Skip to main content
Log in

Out of the woods: social capital and smallholder dairy farmers' access to state-owned agroforestry lands in West Java, Indonesia

  • Published:
Agroforestry Systems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Most of the community-based forest management (CBFM/PHBM) literature has confirmed the role of social capital (SC) in helping forest-dependent communities access the state-forest areas, which includes its agroforestry lands. Nevertheless, the dynamics of SC to enable the smallholder dairy farmer (SDF) communities to access the agroforestry lands, including gaining, controlling, and maintaining the access, do not receive much attention. This research aims to examine the contribution of SC in promoting SDF communities in Indonesia to access agroforestry lands. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 40 dairy farmers and 25 key informants, focus group discussions, field observations, and document analysis by using qualitative case studies of four SDF communities in West Java province. The findings reveal that SC plays considerable roles in enabling various mechanisms or collective actions, by which the smallholders acquire affordable and long-term access, as well as increasing the communities’ awareness of sustainable forest management. First, SC establishes various affordable options to access agroforestry lands, which include informal access through land-to-labor exchanges between authorities and communities, right-to-use transfer systems, hereditary access schemes, and information sharing among farmers. Furthermore, SC provides low-cost mechanisms for controlling and maintaining access via fenceless agroforestry patch border control and peer-to-peer land supervision. Second, SC contributes to creating mechanisms that lead to long-term access via institution-based systems in maintaining agroforestry land boundaries and function, including the village–forest border system, the land sharing and land sparing use system, the creation of renewable land tenure, and the gradual sanction system. Lastly, the knowledge shared by the forest authority and common knowledge fostered by communities reinforced the communities’ awareness of sustainable forest management.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1

(Source: https://appgis.blogspot.com)—Note: The purple-shaded areas specify the conservation forests. The light-green-shaded areas depict the protection forests, and the light-yellow-shaded areas indicate the limited production forests

Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adger WN, Luttrell C (2000) special issue the values of wetlands: landscape and institutional perspectives property rights and the utilisation of wetlands.

  • Adger WN (2003) Social capital collective action and adaptation to climate change. Econ Geogr 79(4):387–404. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-8287.2003.tb00220.x

  • Adhikari KP (2008) Bridging, linking, and bonding social capital in collective action: the case of Kalahan forest reserve in the Philippines. Int Food Policy Res Instit. https://doi.org/10.2499/CAPRiWP79

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Agger A, Jensen JO (2015) Area-based initiatives—and their work in bonding, bridging and linking social capital. Eur Plan Stud 23(10):2045–2061. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2014.998172

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ahn TK, Ostrom E (2002) Social capital and the second generation theories of collective action: an analytical approach to the forms of social capital. The Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association

  • Akamani K, Hall TE (2015) Determinants of the process and outcomes of household participation in collaborative forest management in Ghana: a quantitative test of a community resilience model. J Environ Manage 147:1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2014.09.007

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Atshan S, Bixler RP, Rai V, Springer DW (2020) Pathways to urban sustainability through individual behaviors: the role of social capital. Environ Sci Pol 112:330–339

    Google Scholar 

  • Bizikova L, Nijnik M, Kluvankov´ A-Oravsk´ T (2012) Sustaining multifunctional forestry through the developing of social capital and promoting participation: a case of multiethnic mountain communities. Small-Scale For., 11:301–1=319.

  • Bourdieu P (2002) The forms of capital. In: Biggart NW (ed) Readings in Economic Sociology. Blackwell Publishers Ltd, pp 280–291

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw TK (2008) The post-place community: contributions to the debate about the definition of community. Community Dev 39(1):5–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/15575330809489738

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Brondizio ES, Ostrom E, Young OR (2009) Connectivity and the governance of multilevel social-ecological systems: the role of social capital. Annu Rev Environ Resour 34:253–278

    Google Scholar 

  • Chwe MSY (2001) Rational Ritual: Culture, Coordination, and Common Knowledge. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press

  • Coleman JS (1998) Social capital in the creation of human capital. Am J Sociol 94:95–120

    Google Scholar 

  • Coulibaly-Lingani P, Savadogo P, Tigabu M, Oden P-C (2011) Decentralization and community forest management in burkina faso: constraints and challenges. Int for Rev 13(4):476–486. https://doi.org/10.1505/146554811798811399

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cramb RA (2007) Participation in community Landcare groups in the Philippines: a social capital perspective. Austr J Environ Manage 14(2):93–102. https://doi.org/10.1080/14486563.2007.10648706

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Creswell JW (2009) Editorial: mapping the field of mixed methods research. J Mixed Methods Res 3(2):95–108. https://doi.org/10.1177/1558689808330883

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Creswell JW, Poth CN (2018) qualitative inquiry and research design choosing among five approaches, 4th edn. SAGE Publications, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Dahal GR, Adhikari KP (2008) Bridging, linking, and bonding social capital in collective action: the case of Kalahan forest reserve in the Philippines. CAPRI Woking Paper No. 79 (CAPRI Woking Paper No. 79).

  • Dasgupta P (2000) Economic progress and the idea of social capital. In: Dasgupta P, Serageld I (eds) Social capital a multifaceted perspective. The World Bank, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • de Kraker J (2017) Social learning for resilience in social–ecological systems. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 28:100–107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2017.09.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Vries M, Wouters B (2017) Characteristics of small-scale dairy farms in Lembang, West-Java. https://doi.org/10.18174/430110

  • Devendra C, Thomas D (2002) Smallholder farming systems in Asia. Agric Syst 71(1–2):17–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0308-521X(01)00033-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dietz T, Dolsak N, Ostrom E, Stern PC (2002) The drama of the commons. In: Ostrom E, Dietz T, Dolsak N, Stern PC, Stonich S, Weber EU (eds) The drama of the commons. National Academi Press, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Djamhuri TL (2012) The effect of incentive structure to community participation in a social forestry program on state forest land in Blora District, Indonesia. Forest Policy Econ 25:10–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2012.02.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dressler W, Büscher B, Schoon M, Brockington DAN, Hayes T, Kull CA, McCarthy J, Shrestha K (2010) From hope to crisis and back again? A critical history of the global CBNRM narrative. Environ Conserv 37(1):5–15. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892910000044

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fujiwara T, Septiana RM, Awang SA, Widayanti WT, Bariatul H, Hyakumura K, Sato N (2012) Changes in local social economy and forest management through the introduction of collaborative forest management (PHBM), and the challenges it poses on equitable partnership: a case study of KPH Pemalang, Central Java. Indonesia TROPICS 20(4):115–134

    Google Scholar 

  • Fukuyama F (1995) Social capital and the global economy. Foreign Aff 74(5):89. https://doi.org/10.2307/20047302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gayatri S, Trisetyo EB, Satmoko SR (2010) Social trust and dairy cattle farming case study: dairy cattle farmers in Getasan village. Paper of Social-economics Laboratory, Diponegoro University, Central Java province

    Google Scholar 

  • Gayatri S, Dizon J, Rebancos C, Querijero N (2011) The dimension of Cooperativism and dairy cattle farming in Getasan Village, Semarang Regency, Central Java Province, Indonesia. J Indonesian Tropical Animal Agriculture 36(2):131–136

  • Gittell R, Videl A (1998) Social capital and networks in community development: framing the LISC demonstration. Community organizing: building social capital as a development strategy. SAGE Publications, NewYork

    Google Scholar 

  • Gong Y, Bull GQ, Baylis KR (2010) Participation in the first CDM project: the role of property rights, social capital and contractual rules. Ecol Econ 69(6):1292–1302

    Google Scholar 

  • Gorriz-Mifsud E, Secco L, Pisani E (2016) Exploring the interlinkages between governance and social capital: a dynamic model for forestry. For Policy Econ 65:25–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Gouldner AW (1960) The norm of reciprocity: a preliminary statement. Am Sociol Rev 25(2):161–178

    Google Scholar 

  • Granovetter MS (1973) The strength of weak ties. Am J Sociol 78(6):1360–1380. https://doi.org/10.1086/225469

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grootaert C (1999) Social capital, household welfare, and poverty in Indonesia (Vol. Local Level Institutions Working Paper 10). .

  • Gunawan B, Takeuchi K, Tsunekawa A, Abdoellah OS (2004) Community dependency on forest resources in West Java. Indones J Sustain For 18(4):29–46. https://doi.org/10.1300/J091v18n04_02

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunecke C, Engler A, Jara-Rojas R, Poortvliet PM (2017) Understanding the role of social capital in adoption decisions: an application to irrigation technology. Agric Syst 153:221–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2017.02.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ido A (2019) The effect of social capital on collective action in community forest management in Cambodia. Commons Int J 13(1):777–803

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenke M, Pretzsch J (2021) Network administrators facilitate information sharing among communal forest organizations in Thailand. Forest Policy Econ 126:102436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2021.102436

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kant S, Vertinsky I (2022) The anatomy of social capital of a Canadian indigenous community: implications of social trust field experiments for community-based forest management. Forest Policy Econ 144:102822. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2022.102822

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King NK (2004) Social capital and nonprofit leaders. Nonprofit Manag Leadersh 14(4):471–486

    Google Scholar 

  • Koput KW (2010) Social capital: an introduction to managing networks. Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham

    Google Scholar 

  • Larson AM, Pacheco P, Toni F, Vallejo M (2007) The effects of forestry decentralization on access to livelihood assets. J Environ Dev 16(3):251–268

    Google Scholar 

  • Lecuyer L, White RM, Schmook B, Calmé S (2018) Building on common ground to address biodiversity conflicts and foster collaboration in environmental management. J Environ Manage 220:217–226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.05.014

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lee Y, Rianti IP, Park MS (2017) Measuring social capital in Indonesian community forest management. For Sci Technol 13(3):133–141

    Google Scholar 

  • Star energy geothermal Wayang windu limited (Star Energy). (2018) Internalizing sustainable operations for sustainable future: 2018 sustainable report. Jakarta: Star Energy.

  • Lindayati R (2000) Community forestry policies in selected Southeast Asian countries (Rural Poverty and Environment Working Paper Series). https://www.academia.edu/5477215/Community_Forestry_Policies_in_Selected_Southeast_Asian_Countries

  • Lusiana B, van Noordwijk M, Cadisch G (2012) Land sparing or sharing? Exploring livestock fodder options in combination with land use zoning and consequences for livelihoods and net carbon stocks using the FALLOW model. Agr Ecosyst Environ 159:145–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2012.07.006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma Z, Guo S, Deng X, Xu D (2022) Place attachment, community trust, and farmer’s community participation: evidence from the hardest-hit areas of. Int J Disaster Risk Reduct 73:102892. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2022.102892

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maryudi A, Krott M (2012) Local struggle for accessing state forest property in a montane forest village in Java. Indonesia J Sustain Dev 5:62–68. https://doi.org/10.5539/jsd.v5n7p62

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maryudi A, Citraningtyas ER, Purwanto RH, Sadono R, Suryanto P, Riyanto S, Siswoko BD (2016) The emerging power of peasant farmers in the tenurial conflicts over the uses of state forestland in Central Java, Indonesia. Forest Policy Econ 67:70–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2015.09.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matarrita-Cascante D, Trejos B (2013) Community resilience in resource-dependent communities: a comparative case study. Environ Plan A 45:1387–1402

    Google Scholar 

  • Matous P (2015) Social networks and environmental management at multiple levels: soil conservation in Sumatra. Ecol Soc 20(3):17

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Mayers J, Vermeulen S (2002) Company-community forestry partnerships: from raw deals to mutual gains?. Instrumens for sustainable private sector forestry series

  • McMillan DW, Chavis DM (1986) Sense of community: a definition and theory. J Commun Psychol 14(1):6–23. https://doi.org/10.1002/1520-6629(198601)14:1%3c6::AID-JCOP2290140103%3e3.0.CO;2-I

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meinzen-Dick R, Di Gregorio M (2004) Collective action and property rights for sustainable development. 2020 vision for food, agriculture and the environment. Focus 11, Brief 1

  • Ministry of Agriculture (2017) Outlook Susu: Komoditas Pertanian Subsektor Peternakan. .

  • Musavengane R (2019) Land reform and the promotion of collaborative community-based ecotourism at Somkhanda Game Reserve, South Africa. Positive Tourism in Africa. Routledge, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Myers R, Hansen CP (2020) Revisiting a theory of access: a review. Soc Nat Resour 33(2):146–166. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2018.1560522

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nahapiet S (1998) Social capital, intellectual capital, and the organizational advantage. Acad Manage Rev 23(2):242–266

    Google Scholar 

  • Nath TK, Jashimuddin M, Kamrul Hasan Md, Shahjahan Md, Pretty J (2016) The sustainable intensification of agroforestry in shifting cultivation areas of Bangladesh. Agrofor Syst 90(3):405–416. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-015-9863-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nomura K (2008) The politics of participation in forest management: a case from democratizing Indonesia. J Environ Dev 17:166–191

    Google Scholar 

  • Ostrom E (1990) Governing the commons: the evolution of institutions for collective action. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Ostrom E (1998) A behavioral approach to the rational choice theory of collective action: presidential address, American political science association, 1997. Am Polit Sci Rev 92(1):1–22. https://doi.org/10.2307/2585925

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ostrom E (2003) Institution as rules-in-use. In: Ostrom E, Ahn TK (eds) Foundations of Social Capital. Edward Elgar Pub, Cheltenham

    Google Scholar 

  • Ostrom E, Ahn TK (2009) The meaning of social capital and its link to collective action. In: Svendsen GT, Svendsen GLH (eds) Handbook of social capital: the troika of sociology, political science and economics. Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, Cheltenham, pp 17–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Parikesit TK, Tsunekawa A, Abdoellah OS (2005) Resource analysis of small-scale dairy production system in an Indonesian village—A case study. Agric Ecosyst Environ 105(3):541–554. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2004.07.013

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patton MQ (2015) Qualitative research & evaluation methods: integrating theory and practice, 4th edn. SAGE Publications, NewYork

    Google Scholar 

  • Patulny RV, Svendsen LH (2007) Exploring the social capital grid: bonding, bridging, qualitative, quantitative. Int J Sociol Soc Policy 27(1/2):32–51. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443330710722742

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peluso NL (1993) Traditions of forest control in Java: implications for social forestry and sustainability. Global Ecol Biogeogr Lett 3:138–157

    Google Scholar 

  • Portes A (1998) Social capital: its origins and applications in modern sociology. Ann Rev Sociol 24(1):1–24. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.24.1.1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Portes A (2000) The two meanings of social capital. Sociol Forum 15(1):1–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Prasetyo LB, Damayanti EK, Masuda M (2012) Land cover changes before and after implementation of the PHBM program in Kuningan District, West Java. Indonesia Tropics 21(2):47–58. https://doi.org/10.3759/tropics.21.47

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pretty J (2003) Social capital and the collective management of resources. Science 302(5652):1912–1914. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1090847

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pretty J, Smith D (2004) Social capital in biodiversity conservation and management. Conserv Biol 18(3):631–638. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2004.00126.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Putnam RD (1993) Making democracy work: civic traditions in modern Italy. Princeton University Press, Princeton

    Google Scholar 

  • Putnam RD (2000) Bowling alone : the collapse and revival of American community. Simon & Schuster, NewYork

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramirez-Sanchez S, Pinkerton E (2009) The impact of resource scarcity on bonding and bridging social capital: the case of fishers’ information-sharing networks in Loreto, BCS Mexico. Ecol Soc 14(1):22

    Google Scholar 

  • Ribot JC, Peluso NL (2003) A theory of access. Rural Sociol 68(2):153–181

    Google Scholar 

  • Roslinda E, Ekyastuti W, Kartikawati SM (2017) Social capital of community forest management on Nusapati Village, Mempawah District, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 1892:548–554

    Google Scholar 

  • Sabatini F (2009a) The relationship between trust and networks. Explor Empir Anal Econ Bull 29(2):661–672

    Google Scholar 

  • Sabatini F (2009b) Social capital as social networks: a new framework for measurement and an empirical analysis of its determinants and consequences. J Socio-Econ 38(3):429–442. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2008.06.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saldana J (2016) The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Sage Publications, Newyork

    Google Scholar 

  • Santika T, Meijaard E, Budiharta S, Law EA, Kusworo A, Hutabarat JA, Wilson KA (2017) Community forest management in Indonesia: avoided deforestation in the context of anthropogenic and climate complexities. Global Environ Change 46:60–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2017.08.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarantakos S (2005) Social research, 3rd edn. Palgrave Macmillan, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Sembada P, Duteurtre G, Purwanto BP, Suryahadi (2016) Improved milk production performance of smallholder farms in West Java (Indonesia). Trop Anim Health Prod 48(4):793–799. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-016-1029-2

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Simarmata N, Yuniarti K, Riyono B, Patria B (2019) The Decadence of Gotong Royong. In: Paper presented at the 2019 Ahmad Dahlan international conference series on education and learning, social science & humanities (ADICS-ELSSH 2019)

  • Sopandi A, Rule LC (2000) Comparative analysis of four pine plantation management situations in West Java. J Trop For Sci 12(4):656–668

    Google Scholar 

  • Suharti S, Darusman D, Nugroho B, Sundawati L (2016) Strengthening social capital for propelling collective action in mangrove management. Wetlands Ecol Manage 24(6):683–695. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-016-9496-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Susanty A, Bakhtiar A, Jie F, Muthi M (2017) The empirical model of trust, loyalty, and business performance of the dairy milk supply chain. British Food J 119(12):2765–2787. https://doi.org/10.1108/bfj-10-2016-0462

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swanborn PG (2010) Case study research: what, why and how? SAGE Publication, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Tam KP, Chan HW (2018) Generalized trust narrows the gap between environmental concern and pro-environmental behavior: multilevel evidence. Glob Environ Chang 48:182–194

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor S (2007) Creating social capital in MNCs: the international human resource management challenge. Hum Resour Manag J 17(4):336–354

    Google Scholar 

  • Tracts CH, Chakma B (2022) Subsistence, risk-taking, and reciprocity among the Tanchangya in the. Asian J Soc Sci 50(1):27–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajss.2021.10.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uphoff N (2000) Understanding social capital: Learning from the analysis and experience of participation. In: Dasgupta P, Serageldin I (eds) Social capital: a multifaceted perspective. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 215–249

    Google Scholar 

  • Uphoff N, Wijayaratna CM (2000) Demonstrated benefits from social capital: the productivity of farmer organizations in Gal Oya. Sri Lanka World Dev 28(11):1875–1890

    Google Scholar 

  • Woolcock M (1998) Social capital and economic development: toward a theoretical synthesis and policy framework. Theory Soc 27(2):151–208. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006884930135

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woolcock M (2001) The place of social capital in understanding social and economic outcomes. Canadian J Policy Res 2(1):11–17

  • Woolcock M, Sweetser AT (2002) Bright ideas: social capital—The bonds that connect. ADB Rev 34(2):26–27

    Google Scholar 

  • Wouters A (2009) Dairy sector development Indonesia: options for cooperation with The Netherlands

  • Yin RK (2014) Case study research: design and methods, 5th edn. SAGE Publication, NewYork

    Google Scholar 

  • Yokota Y, Harada K, Rohman Silvi NO, Wiyono Tanaka M, Inoue M (2014) Contributions of company-community forestry partnerships (PHBM) to the livelihoods of participants in Java, Indonesia: a case study in Madiun, East Java. Jpn Agric Res Quarter JARQ 48(3):363–377. https://doi.org/10.6090/jarq.48.363

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank Professor Hugh Campbell and Professor Etienne Nel for their valuable contribution in accomplishing the research and preparing the manuscript. The authors gratitude is also extended to Pehutani, KPBS-Pangalengan, and KPSBU-Lembang representatives, as well as to farmers who provided support and participation during my fieldwork.

Funding

This work was funded by Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan (LPDP/Dana Pendidikan) (LPDP/Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education) and The University of Otago.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

All authors have equal contributions in the process of planning, writing, evaluating, and other stages of manuscript writing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ary Widiyanto.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The author declares no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kresna, R., Winara, A., Widiyanto, A. et al. Out of the woods: social capital and smallholder dairy farmers' access to state-owned agroforestry lands in West Java, Indonesia. Agroforest Syst 98, 637–652 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-023-00934-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-023-00934-z

Keywords

Navigation