THE IMPORTANCE OF INTEGRATED SMALL RUMINANT – OIL PALM SYSTEM FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION IN BENGKULU PROVINCE, INDONESIA.

The importance of small ruminants has been highlight as they can provide meat, fertilizer, cash income, and deposits. The poverty line in Indonesia remains high (12%) this year, while in the same time the total area of Indonesian oil palm has been steadily increasing throughout the year that reached almost 9.1 million ha this year. It is very prospective to use the free and available land under the oil palm plantation, especially under small scale private plantations, for grazing and providing small ruminant feed. Small ruminant, local goat and sheep, has been introduced recently to be integrated with the oil palm system. As most of the property of private own oil palm plantation in Bengkulu is relatively small (average of 2.4 hectare/farm, ranging from 1.21 up to 5.21 hectare/farm), and have limited access of bank credit, knowledge, and skills, the introduction of small ruminant is the oil palm area was preferable, compared with the big ruminant, especially cattle. This paper highlight the poverty situation in Bengkulu province, and the way the integrated small ruminant-oil palm system can alleviate the provincial poverty condition. The most popular local Indonesian Kacang goat has more advantages compared with the others local sheep (Fat Tail sheep, Thin Tail sheep, Garut sheep) or even other bigger goat (Ettawa, and PE – Peranakan/Crossed Etawa)