The ConocoPhillips Indonesia business unit challenged itself to implement a community development program that would be targeted specifically at economic empowerment objectives. In addition, the company and the Indonesian government were interested in addressing the serious issue of deforestation in Indonesia.
It was determined that rubber trees provided an opportunity to rehabilitate degraded land, while also providing earning potential for local villagers. While the rubber tree is not a native species to Indonesia, it has proven to be able to adapt to conditions similar to the marginalized soil of the Indonesian deforested areas, planting stock is readily available, provides economic value to the farmer, and provides a micro climate conducive for enhancing colonization of native species, increasing the ability to improve native species biodiversity in reforestation when compared with other non-native commercially viable options.
In 2002, the company started recruiting local farmers to provide specialized training in rubber cultivation for an average of 50 to 80 farmers per year from villages near company facilities in South Sumatra province. Each participant manages 20,000 square meters of their own land during the training period. With current total participants of 235 farmers, the program is in the third year and planned to last for five years, with the first harvest expected in the sixth year. The participants receive training in improved cultivation techniques, as well as horticultural materials including seeds, fertilizer and cultivation tools.
To ensure sustainability of the program, as the farmers sell their harvest they begin reimbursement of the cost of their training and supplies, funds that are then employed for the next years’ trainees. The program participants also are active in monitoring agricultural activities for five years to help ensure sustainable practices are being employed.