**Systemic Problem**

Oil palm is often associated with environmental degradation, as it is often cultivated in a monoculture setting with intensive chemical inputs to ensure high yields. Oil palm smallholders, who mostly learned oil palm planting techniques from plantation estates in the surrounding areas, believe that the monoculture system is the best way to grow oil palm.

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Regenerative agriculture in oil palm plantations promises productive and sustainable production of organic oil palm by contributing to creating a healthy environment. Regenerative agriculture is a practice based on maintaining and restoring soil health and fertility, protecting and increasing water retention, protecting biodiversity, improving climate resilience, and improving household welfare. This agricultural practice consists of a series of techniques, including organic fertilizer practices, organic pest-disease control, cover crops planting, and agroforestry practices supported by innovative technology to overcome challenges caused by climate change by restoring soil health and protecting soil ecosystems (Unilever 2021, Livelihoods 2021).

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 \n **Intervention**

We trialed regenerative farming with independent oil palm smallholders in Central Kalimantan to increase the productivity and profitability of their palm oil farming businesses. Farmers participating in the program range from those in the process of getting certification to those who have obtained Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification.

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The three main regenerative agriculture activities that we introduced to farmers are as follows. First, the program encourages farmers to apply organic and recycled fertilizers, mulching, and organic pest/weed control. Second, farmers plant oil palms in agroforestry, combining them with other tree species and moving away from the monoculture plantation setting. Oil palm agroforestry is planted on bare lands and without forest cover, so it is also an effort to restore the ecosystem. Third, the program supports farmers in diversifying their livelihood by integrating oil palm with cattle and intercropping crops. Intercropping is developed with various plants ranging from fruit plants, leguminous cover crops, and anti-pest shrubs.

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 \n **Location**

The intervention started in four villages in Central Kalimantan, namely Sulung, Bahaur, Bangkal, and Selunuk. Sulung Village is located in Arut Selatan Sub-district, Kotawaringin Barat District. Meanwhile, in the Seruyan District, there are Bahaur Village in the Hanau Sub-district, then Bangkal and Selunuk Villages in the Seruyan Raya Sub-districts.

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In 2024, an additional three villages also participate in the intervention, namely Sandul, Asam Baru, and Sukorejo in Seruyan District. Sandul Village is located in Batu Ampar Sub-district. Asam Baru and Sukorejo Villages are located in Danau Seluluk and Seruyan Tengah Sub-districts, respectively.

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 \n **Methods and Progress**


1. **Development of technical guidelines for organic oil palm cultivation**

   This technical guide for organic palm cultivation is intended to guide oil palm farmers in making and applying organic fertilizer, protecting themselves from pests and diseases, practicing palm agroforestry, and recording sustainable oil palm plantation management in a logbook.

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   The technical guide for organic fertilizer application directs farmers to understand and practice the principles of making organic fertilizer, determining fertilizer doses, preparing land for fertilizer application, and applying fertilizer techniques. Meanwhile, the plant protection guide provides an understanding of the symptoms and mechanical management of pests and diseases as well as weeds in oil palm plants, as well as the manufacture and application of molasses solutions (decomposers) and organic pesticides. In oil palm agroforestry practices, farmers can understand and practice the planning principles and design strategies for oil palm agroforestry systems, planting patterns, and spacing, requirements for the number of oil palm plants and other types of trees/plants, and economic performance of oil palm plantations in monoculture and agroforestry practices.

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2. **Information dissemination of regenerative agriculture through the FPIC process**

   Before starting any activity, a Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) process was carried out to ensure that the village government and communities in the villages were well informed about regenerative agricultural practices and they could decide whether or not to participate in the program. The information dissemination sessions were conducted to introduce the concept of regenerative agricultural practices applied in oil palm plantations, including how to obtain. raw materials for making organic fertilizers such as farm and fish wastes, household wastes, livestock manure, extracted sugar waste, and empty fruit bunch (EFB) waste.

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3. **Selection of oil palm plantations as regenerative agriculture demonstration plots**

   Through several meetings, the village community became interested and proposed that several of their oil palm plantations managed in monoculture and agroforestry become demonstration plots, facilitating the communities' learning of regenerative agricultural practices. For additional information, they provided the previous plantation management of fertilizer use, land tenure, plantation productivity, and income from those oil palm plantations.

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   We carried out a survey involving all participating farmers. The characteristics of the farmers participating in the program are as follows:
   * Participating farmers have an average age of 49 years and have their main occupation as oil palm farmers (40.7%) who have experience in oil palm farming for 11 years; as many as 57.6% of them have a low level of education up to elementary school, while the number of household family members for each respondent farmer is 3 to 4 people. Of the 96 farmers participating in regenerative farming activities, 29.2% were followed by women farmers who were interested in following this practice.
   * The productivity of oil palm plantations reaches 1.2 tons/ha per harvest period every 16 days, and the average annual oil palm harvest is 27.38 tons/ha/year at a planting age of 11 years. Monthly income from oil palm farming and other agricultural activities reaches USD 164, with an exchange rate of IDR 15,000. Almost all farmers (90.3%) have easy access to market their produce, especially to local middlemen around the village.
   * Most of them, 94.9%, have minimal knowledge of fertilizing oil palm plants practice, and only 5.1% have sufficient knowledge about it.
   * Farmers participating in the program are only able to allocate a small amount of input for managing oil palm farming based on regenerative agricultural practices because they have limited resources and access to information and knowledge about regenerative agriculture.
   * Around 71.2% of them are starting to try using organic materials on their oil palm plantations, but they are still combining them with inorganic fertilizers, which are more dominant. This organic material is obtained through palm leaf midribs to control erosion and is degraded to support the supply of organic material around the trees.

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4. **Collection and analysis of regenerative agriculture metrics from oil palm demonstration plots**

   At each oil palm demonstration plot in the four villages, environmental metrics analysis was carried out. Soil samples were taken at a certain depth to assess the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the soil, including soil texture, SOM (C-Org), C/N, N efficiency, Bulk Density, earthworm population, and soil pH. Turbidity and nitrate contents in the water were also tested. Vegetation species diversity and tree canopy cover were assessed. Emission data related to climate change was also observed. The living conditions of farmer households were also observed. Based on the results of the analysis, improvement of the agricultural practices is put in place.

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 \n **Impact**

* The organic farming practices had been applied in 136.16 ha of smallholder oil palm plantations by 96 farmers of Sulung, Bahaur, Bangkal, and Selunuk in November 2023.
* The capacity of local farmers has increased in making, using, and determining the composition and dosage of organic fertilizers in oil palm plantation management.
* Local farmers are starting to understand the benefits of organically managing oil palm plantations to make, use, and determine the composition and dosage of organic fertilizers used in oil palm plantation management, which can improve healthier environmental conditions and increase production.
* Oil palm agroforestry was trialed in 6 ha of bare lands in Sulung, Bahaur, and Bangkal Villages, using a combination of oil palms and fruit crops, such as durian, rambutan, mango, crystal guava, and sengon trees.
* The farmers have been involved in and participated in the training for organic fertilizer production, improving their capacity in organic farming practices.
* Farmers' behavior in applying organic fertilizers in oil palm plantations has increased from 2 to 70 percent of the total fertilizers applied.

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**Lessons**

* Farmers have adopted regenerative agriculture practices by switching to using organic materials in their oil palm farming activities. They utilize organic materials (empty oil palm fruit bunches, fronds, grass, and animal manure) from around their villages.  Farmers' knowledge regarding the application of fertilizers in general also increased as they now understand the composition, dosage, and the technique of applying fertilizers. Moreover, farmers have actively participated in their farmer group as they produce organic fertilizer collectively. Finally, they have also maintained a logbook to monitor the impact of the practice of regenerative agriculture actively.
* Farmers were keen to participate in the program because they wanted to learn about new practices that would benefit their farms. They enjoyed learning about producing organic fertilizers independently, which can reduce the cost of maintaining their oil palm plantations. In the longer run, they expect to increase the productivity of their plantation through planting cover crops and also to increase income from other tree crops planted in their plantations.
* To replicate the regenerative agricultural practices for other farmer groups, an intensive training program should be provided for farmers where the concept of the regenerative agriculture can be explained repeatedly. Farmers should also be informed about the possibility of productivity decline as they first adopt the regenerative agriculture practice. The increase in productivity and income will occur after several years since the adoption of such a practice.

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 ![](https://petani.s3-ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/interventionentity/3e70cf58-c195-420e-98cd-14f30e6e9fd6.jpg)

 ![Farmers producing organic fertilizers in Bangkal for regenerative agriculture](https://petani.s3-ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/interventionentity/5834fa76-28fa-4c28-9b1c-7ee477742027.jpg)

     

**Masalah Sistemik**

Kelapa sawit sering dikaitkan dengan degradasi lingkungan, karena sering dibudidayakan secara monokultur dengan penggunaan pupuk kimia dan bahan kimia lainnya yang berlebihan untuk memastikan hasil panen yang baik. Para petani kelapa sawit skala kecil yang sebagian besar mengadopsi teknik budidaya kelapa sawit dari perkebunan di sekitarnya, percaya bahwa sistem monokultur adalah cara terbaik untuk membudidayakan kelapa sawit.

Pertanian regeneratif dalam perkebunan kelapa sawit menjanjikan produksi kelapa sawit organik yang produktif dan berkelanjutan dengan berkontribusi pada penciptaan lingkungan yang sehat. Pertanian regeneratif adalah praktik yang didasarkan pada pemeliharaan dan pemulihan kesehatan tanah dan kesuburan, perlindungan dan peningkatan retensi air, perlindungan keanekaragaman hayati, peningkatan ketahanan iklim, dan peningkatan kesejahteraan rumah tangga. Praktik pertanian ini terdiri dari serangkaian teknik, termasuk praktik pemupukan organik, pengendalian hama dan penyakit secara organik, penanaman tanaman penutup, dan praktik agroforestri yang didukung oleh teknologi inovatif untuk mengatasi tantangan yang disebabkan oleh perubahan iklim dengan memulihkan kesehatan tanah dan melindungi ekosistem tanah (Unilever 2021, Livelihoods 2021).

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**Intervensi**

Kami menguji coba praktik pertanian regeneratif pada lahan kelapa sawit milik petani swadaya di Kalimantan Tengah dengan tujuan untuk meningkatkan produktivitas dan keuntungan usahatani kelapa sawit mereka. Petani yang berpartisipasi dalam program ini bervariasi mulai dari mereka yang sedang dalam proses mendapatkan sertifikasi hingga mereka yang telah memperoleh sertifikasi dari *Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil* (RSPO).

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Tiga kegiatan utama pertanian regeneratif yang kami perkenalkan kepada petani adalah sebagai berikut. Pertama, program ini mendorong petani untuk menggunakan pupuk organik dan daur ulang, mulsa, dan pengendalian hama organik. Kedua, petani menanam kelapa sawit dengan sistem agroforestri, menggabungkannya dengan jenis pohon lain dan meninggalkan sistem perkebunan monokultur. Agroforestri kelapa sawit ditanam di lahan kosong tanpa tutupan hutan, sehingga ini juga merupakan upaya untuk memulihkan ekosistem. Ketiga, program ini mendukung petani kelapa sawit dalam mendiversifikasi mata pencaharian mereka dengan mengintegrasikan kelapa sawit dengan ternak dan tanaman sela. Tumpang sari dilakukan dengan bantuan berbagai tanaman, mulai dari tanaman buah-buahan, tanaman penutup tanah berupa polong-polongan, dan semak anti hama.

 \n **Lokasi**

Intervensi dimulai di empat desa di Kalimantan Tengah, yaitu Sulung, Bahaur, Bangkal, dan Selunuk. Desa Sulung terletak di Kecamatan Arut Selatan, Kabupaten Kotawaringin Barat. Sementara itu, di Kabupaten Seruyan, ada Desa Bahaur di Kecamatan Hanau, kemudian Desa Bangkal dan Desa Selunuk di Kecamatan Seruyan Raya.

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Pada tahun 2024, empat desa tambahan yakni, Sandul, Sebabi, Tanjung Rangas II, dan Sukorejo di Kabupaten Seruyan juga mulai berpartisipasi dalam intervensi. Desa Sandul dan Sebabi terletak di Kecamatan Batu Ampar, sementara Desa Tanjung Rangas II dan Sukorejo masing-masing terletak di Kecamatan Danau Seluluk dan Seruyan Tengah.

 \n **Metode dan Progres**


1. **Penyusunan pedoman teknis budidaya kelapa sawit organik**

   Panduan teknis budidaya kelapa sawit organik ini bertujuan untuk membimbing petani kelapa sawit dalam membuat dan mengaplikasikan pupuk organik, melindungi tanaman dari hama dan penyakit, mempraktikkan agroforestri, dan mencatat pengelolaan perkebunan kelapa sawit berkelanjutan melalui pembukuan.

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   Pedoman teknis untuk aplikasi pupuk organik mengarahkan petani untuk memahami dan mempraktikkan prinsip-prinsip pembuatan pupuk organik, menentukan dosis pupuk, mempersiapkan lahan untuk aplikasi pupuk, dan menerapkan teknik pemupukan. Sementara itu, panduan perlindungan tanaman menyediakan pemahaman tentang gejala dan manajemen mekanis dari hama dan penyakit serta gulma pada tanaman kelapa sawit, serta pembuatan dan aplikasi solusi molase (pengurai) dan pestisida organik. Dalam praktik agroforestri kelapa sawit, petani dapat memahami dan menerapkan prinsip perencanaan dan strategi desain untuk sistem agroforestri kelapa sawit, pola dan jarak tanam, kebutuhan jumlah tanaman kelapa sawit dan jenis pohon lain, serta kinerja ekonomi perkebunan kelapa sawit dengan praktik monokultur dan agroforestri.

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2. **Diseminasi informasi pertanian regeneratif melalui proses FPIC**

   Sebelum memulai kegiatan apapun, proses Persetujuan Awal Tanpa Paksaan dan Berdasarkan Informasi (*Free, Prior, and Informed Consent*/FPIC) dilakukan untuk memastikan bahwa pemerintah desa dan komunitas di desa-desa tersebut terinformasi dengan baik tentang praktik pertanian regeneratif dan mereka dapat memutuskan apakah akan berpartisipasi dalam program tersebut atau tidak. Sesi diseminasi informasi dilakukan untuk memperkenalkan konsep praktik pertanian regeneratif yang diterapkan di perkebunan kelapa sawit, termasuk cara mendapatkan bahan baku untuk membuat pupuk organik seperti limbah pertanian dan ikan, limbah rumah tangga, kotoran ternak, limbah gula yang diekstraksi, dan limbah tandan buah kosong (EFB).

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3. **Seleksi perkebunan kelapa sawit sebagai petak demonstrasi pertanian regeneratif**

   Melalui beberapa pertemuan, komunitas desa menjadi tertarik dan mengusulkan agar beberapa perkebunan kelapa sawit mereka yang dikelola dengan sistem monokultur dan agroforestri dijadikan sebagai lahan demonstrasi, memfasilitasi pembelajaran komunitas mengenai praktik pertanian regeneratif. Untuk informasi tambahan, mereka menyediakan data pengelolaan perkebunan sebelumnya tentang penggunaan pupuk, penguasaan tanah, produktivitas perkebunan, dan pendapatan dari perkebunan kelapa sawit tersebut.

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   Kami melaksanakan survei yang melibatkan semua petani yang berpartisipasi. Karakteristik petani yang berpartisipasi dalam program adalah sebagai berikut:
   * Para petani yang berpartisipasi memiliki usia rata-rata 49 tahun, dan 40,7% diantaranya memberitahukan bahwa pekerjaan utama mereka adalah petani kelapa sawit dengan pengalaman 11 tahun di bidang perkebunan kelapa sawit. Sebanyak 57,6% dari peserta juga mengakui bahwa tingkat pendidikan yang mereka lalui hanya sampai sekolah dasar. Di samping itu, rata-rata jumlah anggota rumah tangga untuk setiap petani responden adalah sekitar tiga atau empat orang. Dari total 96 petani yang mengikuti kegiatan pertanian regeneratif, 29,2% diikuti oleh petani perempuan yang juga tertarik mengikuti praktik tersebut.
   * Produktivitas perkebunan kelapa sawit mencapai 1,2 ton/ha dalam sekali periode panen setiap 16 hari, sedangkan rata-rata panen kelapa sawit tahunan sebesar 27,3 ton/ha/tahun pada umur tanaman 11 tahun. Selanjutnya pendapatan bulanan dari usahatani kelapa sawit dan kegiatan pertanian lainnya mencapai US$ 164 dengan nilai tukar Rp. 15.000. Hampir seluruh petani (90,3%) memiliki akses yang mudah dalam memasarkan produknya, terutama kepada pedagang perantara di sekitar desa.
   * Sebagian besar petani (94,9%) menyatakan memiliki pengetahuan yang minim mengenai pemupukan tanaman kelapa sawit, dan hanya 5,1% yang menyatakan memiliki pengetahuan cukup mengenai pemupukan.
   * Petani peserta program hanya mampu mengalokasikan sedikit input untuk pengelolaan pertanian kelapa sawit berbasis praktik pertanian regeneratif karena keterbatasan sumber daya dan akses terhadap informasi pertanian regeneratif.
   * Sekitar 71,2% petani mulai mencoba menggunakan bahan organik pada perkebunan kelapa sawitnya, meskipun masih dikombinasikan dengan pupuk anorganik yang lebih dominan. Bahan organik diperoleh dari pelepah daun kelapa sawit untuk mengendalikan erosi tanah dan menunjang pasokan bahan organik di sekitar pepohonan.

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4. **Pengumpulan dan analisa metrik pertanian regeneratif dari petak demonstrasi kelapa sawit**

   Pada setiap lahan demonstrasi kelapa sawit di empat desa tersebut, dilakukan analisis metrik lingkungan. Sampel tanah diambil pada kedalaman tertentu untuk menilai karakteristik fisik, kimia, dan biologi tanah, termasuk tekstur tanah, SOM (C-Organik), rasio C/N, efisiensi N, kepadatan massa, populasi cacing tanah, dan pH tanah. Kandungan kekeruhan dan nitrat dalam air juga diuji. Keragaman spesies vegetasi dan tutupan kanopi pohon juga dinilai. Data emisi terkait perubahan iklim juga diamati. Kondisi kehidupan rumah tangga petani juga diamati. Berdasarkan hasil analisis tersebut,  perbaikan praktik pertanian dilakukan.

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**Dampak**

* Praktik pertanian organik telah diterapkan di 136,16 hektar lahan kelapa sawit rakyat oleh 96 petani di Sulung, Bahaur, Bangkal, dan Selunuk pada November 2023.
* Kapasitas petani lokal telah meningkat dalam membuat, menggunakan, dan menentukan komposisi serta dosis pupuk organik dalam pengelolaan perkebunan kelapa sawit.
* Petani lokal mulai memahami manfaat pengelolaan kelapa sawit secara organik untuk membuat, menggunakan, dan menentukan komposisi serta dosis pupuk organik yang digunakan dalam pengelolaan perkebunan kelapa sawit, yang dapat memperbaiki kondisi lingkungan menjadi lebih sehat dan meningkatkan produksi.
* Agroforestri kelapa sawit telah diuji coba di 6 hektar lahan kosong di Desa Sulung, Bahaur, dan Bangkal, menggunakan kombinasi kelapa sawit dan tanaman buah seperti durian, rambutan, mangga, jambu kristal, dan pohon sengon.
* Petani telah terlibat dan berpartisipasi dalam pelatihan produksi pupuk organik, meningkatkan kapasitas mereka dalam praktik pertanian organik.
* Aktivitas petani dalam menerapkan pupuk organik di perkebunan kelapa sawit telah meningkat dari 2% menjadi 70% dari total pupuk yang digunakan.

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**Pelajaran yang dipetik**

* Para petani telah mengadopsi praktik pertanian regeneratif dengan beralih ke penggunaan bahan organik dalam kegiatan pertanian kelapa sawit mereka.  Mereka memanfaatkan bahan organik (tandan buah kosong kelapa sawit, pelepah, rumput, dan kotoran hewan) dari sekitar desa mereka. Pengetahuan para petani tentang penggunaan pupuk secara umum juga meningkat karena mereka sekarang memahami komposisi, dosis, dan teknik aplikasi pupuk. Selain itu, para petani telah berpartisipasi aktif dalam kelompok petani mereka karena mereka memproduksi pupuk organik secara kolektif. Terakhir, mereka mulai membuat buku catatan untuk memantau dampak praktik pertanian regeneratif secara aktif.
* Para petani berminat untuk berpartisipasi dalam program ini karena mereka ingin belajar tentang praktik baru yang akan bermanfaat bagi perkebunan mereka. Mereka menikmati belajar tentang memproduksi pupuk organik secara mandiri, yang dapat mengurangi biaya pemeliharaan perkebunan kelapa sawit mereka. Dalam jangka panjang, mereka berharap dapat meningkatkan produktivitas perkebunan mereka melalui penanaman tanaman penutup dan juga meningkatkan pendapatan dari tanaman perkebunan lainnya yang ditanam di perkebunan mereka.
* Untuk mereplikasi praktik pertanian regeneratif bagi kelompok petani lainnya, program pelatihan intensif harus disediakan bagi para petani di mana konsep pertanian regeneratif dapat dijelaskan berulang kali. Para petani juga harus diberitahu tentang kemungkinan penurunan produktivitas ketika mereka pertama kali mengadopsi praktik pertanian regeneratif. Peningkatan produktivitas dan pendapatan akan terjadi setelah beberapa tahun sejak adopsi praktik tersebut.

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 ![](https://petani.s3-ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/interventionentity/e5dd8199-8a67-495e-961c-2eaf2f9d7f18.jpg)

 ![Petani memproduksi pupuk organik untuk pertanian regeneratif di Bangkal](https://petani.s3-ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/interventionentity/3db6174b-07d1-4036-8307-cceb890b3039.jpg)

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Regenerative Agriculture in Smallholder Palm Oil Production Systems in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

Pertanian Regeneratif dalam Usahatani Kelapa Sawit Rakyat di Kalimantan Tengah, Indonesia