Kaleka Agroforest in Central Kalimantan (Indonesia): Soil Quality, Hydrological Protection of Adjacent Peatlands, and Sustainability

Yosefin Ari Silvianingsih, Kurniatun Hairiah, Didik Suprayogo and Meine van Noordwijk
Additional contact information
Yosefin Ari Silvianingsih: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Palangka Raya, Palangka Raya 73111, Indonesia
Kurniatun Hairiah: Agroforestry Research Group, Faculty of Agriculture, Brawijaya University, Malang 65145, Indonesia
Didik Suprayogo: Agroforestry Research Group, Faculty of Agriculture, Brawijaya University, Malang 65145, Indonesia
Meine van Noordwijk: Agroforestry Research Group, Faculty of Agriculture, Brawijaya University, Malang 65145, Indonesia

Land, 2021, vol. 10, issue 8, 1-20

Abstract: Increased agricultural use of tropical peatlands has negative environmental effects. Drainage leads to landscape-wide degradation and fire risks. Livelihood strategies in peatland ecosystems have traditionally focused on transitions from riverbanks to peatland forests. Riparian ‘ Kaleka ’ agroforests with more than 100 years of history persist in the peatlands of Central Kalimantan (Indonesia), where large-scale open-field agricultural projects have dramatically failed. Our field study in a Dayak Ngaju village on the Kahayan river in the Pulang Pisau district involved characterizing land uses, surveying vegetation, measuring soil characteristics, and monitoring groundwater during a period of 16 months. We focused on how local practices and farmer knowledge compare with standard soil fertility (physical, chemical, biological) measurements to make meaningful assessments of risks and opportunities for sustainable land use within site-specific constraints. The Kaleka agroforests around a former settlement and sacred historical meaning are species-rich agroforests dominated by local fruit trees and rubber close to the riverbank. They function well with high wet-season groundwater tables (up to −15 cm) compatible with peatland restoration targets. Existing soil quality indices rate the soils, with low soil pH and high Al exch , as having low suitability for most annual crops, but active tree regeneration in Kaleka shows sustainability.

Keywords: acid soils; agroforestry; fruit trees; groundwater dynamics; land suitability; peatland rewetting; restoration; rubber (Hevea brasiliensis), tree regeneration; water balance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/8/856/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/8/856/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:10:y:2021:i:8:p:856-:d:615056

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().