The Role of Boron in Sustainable Intensification of Smallholder Cacao Systems in Sulawesi, Indonesia

Executive Summary

Indonesia is the world's fourth most populous country with an estimated population of 240 million (July 2009). It has a total land area of 1,811,569 km² and 54,716 km of coastline. Arable land represents only 11% of the total land area with 7% supporting permanent crops. It is the largest economy in South East Asia and GDP PPP per head is around $5100. Cacao has been grown in Indonesia for hundreds of years and since the 1980’s grew rapidly to be now the third largest producer in the world with annual production of 550,000 – 570,000 Metric Tons forecast in the 2012/2013 crop year. Since the early 2000’s there has been an ongoing decline in quality and productivity, which has undermined cacao farm profitability and presents a substantial risk to the survival of the industry in Indonesia, while at the same time global markets are strong.

Cocoa Care is a program, managed by PT CSI and voluntarily supported by a number of very experienced leaders in Indonesian cacao sustainability in Indonesia to leverage existing cocoa industry capabilities both within the farming community and Industry stakeholders to help cacao farming families to overcome current difficulties and get them onto a solid path toward economic sustainability. The Cocoa Care program was established in 2013 and more details are available at www.cocoacare.org.

We propose to implement a project that adds value and strengthens activities of IPNI, Cocoa Care and fertilizer industry partners in sustainable intensification of cacao production systems. Specifically, we propose a three (3) year project to support cacao on farm research and market development on Boron (B) with funding of US$ 110,600, commencing in August 2016, in Soppeng, South Sulawesi, Indonesia.

The project will help quantifying the effectiveness of balanced fertilizer applications that include B to increase cocoa farm productivity, improve cacao bean quality and increase cacao farm income in a typical Indonesian small-holder cacao farming system, and develop a model for rapid up-scaling of the findings to other cacao growers. The generated data will also support estimates of future market potential for various soil management products in cacao farming for the future and particularly for B.

The project will contribute resources for fertilizers, laboratory analyses of soil and foliar samples and for the dissemination of knowledge on sustainable cacao production through research, publications and conference participations. The results of these activities will also strengthen an existing IPNI Cocoa Care project work smallholder cacao farmers in the Soppeng / Bone area of South Sulawesi.

In this region, generally poorly trained cacao farmers are struggling to maintain sustainable productivity levels under increasing pressure from pests and diseases with inadequate application of necessary farm inputs. Essential farming tools will be provided to families who are not able to provide them for themselves and, where necessary, dead or non-productive cacao trees will be rehabilitated or replaced with the best available planting materials. Soil and leaf sampling will be undertaken within the farms to guide the implementation of nutritional and other soil management practices. The concept of 4R Nutrient Stewardship will be used to implement the Boron nutrition program.

IPNI Southeast Asia Program (IPNI) and PT Community Solutions International Cocoa Care (CC) program will jointly manage these project activities.

Overall Purpose

The overall purpose of this project is to strengthen and add additional value related to micronutrient boron to current efforts on sustainable intensification of cacao production systems, increasing the yield and profitability of smallholder cacao production systems in Indonesia and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

Project Rationale

The provided resources enable the generation of boron nutrition information and knowledge dissemination processes that help farmers and the fertilizer industry to benefit from strong markets for cocoa. The provided resources make it possible that the project facilitates effective agronomic nutrient management in intensive cacao smallholder production systems through the development and deployment of 4R Nutrient Stewardship practices related to boron.

Objectives and Expected Outputs

1. To provide support for an ongoing collaborative project between IPNI, Cocoa Care and the fertilizer industry that develops processes that lead to sustainable intensification of cacao smallholder production systems in Indonesia. Output: The project develops, deploys and documents a process involving the application of micronutrient boron that facilitates intensification of smallholder cacao production systems.

2. To provide support that helps propagating use of 4R Nutrient Stewardship concepts as applied to boron as part of integral good agricultural practices (GAP) in cacao smallholder production systems. Output: The project implements and demonstrates the benefits of 4R Nutrient Stewardship and micronutrient boron application in 15 smallholder farms that will specifically be established for RTM.

3. To provide support for the generation of the knowledge that permits the quantification of the impacts of boron inclusive 4R Nutrient Stewardship on the quality and quantity of cacao from smallholder production systems. Output: The project quantifies and documents the contribution of boron to cacao yield using an innovative experimental on farm trial design in 15 commercial smallholder farms.

4. To provide support for publishing the results of this project, and if needed for research to substantiate findings, for the general benefit of cacao growers and fertilizer industry in Indonesia. The project partners will produce at least one publication in a peer reviewed scientific journal, at least one publication in a non-peer reviewed journal, and at least two press releases, and at least one conference presentation at an international conference

Overall Approach and Concept

The provided support will be channeled to on farm trials that include Boron nutrition with 15 smallholder cacao farmers in the Soppeng / Bone area. Smallholders will be identified and integrated into ongoing IPNI Cocoa Care work. Cacao farmers in this area are generally poorly trained with little real understanding of good agricultural practices (GAP) and the roles of fertilizers including micronutrient boron having moved to cacao from farming rice or other crops as cacao became more popular without any knowledge of the needs of this much more demanding crop. These farmers enjoyed quite good times during the late 80’s and 90’s but now struggle under increasing pressure from pests and diseases and the increasing negative impact of inadequate application of necessary farm inputs.

Typical farm productivity in this area is around 500 - 600 kg/ ha, and appropriate GAP and nutrient management practices (including 4R consistent fertilizer application) are lacking. Where fertilizer is applied, it is done with focus on what is affordable rather than actual crop needs. To significantly change this status quo, cacao farmers in this area require direct exposure to the opportunities that a well-managed cacao farm can bring to them and their families. So inspired, they then require both theoretical and practical training in GAP and direct on-farm help to get started on a new path to prosperity.

The support here provided will help cacao-farming families with the necessary land and family resources to become a sustainable cacao business family over the longer term. These cacao farmers will be trained both “in class” and “in field” how to implement good agricultural practices on their farms for maximum productivity. Essential farming tools will be provided to both the male and female partners of the family farm, who are not able to provide them for themselves. The role of the female partner in the family farm is often under-rated and in this program, as other Cocoa Care programs, we will specifically work to further engage and support the role of the women in the family farming business.

Where necessary, dead or non-productive cacao trees will be rehabilitated or replaced with the best available planting materials. For this program, where we will focus on demonstrating the benefits of sustainable soil management and fertilizing practices including Boron, we will select farms which require the least amount of tree rehabilitation, but where evident we will support small scale remedial action outside the test plot areas to improve longer term farm productivity.

Soil and leaf and fruit sampling will be undertaken within the farms to establish nutritional and other soil needs. This data will be analyzed and ideal soil management practices and fertilizer regimes developed to achieve the optimum, soil condition and nutritional levels for cacao farming. The program will deploy the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Concept, of right rate, right place, right source and right time, to guide the fertilizer applications.

The project will enable a quantification of the contribution of Boron containing cacao crop nutrition to yield gap reduction, cocoa quality improvement, and income generation for farmers, and soil quality improvement. This information can be used to estimate and project fertilizer boron market demand for Sulawesi, and thereby guide further market development programs. Importantly, the project will demonstrate to farmers the benefits of good agricultural practices, including fertilization and application of micronutrient boron, and thereby provide motivation to growers for management change.

The concept of 4R Nutrient Stewardship will be used to implement the nutrition program. There will be three treatment areas: 1- general good agricultural management practices, but will not receive fertilizer applications (GAP only). 2- good agricultural management practices plus Boron containing fertilizer applications (GAP fertilizer + Boron). 3- good agricultural management practices less Boron containing fertilizer applications (GAP fertilizer - Boron).

Test plots with 25 to 50 trees of similar conditions such as age each will be established within each treatment to monitor the impact of these interventions. Each farmer’s field will serve as a replicate. Agronomic (yield, quality and pest and disease incidence) and economic data (i.e. costs and benefit analysis) collected from these trials will be used to evaluate the interventions. Data will indicate whether or not interventions are effective in closing the gap between farmer’s current yield and attainable yield. The yield from GAP only will indicate the current yield level and the current yield gap that can be closed with improved nutrient management.

The supported project requires three years for its completion. We believe that the project support provided will increase fertilizer use in the target regions. Including and training farmer extension agents will achieve information delivery to farmers.