| Abstract: |
Teak (Tectona grandis) is most widely known as an industrial plantation species. There is a minimum of 4.3 million hectare of teak plantations across the world; 83% are found in Asia, primarily in India, Indonesia, and Myanmar. Smallholder farmer plantings are currently a minor component of the global teak estate, comprising 19% of the area in Africa and Asia, 31% in Central America, and 34% in South America (Kollert and Cherubini, 2012). With market demand exceeding the sustainable yield of large-scale plantations and natural forests, smallholder production holds potential as an important source of teak for industry. The second largest producer of teak behind India, Indonesia, has a very well developed smallholder teak farming sector, which is concentrated in Central Java, where farmers have been growing teak for over fifty years (Roshetko et al., 2013). On Java there are approximately 1.5 million farmers cultivating 444,000 ha of treebased agroforestry systems, where teak is the dominant tree crop; an additional 800,000 ha of smallholder agroforestry systems, in which teak is a component, occur in other parts of the country (Nawir et al., 2007; Figure 1).
Smallholder-produced logs (diameters less than 30 cm) account for up to 80% of the teak used by small to medium industrial producers (Achdiawan and Puntodewo, 2011), which represent over 90% of the Indonesia’s main teak furniture industry in Jepara (Yovi et al., 2013). Indonesia is a compelling case regarding the significance of smallholder farmers to the teak industry, as well as of teak cultivation to smallholder farm families.
This chapter summarizes common and best practices regarding the sustainable and productive management of smallholder teak systems. It focuses on the example from Indonesia and encompasses relevant information from other countries. Recommendations and guidance are provided. |
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