanka, the manual outlines criteria, indicators, and step-by-step approaches for establishing and improving agroforestry systems tailored to local environmental and socio-economic conditions. It also emphasizes participatory planning, gender-responsive management, extension services, and monitoring frameworks to support long-term adoption and sustainability. Overall, the publication serves as a practical resource to promote resilient land-use systems that strengthen livelihoods while enhancing ecosystem health and climate resilience throughout Sri Lanka.
Farmer perceptions of fungal spoilage and mycotoxin contamination in East and West Africa
This study investigates farmers’ perceptions, awareness, and management practices related to fungal spoilage and mycotoxin contamination in smallholder farming systems across six countries in East and West Africa: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania. Based on a survey of 531 farmers, the research examines the extent of post-harvest losses, knowledge of food safety risks, and the adoption of grain storage technologies. Nearly half of the respondents reported losses caused by mould contamination, with higher prevalence observed in East Africa than in West Africa. Although most farmers avoided consuming visibly mouldy grains, a substantial proportion continued to do so, and the majority were unaware of the health risks associated with moulds and mycotoxins. Knowledge gaps were widespread, particularly regarding mycotoxins and safe grain moisture levels for storage. While storage technologies such as hermetic bags, hessian bags, and polypropylene sacks were commonly used, many farmers perceived them as only moderately effective. Statistical analyses revealed significant regional differences, with East African farmers generally demonstrating greater awareness of mycotoxin risks and safer storage practices. Gender, age, and access to technical information were important determinants of awareness, with women, older farmers, and those receiving technical support exhibiting higher knowledge levels. The findings highlight the need for targeted training, improved extension services, and wider dissemination of effective post-harvest technologies to reduce food losses, protect health, and strengthen food security across African smallholder farming systems.
Agroforestry adaptation by farm households in northwestern Vietnam: resource needs and implications for practice and policy
In northwestern Vietnam, agroforestry is promoted to enhance environmental sustainability and support livelihoods, especially in resource-constrained situations. However, farmers adapt agroforestry in diverse ways, and there is still limited structured understanding of how differences in farm resources and configurations shape adoption patterns and support needs. Lack of knowledge about adoption patterns limits the design of cost-effective interventions. To fill this gap, we employed a participatory approach to develop a farm typology that links farm structure, agroforestry adoption patterns and group-specific constraints. Survey data from 101 households were analyzed using archetype analysis to identify distinct farm profiles. These profiles were validated through a series of farmer workshops to explore group-specific constraints and support needs. The archetype analysis identified three distinct agroforestry archetypes, each reflecting unique resource constraints. Archetype 1 and Archetype 2 both represent small-scale farmers with limited agricultural labor and diversified livelihood activities, but they differ in land configuration: Archetype 1 farmers manage more consolidated land and maintain high crop and tree diversity, whereas Archetype 2 farmers operate highly fragmented, small plots with limited potential to diversify. Archetype 3 farmers operate the largest farms among the three groups; they rely on annual crops and show the lowest agroforestry adoption level, with moderate species diversity in their agroforestry systems. Across archetypes, farmers emphasized needs for market access, as well as financial support for production inputs, tree seedlings and irrigation systems, system diversification and technical knowledge. Yet the rationale for these needs differed across groups. Our study is novel in combining data-driven archetype analysis with participatory validation to generate an action-oriented understanding of farm heterogeneity. The results show that support strategies should not only respond to common needs but also to the distinct constraints shaping agroforestry adoption across different farm contexts, highlighting the importance of context-specific, constraint-aware agroforestry policy and extension.
Forest visitation and utilization along agricultural intensification gradients
Introduction: Forests support crucial ecosystem services globally, and contribute to the livelihoods of millions of people, but are threatened by agricultural expansion and intensification. Yet the relationship between forest cover and agricultural intensification, and how it mediates people’s access to and use of resources has been seldom studied globally.
Methods: Using remote sensing imagery and household surveys, we analyzed the effects of forest cover change on forest access (visitation) and household use of resources along a gradient from lower to higher land use intensification across seven tropical landscapes in low and middle income countries.
Results: We find that increased agricultural intensification lowered forest visitation in the high intensification zone compared to the low to medium intensification zones. Forest types and changes, such as stable forests, forest gains and edge density, positively impacted household use of forest-sourced food and construction materials and visitation, highlighting the importance of sustainable forest management.
Discussion: Our results complement the evidence of forest cover change by looking at agricultural intensification zones, which reveal the site-specific trends of forest types, ownership and household demand for ecosystem services. We recommend integrated landscape approaches with context and site-specific solutions to address the variability of forest types and multiple management goals that can be achieved with agricultural production and equitable access to provisioning goods and services in complex multi-functional landscapes.