Building boats from farmer-grown timber in Indonesia

An ACIAR forestry project conducting research on community-based commercial forestry in Indonesiais developing practical ways for communities to increase returns by teaching farmers to take a market-focused approach to tree growing.

The successful Australian initiative—the Master Tree Grower program—has been adapted and implemented in five different locations in Indonesia. The scheme involves four days of training and visits to wood processors, with the knowledge gained empowering farmers to make informed decisions about growing trees.

During the recent mid-term review of this project, the ACIAR Forestry Research Program Manager visited the village of Benjala in Bulukumba district located in South Sulawesi. This is one of the locations where the Master Tree Grower training has empowered participating farmers with knowledge on what quality of timber the wood processors are looking for and how they can change their tree management practices to achieve improved timber quality.

Pak Basir is a farmer from Benjala village, who has been growing trees on his small farm for many years. In 2014, he participated in the Master Tree Grower training program run by the ACIAR project and is now one of the leaders of the local forest farmer group.

Since taking part in the training program, Pak Basir has used his newfound knowledge to prune and thin his trees, bolstering their growth and ensuring he receives a higher price for the timber when he sells it.

The training program has also given Pak Basir the ability and skill to measure the volume of timber in his trees, meaning he no longer has to just accept the price offered by ‘middlemen’ timber traders, but instead he can sell his timber according to the volume in each log.

Pak Basir proudly displays his Master Tree Grower sign in his house and he says that many of his neighbours have been inspired by his success and have started thinning and pruning their own trees.