AGUS HERMAWAN 1,3 , SHAHBAZ MUSHTAQ 1,2 , MOHSIN HAFEEZ 1

AGUS HERMAWAN1,3, SHAHBAZ MUSHTAQ1,2, MOHSIN HAFEEZ1

1International Centre of Water for Food Security, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia2Australian Centre for Sustainable Catchments, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Qld, Australia

3Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technologies, Central Java, Indonesia

Facts:About 45 percent of Indonesian land located on slope and hilly areas with elevation ranged from 350 to 1500 meter above sea level. The huge rainfall volume (>1500 mm/year) in several months.Population growth forces farmers to cultivate in steep slope upland by replacing native vegetation to annual crops with less soil conservation

consideration.

Results:land slides and soil erosion in the upland areas critical/marginal land, Marginal upland increasing rate: 400.000 hectares per year80 watersheds were in critical condition due to erosion and 36 out of which were in priorities rank (11 in Java island)upland productivity and economic viability tends to decreasepoverty of upland farmersnegative externality: sedimentation in rivers, dams and water canals system caused severe flood in rainy and drought in dry seasons

reducing lowland agricultural production.

Roots of upland problems: Less priority of upland development programs (compare to wetland), centralized and sectoral approach of government policies in the past, High erosion potency in upland (high intensity of rainfall, steep land, non-proper cropping pattern) Low productivity and small size of land ownership (0.3 - 2 hectares per farmer) lack of capital and less farmers motivation Extensions were inhibited by socio culture, infrastructure, and subsistence farming orientation

Need to develop land and water conservation farming to avoid land degradation and the lost of productive land, as well as to increase farmers welfare

Conservation farming system: integration of agriculture farming and conservation activities in upland area (hilly/mountainous)

Considerations :• sources of critical land problems • critical land status• soil characteristics and erodibility level• climate• socio economic status

• Problems of conservation farming: low adoption rate (example: adoption rate of bench terrace: 33%).

Integrated watershed management/IWM promising : a comprehensive approach, multi-resource management planning process in which link all stakeholders hand in hand:

• negotiate and define their interests, • set priorities, • evaluate alternatives, • Implement , • monitor outcomes

Reappraisal of Land and Water Conservation Farming in Slope Upland Areas for Sustainable Agriculture in Indonesia

Contact: Dr. Shahbaz MushtaqResearch Fellow Ph: (+617) 4631 2019E-mail: mushtaqs@usq.edu.au

Dr. Mohsin HafeezDirector, IC Water Ph: (+612) 6933 2542E-mail: mhafeez@csu.edu.au

International Centre of Water for Food Security Charles Sturt University

Locked Bag 588, Building 24Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650

 AustraliaPh: +612-6933 2989Fax: +612-6933 2647

http://www.icwater.org

Table 1. Distribution and land size of hilly-mountainous area in Indonesia. Type A: spread;y distributed; Tipe B: continuous with almost clear border Type C: continuous with very clear borderm asl: meters above sea levelSource: Agriculture land resource statistics (Soil and Agroclimate Research Centre, 1997)