Jakarta, 24th June 2024. A toolkit that allows Indonesian smallholder farmers to demonstrate they are Deforestation-Free and protecting their forests was launched today, paving the way for smallholder commodities to access global markets that are requiring Deforestation-Free such as the EU.
“Smallholders are often blamed for deforestation in Indonesia and then excluded from markets. However our work with smallholders is proving that they can be deforestation-free. We hope that through using the toolkit our smallholder members will have fairer market access and price for their products, and they will also support the governments’ commitment to reducing deforestation,” said Sabarudin, chairman of the Indonesian Oil Palm Smallholder Union (SPKS).
“We smallholder farmers who are members of the Poyo Tono Hibun Community as Dayak Hibun people strongly support this Deforestation-Free Toolkit. I saw for myself that this Toolkit was really developed based on input from smallholders, indigenous peoples and local communities, when the Toolkit was piloted in West Kalimantan. I have seen the positive impact myself. We need help from all parties so that smallholders can implement best practices and continue to conserve forests without being forced to leave our local wisdom and culture behind,” said Valens Andi, smallholder farmer from Sanggau Regency of West Kalimantan.
The Deforestation-Free toolkit for Indonesian smallholders has been developed over 6 years through a collaboration of the High Carbon Stock Approach (HCSA), the Indonesia Oil Palm Smallholders Union (SPKS), Farmers for Forest Protection Foundation (4F), Greenpeace and the High Conservation Value Network (HCVN). This included 4 years of field trials with smallholders in West Kalimantan to ensure the toolkit is simple to apply and well adapted to local community conditions.
“The EUDR and other international regulations simply cannot afford to disregard the vast potential for the contribution of smallholders to deforestation-free supply chains. The HCSA Smallholder toolkit enables small-scale farmers to prove they can produce commodities and conserve the forest and biodiversity while respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, therefore becoming a key link of sustainable supply chains and markets when partnering with large producers and buyers and as part of sustainable productive landscapes,” said Jesús Cordero, Executive Director of High Carbon Stock Approach.
“We worked in the village in partnership with the smallholders to develop the toolkit, including women and youth, and can see the forest that is being protected and improvements in their livelihoods. We are now looking to expand implementation of the toolkit throughout Indonesia, including the incentives and benefits for smallholder to protect their forests,” said Tirza Pandelaki, Executive Director of Farmers for Forest Protection Foundation (4F)
“Deforestation remains a major issue for Indonesia but with this toolkit smallholders will be able to support the Indonesian government in meeting its climate change and forest conservation targets. Greenpeace collaborated with the toolkit development in particular so it will allow smallholders to demonstrate they are deforestation-free, protecting their forests, and then able to meet the EU Deforestation Regulation requirements,” said Kiki Taufik, Global Project Leader of Indonesian Forest Campaign.
The Deforestation-Free smallholder toolkit is a participatory step-by-step guide for smallholder groups. It is rights-based through requiring the community to give their Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) for the different steps, and applies simple methods to identify and map all the forests and land cover on the village lands. It strengthens local institutions and governance of natural resources, and applies management and monitoring tools to protect the forest, along with incentives and benefits to the community to support the protection.
Read the Zero-Deforestation Guide for Indonesian Smallholders at these links:
Media Contact:
Tirza Pandelaki, Farmer for Forest Protection Foundation, +62 813-4292-0706
Sabaruddin, the Indonesian Oil Palm Smallholder Union (SPKS), +62 853-9899-5217
