East Kalimantan farmer group cultivates protected forest for liberica coffee

A forest farmer group (KTH) in Suka Rahmat Village, East Kutai Regency, East Kalimantan, is pioneering the management of a protected forest area into a productive liberica coffee plantation, aiming to create a mainstay village economy and a regional superior plantation product. “We chose to plant coffee instead of oil palm so that plantation preservation goes hand in hand with efforts to maintain environmental resilience through the agroforestry method,” said Ruslan, head of the KTH Agrowisata Goa Taman Buah Mandiri, when contacted in Samarinda on Thursday. This ecosystem preservation initiative is facilitated by the Santan Production Forest Management Unit (KPHP), a regional technical implementation unit of the East Kalimantan Provincial Forestry Service. The farmer group has held a legal social forestry management permit for a 35-year period since 2023. The utilisation of the 25-hectare area not only provides economic impact from the coffee bean harvest. The blossoms of thousands of coffee trees are also used as natural feed for stingless bees. “Our ground coffee is now marketed commercially to the public at around Rp30,000 per package,” Ruslan explained. The resulting kelulut honey is consumed by group members as a daily health supplement. The success of this sustainable social forestry management has also attracted widespread attention. “Many local residents now visit our village to learn how to replicate this cultivation method,” Ruslan said. Coffee cultivation within the protected area was actually pioneered by farmers back in 2007. The agro-tourism area is now home to around 14,000 quality coffee-producing trees. Collaboration between the community and the local government continues to ensure the sustainability of this local superior product. Commitment from all parties is needed to keep Suka Rahmat liberica coffee competitive in both domestic and international markets. Regarding product quality, coffee practitioner Slamet Prayogo praised the green liberica beans harvested from this plantation, noting they come from the best quality coffee cherries. “After going through the proper processing, this ground coffee proves to have a very delicious taste,” said Slamet.