Enviro News Asia, Indramayu – The Ministry of Forestry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Perum Perhutani, has launched a Simultaneous Food Agroforestry Planting initiative. This initiative integrates forest trees and Multi-Purpose Tree Species (MPTS) with upland rice cultivation using an agroforestry approach. The planting took place in the Social Forestry Area of Cikawung Village, Terisi District, Indramayu Regency, West Java, on Tuesday, February 4, 2025.
This activity is part of the sustainable optimization of forest area utilization through an agroforestry approach, which integrates forestry and agricultural crops to enhance land productivity, strengthen food security, and improve the well-being of communities living near forest areas.
“Agroforestry development can also serve as an adaptive and effective mitigation solution to support food security,” said Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni during the event, as reported on Tuesday.
Minister Raja Juli Antoni emphasized his unwavering commitment—one that is growing stronger—to fulfilling President Prabowo Subianto’s directive to achieve food self-sufficiency. One key strategy is optimizing reserved forests for food crops, energy, and water conservation. “There is untapped forestry potential that has yet to be fully utilized. That is why the President has entrusted me with the task of maximizing forest functions,” he stated.
In this regard, he and his team at the Ministry of Forestry have identified 1.1 million hectares of land suitable for upland rice cultivation through agroforestry methods. “This is not about deforestation; rather, it is about revitalizing and reforesting degraded forests—whether due to natural factors, wildfires, or illegal logging—that have already become open lands,” he explained.
Through agroforestry, Minister Antoni noted that forest trees and Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) could be planted alongside upland rice, corn, and other crops to support food security. “The President has emphasized that forests must remain sustainable—this is non-negotiable. At the same time, development must continue, and people’s welfare must be ensured. These three elements must be implemented together,” he added.
The simultaneous planting of upland rice alongside forest trees and MPTS took place in the Social Forestry area of KTH Tani Jaya 4 in Indramayu Regency, West Java. The initiative was carried out concurrently at 26 planting sites across Indonesia, including six regional PSKL Centers, three Perum Perhutani regional work areas, and 17 sites under the Ministry of Agriculture’s guidance, covering approximately 122 hectares during the kick-off event.
For the first planting phase in 2025, the target is to cover approximately 111,176.18 hectares in Social Forestry areas, plus 30,056.7 hectares in Perhutani-managed areas, bringing the total to 141,232.88 hectares. With an average agroforestry rice productivity of 2 tons of dry grain per hectare—equivalent to 1 ton of rice per hectare—this initiative is expected to produce around 419,462.37 tons of rice per planting cycle
