Increasing productivity and profitability of Indonesian smallholder plantations: final report

By world standards, Indonesia has a very large installed pulp and paper processing capacity,  and further plans for expansion. The value to Indonesia is more than US$4.2B per year. There is a rapid transition in the industry away from natural forest as the main feedstock to  sustainably grown plantations. Large areas of plantations have been established, and there is a need to ensure that they remain productive and sustainable in the short and long term, both to protect the remaining natural forest, and to keep generating wealth for Indonesia. Key risks to productivity and sustainability include the fact that the principal species planted by  growers, Acacia mangium, is substantially threatened by fungal diseases, including Ganoderma and Ceratocystis. The aim of this project was to develop new knowledge around best management options for growers to profitably manage plantations in successive rotations, with an emphasis on ensuring that the knowledge can be transferred to smallholder farmers in Indonesia. The biophysical, pathological and social science research was organised under six objectives with activities designed to improve Indonesian hardwood plantation productivity and profitability by targeted species choice and product mix, nutrient management, and rootrot control, to facilitate greater smallholder participation and profitability