Management of coffee agroforestry systems: lessons learned from a social forestry program in West Java, Indonesia

Indonesia has a long history of social forestry (SF). The essence of this scheme is to involve the community in managing state forests. The agroforestry system is the main choice, with trees already on forest land. The combination of trees and crops provides an alternative livelihood for the community. Coffee plants are one of the choices for undergrowth plants. This study aims to explain the management of coffee agroforestry in social forestry programs. The method used was direct observation in the field combined with a focus group discussion involving six Forest Village Community Institutions (LMDH) with 15 respondents for each LMDH. The results showed that farmers mainly chose coffee because it was shade-tolerant, allowing it to grow well under tree stands. Coffee management in SF with an agroforestry system differs from a monoculture cultivation system in terms of spacing, number of coffee plants per hectare, land preparation techniques, planting, maintenance, and productivity. The government can encourage the management of coffee agroforestry systems in state forests through social forestry schemes by providing training and facilities to increase the added value of coffee in advanced products, providing access to production facilities, capital, and markets, and institutionally strengthening farmer groups.