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This paper investigates the impacts of a social forestry programme in Hutan Kamasyarakatan (HKm), Indonesia. The HKm programme provides groups of farmers with secure-tenure permits to continue farming on state protection forest land, in exchange for protecting remaining natural forest land, planting multistrata agroforests, and using recommended soil and water conservation (SWC) measures on their coffee plantations.

The authors investigate the impacts of the HKm programme on perceived land tenure security, land purchase prices, farmers’ investments in tree planting and SWC measures, and plot-level profits.

Key findings include:

• operators of plots with an HKm permit or HKm application pending are poorer on average than owners of private land but have comparable wealth to those who have not applied for HKm permits
• households with HKm permits have more formal education, have been settled somewhat longer in the village, are more likely to be involved in a coffee producers’ group or labour-sharing group, and have better access to markets, roads, and technical assistance
• a significant fraction of HKm group members are not aware of the programme or fully aware of its requirements. Although farmers who are aware understand the programme’s strong effects on tenure security and land values, the authors find insignificant impacts on the actual purchase prices of plots
• the HKm programme has contributed to increased planting of timber and multi-purpose trees
• the research did not find significant impacts on investments in SWC measures or on soil fertility management practices, and HKm has had mixed impacts on profits

The authors conclude that the findings of this study indicate generally favourable, though not overwhelming, impacts of the HKm programme. The scheme is seen to be pro-poor and to provide some environmental services and it is argued that this provides empirical support for continuing and expanding the programme.

At the same time, the authors assert that the findings suggest implementation of the programme could be improved through increased technical assistance to make it more accessible to eligible households that are not yet participating, and to increase awareness and understanding of the nature and requirements of the programme. In addition, it is argued that it is also advisable for the Forest Department to consider allowing HKm groups to harvest timber in a sustainable manner (with rotational replanting) from HKm areas, because the negative impact of timber planting on profitability may otherwise undermine compliance with the programme as well as its potential to contribute to poverty reduction.

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