The persilan on agroforestry crops system in java production forest

Agroforestry is an agricultural system that integrates primary trees and alternative crops on the same land to provide economic, social, and ecological benefits. One of the agroforestry planting patterns is called Persilan. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the concept of persilan carried out by pesanggem (forest farmers) in several blood types in Java. Researchers observed agroforestry activities in three districts in Java, namely Rembang, Blora, and Tuban. To see agricultural patterns in several regions of Java, we used secondary data studies and Google Maps. In addition, we also collect data through stakeholder surveys to find out the philosophy, land plot, calendar, and ecological function of persilan patterns. The results showed interesting facts related to land parcels in the context of agroforestry which were widely developed in several regions, including Pati, Grobogan, Rembang, Blora, Tuban, to Bojonogoro. Persilan is a form of agriculture where people use Perum Perhutani production forests as their planting land. They plant in the empty parts between the trees by combining primary plants with interstitial plants for 5 years. The concept of Persilan plays a role in maintaining the ecological balance of forests, economic prosperity, and social welfare of local communities.


Introduction
In the last three decades, agroforestry-based forest management has begun to be developed in several regions in Indonesia [1].An agroforestry system is a land-use strategy that combines tree-based systems (woody perennials) with crops and animals [2] in some form of spatial arrangement and a temporal sequence.Agroforestry can also be defined as a dynamic, ecologically based system of natural resource management through the integration of trees in agricultural land and landscapes, diversifying and sustaining production to increase social, economic and environmental benefits for those who have access to these lands [3].
Agroforestry systems have received recognition as a sustainable land use practice [4] that can increase ecological resilience [5], increase food security [6], and provide economic benefits [3].The concept of agroforestry aligns with the growing need to balance production-oriented activities with conservation efforts [7], especially in areas such as Java Island, where production forests play an important role in human life.Production forests refer to forests specifically managed to produce wood or other forest products sustainably to ensure that exploitation of forest resources can be carried out without damaging the environment or threatening the sustainability of the forest itself [8].Sustainability principles, such as replanting felled trees and protecting biodiversity, are often applied in production forest management.Integrating agroforestry practices can provide an innovative pathway to sustainable land management in production forests, where both timber and non-timber forest products are harvested [9].
The island of Java is known for its rich biodiversity and historical significance in agriculture and forestry, presenting a complex environment where land use must balance conservation, food security and economic prosperity [10].In Java production forests, a new model was developed by communities living in the border areas of Central Java and East Java, covering Blora, Pati, Rembang, Tuban and Bojonegoro Regencies.The model is known as "Persilan".Persilan has emerged, offering interesting insights into agroforestry crop systems adapted to the unique characteristics of this region.The Persilan concept aims to provide a comprehensive framework for implementing agroforestry practices within production forests in Java, focusing on optimizing land productivity, enhancing ecosystem services, and developing local livelihoods.However, information regarding "Persilan" is still limited in the literature.Persilan involves strategically selecting tree species, crops, and other plant components to build synergistic relationships that optimize land productivity while preserving ecosystem function.

Methods
This research was conducted from January to March 2023 on the border of Central Java Province and East Java Province which includes Rembang Regency (111°00'-111°30' E and 60°30'-70°06' S), Blora Regency (111 °016'-111°338' E and 6°528'-7°248' S), and Tuban Regency (111°30'-112°35' E and 6°40'-7°18' S).The location selection was made based on the geographical location of the area, which is the area with the largest production forest area on the island of Java.Apart from that, these three regions are the centre of agroforestry with a Persilan concept.
In collecting data, we used field observation techniques, secondary data studies and Google Maps to see the existence and mapping of Persilan in several areas on the island of Java.We also collected data through in-depth interviews with pesanggem and community leaders to find out how philosophy, land plots, dates and ecological functions affect forest balance.Next, the data is analyzed and visualized descriptively [11].

Persilan in Philosophy
The term Persil is widely used by communities around the forest and has meaning in managing land around the forest.Persil in the sense of the community, is something that refers to the ownership of land owned by Perum Pehutani, which can be used for cultivating alternate/seasonal crops when there is clearing of production forest in certain areas that have been planned.As a land provider, Perum Perhutani is an Indonesian state-owned enterprise which operates in the forestry sector.Perum Perhutani has a unique program in forest management where community partners manage the forest and from this the "Pengelolaan Hutan Bersama Masyarakat" or PHBM program was born.Pengelolaan Hutan Bersama Masyarakat is a forest resource management system that is based on a collaborative model between the community or Perum Perhutani stakeholders and interested parties to achieve the best preservation of the function and benefits of forest resources through the provision of land, hereinafter referred to as persil land.In Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, the official dictionary of the Indonesian Language said that the term persil refers to a plot of land with a certain size or an area of 0.25 hectares, specifically used for plantations or housing.Apart from plots of land, the community also often uses other terms that refer to planting land, such as "bokan," which is taken from the phrase "bukaan" that means "clearing land."This term refers to land originally part of the forest, which was later cleared and used for agricultural or plantation activities.The term "bokan" reflects the process of changing land use from what was originally natural in the form of forest to being productive and used to meet community needs.Apart from that, some call persils "wono," which is an absorption from Sanskrit; in some areas, it means forest.These terms reflect the community's understanding of these lands, both in the context of historical use and their natural role as forests.
People who carry out Persil activities is called Pesanggem.Those in the area often use the term persils to refer to small plots of land used for agricultural activities.In this context, persils often refer to cultivated lands managed by pesanggem to overcome economic challenges.Persilan is carried out in cooperation by the community, with family and neighbors.Pesanggem goes to the persils of land with all their daily necessities, such as farming tools, kitchen needs, and clothing.The time needed in one planting period is 3-4 months, so they will settle in coals (a simple and temporary hut).The coal is produced using wood from forest products with permission from the Perhutani officer responsible for the area.Roofs from coals usually use tarps or leaves, often found in forest areas.Their daily life will be spent farming and chatting with other pesanggem, while bathing, washing, and defecating will be done at a water source in the forest.
Persilan refers to agricultural activities carried out by communities in forest areas who have access to utilize forest land owned by Perum Perhutani as agricultural/cultivated land for planting seasonal crops.Planting is carried out on forest land that has been previously logged and processed into land ready for planting.The pesanggem plants in empty fields between the replanted tree seedlings to preserve the forest.The management community is responsible for protecting and caring for tree seedlings planted on persils of land as compensation for cultivating the land.The plants planted on persils of land only require a little water, including corn, cassava, and beans.Even though the farming community owns a large land area, they still make concessions.This is because planting Persilan of land has become a tradition deeply rooted in people living around the forest.
Persilan can be found in production forest areas in Pati, Grobogan, Rembang, Blora, Tuban, and Bojonogoro districts.This condition is strongly influenced by the characteristics of this region, which has extensive production forests, so it has a potential for land clearing.

Persilan Pattern
Persilan has several patterns applied by pesanggem in production forests, according to the composition of the plants to be cultivated.Two types of plants are planted in the cross-section, namely the main plant and intercrops.The main crops planted in the plots are forestry plants such as Teak Plus (Tectona grandis L.f.), which are planted with filler plants including Leucaena leucocephala and Schleichera oleosa, edge crops (Swietenia mahagoni), Multi Purpose Tree Species (MPTS), and sappan hedges (Biancaea sappan).Meanwhile, the interlude crops grown by pesanggem are generally annual crops such as corn (Zea mays), rice (Oriza sativa), and cassava (Manihor esculenta).Most pesanggem grow corn (Zea mays) as a side crop, but there are also pesanggem that intercrop with other crops such as chili and peanuts.In addition to easy maintenance, corn has a fairly high selling value compared to other annual crops.
The cropping pattern on the plots is applied alternately between the main crop and intercrops.The planting period on the land is five years, divided into 2 years of land clearing and 3 years of planting.In the first year of land clearing, the main plants that are ready to be cut will be marked and tested to kill the plants before being cut down.Main crops such as Teak Plus Perhutani (JPP) are cut down after 10-15 years old.This is as stated by [12] that harvesting JPP trees should be done when trees are over 10 years old, given the limitations of the basic properties of the wood when compared to conventional teak.
Furthermore, in the second year of land clearing, dead trees will be cut down, and the land will be cleared to be ready for planting intercrops.In the third year, the planting of intercrops was started, followed by the planting of new seeds for the main crops.The planting of alternate crops is carried out until the fifth year before the intercrops stop being planted with intercalary crops because the main crop that is already large decreases the intercrops' productivity.

Figure 1. Pattern of persilan
The planting pattern on the plot itself generally has one main crop for every nine square meters in one persil of land.The main crops are planted on the sidelines of the alternate crops so that the pesanggem can simultaneously care for the main crops following the directions from Perhutani.The spacing used by pesanggem when planting corn is 70cm with a seed depth of 6cm.This aligns with research [13], which suggests that the ideal standard for planting corn is that the seeds are planted at a depth of 6cm with a spacing of 70cm.Whereas for cassava plants, a planting distance of 75-100 cm is given according to research conducted by [14] that the best distance for cassava in a planting pattern is 75 cm.

Figure 2. The persilan pattern in one period
The purpose of land use is to achieve sustainable and optimal land management.By integrating intercrops that give fast yields and main crops that have long-term benefits, cross-cropping systems can increase land productivity by producing various crops, such as agricultural products, timber and non-timber products.The Persilan planting system is also the main source of income for the pesanggem who do not have private land to cultivate so that it can increase the level of community welfare.In addition, a Persilan cropping system can simultaneously preserve forests and natural ecosystems.
Based on the study's results, three types of plant combinations exist in the vacant land.The first is the main crop with corn, the second is the main crop with cassava, and the third is the main crop with cassava and corn.These three plants are most often planted by pesanggem in the Rembang district.First, there is an approach of planting the main crop of corn, which benefits from fast agricultural yields and can be utilized in a relatively short time, providing quick solutions to the needs and economy of pesanggem.Second, another variant involves planting main crops and cassava, characterized by long-term cultivation and significant economic potential.Third, there is an approach combining the main crops, cassava and maize, which combines the benefits of both crops: the rapid yield of maize and the long-term resilience and benefits of cassava.The three combinations in this Persilan cropping system provide: • Insight for pesanggem on sustainable farming systems.
• Reflecting local wisdom in optimizing land yields by combining fast crops and long-term yields.
• Providing alternative livelihoods that positively impact the pesanggem 's standard of living.

Calendar of Persilan
The period of seed planting is five years, divided into 2 years of land clearing with teres crops and 3 years of planting new main crops.In the first year of land clearing, the main plants that are ready to be cut will be marked and then treated by taking the cambium of the plants so that they kill the main plants.This is done at the beginning of the rain in the first year and two years before the main crop is cut down.In the first two years, pesanggem has been allowed to plant Persilan plants on the sidelines of the main crops because Tectona grandis L.f., the cambium has been removed so that it does not interfere with the growth of intercrops (which are usually planted in the early growing season of Zea mays and Manihot esculenta).
The main crops are felled in the third year, and new plants are replaced.As shown in Table 2, intercrops will be planted in addition to the new main crop planting.The intercrops planted then were much more diverse, such as Zea mays, Manihot esculenta, Oriza sativa, and Glycine max.However, the planted intercrops have optimal growth at certain times, so the message is to plant them according to the conditions of the land and the right time.For example, Oryza sativa is suitable for planting during the first planting period because the pesanggem believes that this plant can grow optimally.Besides that, Glycine max is more optimal when planted in the second growing season.The planting of intercrops is only carried out by pesanggem in two growing seasons due to geographical factors, so intercropping is only carried out through rainfed.The sales calendar can be seen in Figure 3.

The Persilan in Ecologycal Function
Plot cultivation is important for pesanggem farmers as a livelihood strategy to meet their needs.Abundant resources provide convenience for communities around forests in Rembang Regency.Not only functioning for agriculture, production forests in Rembang Regency have a lot of abundant biodiversity and animals that coexist with each other.Forest sustainability is important in this persil cropping pattern, especially with the entry of the community to cultivate the land in the forest.As stated by [15], by entering the community into the forest for cultivation, they remember the side of forest conservation, biological and animal.The people who cultivate persils of land are called pesanggem and depend on the forest for their livelihood.Living side by side with the forest has become normal in their daily lives.
On the other hand, the forest also requires the involvement of pesanggem to maintain its existence so that the two of them have a bond that needs each other.As stated by [16], the reciprocal relationship between forests and humans in agroforestry is like the human need for forests as a livelihood so that their ecosystem must protect and maintain forests.So apart from being the livelihood of the persil planting pesanggem, it also has an ecological function in maintaining forest sustainability.The pesanggem carries out this ecological function in conjunction with processing persils of land for cultivation.Pesanggem consciously understands the importance of preserving the forest by protecting it from threats such as burning or illegal hunting of animals.In managing the planting of persils of land, the pesanggem actively maintains the forest's existence.

Figure 3. The Callendar of Persilan
Pesanggem in Rembang Regency is fully aware of protecting the forest, as seen in their cultivation methods and other activities.In carrying out cultivation activities, there is a cycle maintained by the pesanggem for the production of forests.This cycle lasts 5 years, which means that in managing persils of land, the pesanggem is only limited for that time.This starts from 2 years after the teak trees are pressed to harvest and continues 3 years after the teak trees are harvested or after the age of the teak trees is only 3 years, which can be seen in (figure 2) with a cropping pattern between corn, cassava and teak trees.This cycle is useful for maintaining the balance of teak trees as the main crop is not disturbed.After the 5-year cycle, the pesanggem will be moved to another persil of land where the forest has already been cleared.The persil planting cycle in each HPD (Pangkuan Desa Forest) in Rembang Regency has a different schedule to maintain the balance between the forest and the community so that teak trees are not planted together or in the same cycle.When on a certain plot, teak trees will be harvested on other land; some are still lush, or some are being replanted after harvesting.The planting pattern that was carried out did not interfere with the main crops because they were planted according to the spacing provisions that had been agreed upon between the pesanggem and Perhutani.Pesanggem cultivates side crops between teak trees and enters the production area.The ecological function of persils of land goes hand in hand between pesanggem and Perhutani to maintain forest diversity, maintain production quality, and meet the needs of the people living around the forest.

Figure 4. Persilan in Documentation
Figure 4 provides information on the condition of the land from the persil planting cycle carried out by the pesanggem and when the teak plants grow so they cannot be planted.The teak tree can grow optimally, including the intervention of the pesanggem who take care of the tree.Additionally, several activities of planting or embroidering teak trees are carried out voluntarily with pesanggem.Pesanggem, in caring for the forest, has activities such as participating in tree planting; when the main plant seeds that have been planted do not grow optimally or die, the pesanggem helps to re-stitch on their plots of land.This culture has been embedded until now and has become one of the ecological functions of persil planting because there is a mutual need for preserving ecosystems in the forest.In caring for the main crops, the pesanggem and the community protect the forest from illegal logging or forest burning so that resources such as springs for agricultural irrigation, trees for subsistence needs, air and the existence of animals are not disturbed.
As a strategy to maintain the ecological function of the production forest for persils of land, forest community groups are members of the LMDH Institution (Forest Village Community Institution).The group was formed to provide a forum for pesanggem to receive information on land clearing, sharing information, information related to access to loans (LMDH cooperatives), extension training activities, and a forum to remind each pesanggem in maintaining forest diversity.Information is centralized at LMDH.Therefore, this institution supports the interaction of knowledge sharing in maintaining the ecological functions of production forests in persil planting.Interaction between pesanggem is important because they often meet in the forest.When cultivating persil of land, even the distance between the pesanggem is close together, making it easier for information and helping or reminding each other to protect the forest ecology.Interpreting the forest's importance for the pesanggem influences how the forest is used and treated.The main factors for interpreting the surrounding environment are years of experience, parents' stories and teaching, and experience with peers [17].This condition means that knowledge sharing between pesanggem is important, especially for reminding each other to protect the forest because the intensity of meeting and building communication is the greatest for planting persils of land.Apart from that, the interaction with Perhutani as the manager of the production forest also provides direction and appeals to pesanggem to jointly protect the forest from intentional damage.The ecological function of the persil planting system for forests goes hand in hand with the community's awareness that management does not damage trees or soil structure and does not hunt animals.Awareness message that manages persils not to damage or uproot Perhutani's plants, so that it is more about keeping them alive.On the other hand, if a pesanggem turns out to be deliberately damaging or uprooting Perhutani plants, sanctions will be given in the form of fines or the obligation to replant the damaged trees.This sanction aims to ensure that pesanggem who manage peril in production forests also realize the importance of protecting forest ecosystems.This means that the pesanggem and Perhutani synergize with each other to protect the forest as they also use the forest for their daily needs.Pesanggem utilizes the forest for plots of land for daily needs, and Perhutani fulfills the Company's productivity.It is not only Perhutani's duty to protect the forest, as expressed by [18], the forest is not only the responsibility of the government, especially Perhutani, to manage it but also requires awareness of the surrounding community in its management.The meaning of the forest in its ecological function gives meaning to the community itself, so of course, the people who live around the forest can use the forest for their daily lives, and the community must also make management efforts so that the vegetation in the forest is maintained.Able to maintain sustainability and create a balanced and mutually beneficial relationship with nature.

Conclussion
The persilan planting system is one of the strategies for forest sustainability and the sustainability of the livelihoods of communities around the forest.With the cycle that has been formed in forest processing by the community, which is for 5 years, it is an effort to protect the forest and one of the ways the community survives.People consciously need forests to exist and be maintained.The Persilan concept is up-and-coming for utilizing production forests in Java into multifunctional landscapes while maintaining forest ecological balance, economic prosperity, and social welfare in the local communities.

Table 1 .
Ecological Function of Persilan