TOWARDS A FARM MODEL FOR SUSTAINABLE, LOW-INPUT AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS IN THE HUMID TROPICS WITH REFERENCE TO INDONESIA

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Abstract
A low-input agroforestry system is proposed as a solution to the problem of ensuring the sustainable resettlement in the humid tropics of smallholder farmers on marginal lands that are usually newly cleared of closed forests. The basis of the system is the cultivation of tree crops, but food crops are interplanted with the tree crops until the tree crop matures and provides sufficient income to enable the farmers to purchase their food requirements from other sources. The system has been purposely designed to require only low inputs, so that it is likely to be sustainable even if farmers cannot afford to continue the application of fertilizers once the initial period of government assistance comes to an end. The system should also cause minimal environmental degradation, particularly in hilly areas where the cultivation of arable crops would lead to considerable soil erosion. A model of a typical farm employing such a system is presented, based upon the experiences of the Transmigration Program in Indonesia.

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