Challenges of pepper cultivation in Indonesia in pictures

Challenges and new methods in focus: farmers talk about the 'aGROWforests' pepper project in Indonesia

The "aGROWforests" project in Indonesia supports pepper farms in implementing climate-resilient agricultural practices, with the aim of increasing their income. Pepper has been traded from Indonesia since the late Middle Ages. Initially, the spice was exported primarily to China, but today the main markets are the US and Europe.

However, cultivation is becoming increasingly unattractive for Indonesian farmers because current profit margins are far too low. To guarantee a future supply of pepper from Indonesia, Verstegen, the NGO Fairfood , and pepper exporter PT CAN established the "aGROWforests" project, which has been part of the "Initiative for Climate Smart Supply Chains" (I4C) since early December 2022. To understand how Indonesian farmers grow their pepper and how they make a living from it, the project partners interviewed three Indonesian farmers, Sapauni, Umar, and Arofiq, about their living conditions and views on pepper cultivation.

Sapauni: "By collaborating and sharing knowledge, we are working towards the best quality pepper for the future."

Many Indonesian farmers used to plant pepper because it was profitable, farmer Sapauni recalls. The yield was enough to support herself and her child. Sapauni was able to build a house and buy a car from her earnings. However, these days, she can no longer make a living from pepper cultivation alone. This is mainly due to the drop in prices.

A few years ago, the market price for a kilogram of pepper was around 180,000 rupiah, which is about 10 euros. Today, a kilogram fetches 80,000 rupiah, about 4.50 euros, representing only 44 percent of the original price. Because prices are so low, more and more farmers are turning to other markets, often choosing to plant palm trees for oil on their farmland.

Another major problem for Indonesian agriculture is the weather. Unreliable weather patterns make crop and harvest planning difficult. And climate change exacerbates the impact of the region's reliance on monoculture (growing a single crop on a single plot of land). Intensive agriculture creates a seemingly contradictory situation where increased amounts of fertilizer are needed to combat soil degradation (the weakening of the soil), while reduced biodiversity allows pests to quickly infest fields and farms.

Umar: “I'm worried about the future of my pepper business”

Farmer Umar is worried about the future of his pepper farm. He explains: "The current rains are unpredictable, and the dry season isn't coming on time either, so ultimately, pepper farming is a mess." During such unpredictable weather changes, many pepper plants die, primarily due to the diseases they spread, says Umar. This is catastrophic for people who depend on agricultural products. With the support of the aGROWforests project, he hopes to be able to withstand the impact of climate change on his crops.

The 'aGROWforests' project offers solutions

To address these challenges, all stakeholders in the 'aGROWforest' project aim to support Indonesian pepper farmers by implementing agroforestry: the conscious combination of agriculture and forestry with crops that complement each other well.

Arofiq: “I now only cultivate part of my land with pepper.”

Farmer Arofiq already has some experience with the project and is gradually transforming his farming system: he grows not only pepper, but other crops as well. "Before, when I saw weeds, I felt uneasy. But now I take it easy. Even when the weeds are high, my heart is still calm."

Farmer Umar also reports initial successes: since he started planting other crops between his pepper plants, diseases no longer spread across the entire agricultural area, but remain confined to a small space.

All three farmers have placed their hopes in the new project. Arofiq hopes that with the project's help, Indonesian pepper will remain of high quality in the future. Sapauni wants to continue selling her pepper. Umar, whose ancestors were also pepper farmers, is especially keen to maintain the tradition of pepper cultivation so that future generations can make a living from it.

The "aGROWforests" project is funded by the Initiative for Climate Smart Supply Chains and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) . This article was originally published in English on nachhaltige-agrarlieferketten.org and has been translated into Dutch and edited by Verstegen.

---> Read the original article: 'Project diary: Preserving Indonesian pepper with new farming methods' on nachhaltige-agrarlieferketten.org