Improving oil palm yield on smallholder peatland plots in Indonesia

144 Sekretariat Perizinan Penelitian Asing Kementerian Riset dan Teknologi DIREKTORI PENELITIAN ASING DI INDONESIA 2013

87. Improving oil palm yield on smallholder peatland plots in Indonesia

Tujuan Penelitian : Memahami dampak BMP Best Management Practices pada pertumbuhan minyak sawit untuk dapat meningkatkan produktivitas minyak sawit Bidang Penelitian : Pertanian Daerah Penelitian : Riau Perkebunan Ds. Dosan di Siak, Sumut Simalungun, Jambi, Kalbar Lama Penelitian : 12 dua belas bulan mulai 25 September 2013 Mitra Kerja : PT. PP London Sumatra Indonesia Tbk Ir. Ahmad Subagyo Abstrak Smallholder oil palm farmers in Indonesia generally underperform in terms of yield due to a range of reasons, including lack of access to inance, lack of good quality seeds and inputs, poor soils and drainage, and a lack of knowledge and experience. In this project, we propose to assess the size of the yield gap and to increase knowledge and improve skills of smallholder oil palm farmers by setting up on- farm experimental plots where Best Management Practices BMPs are to be implemented in a step-wise fashion and yields will be recorded carefully. We have chosen this approach because: - It will improve knowledge on how fast, to what extent, and against what costs the yield gap can be bridged. - It will test the efectiveness of demonstration plots as a tool to improve production in a single area. This approach will provide farmers with a real life demonstration of Best Management Practices and their potential, instead of theory only. In the reseach areas, we advise the farmers on how to implement BMPs, using the plots as a starting point to tackle the constraints that the farmers encounter. We focus on providing farmers with training and support, and on monitoring yields, palm growth, and impacts of the project on livelihoods in the broader community. 145 Sekretariat Perizinan Penelitian Asing Kementerian Riset dan Teknologi DIREKTORI PENELITIAN ASING DI INDONESIA 2013 The demonstration plots are established step-wise, starting with basic agronomic practices and fertilisation to overcome key deiciencies. Later, farmers will be trained to implement optimum fertilization, integrated pest management, selective thinning and other more advanced practices where needed. Trainings are given in the ield, using locally available inputs and materials. In this way, we stimulate ‘best-it’ intensiication, which depends to a large extent on spontaneous difusion for its spread and uptake in the wider community. A key outcome of the project, will be to identify the practices which farmers readily adopt, and to adapt or discard the practices which do not take hold.

87.1 Ms. Lotte Suzanne Woittiez