Dudukuhan Tree Farming Systems in West Java: How to Mobilize Self-Strengthening of Community-Based Forest Management? - Smallholder Tree Growing for Rural Development and Environmental Services - page 102

This harvesting and enrichment process, opportunistic in response to market
demand and household needs, results in tree species diversity lower than natural
climax forests.
Tree diversity, tree density, and tree basal area data indicate a transformation
process exists between dudukuhan types in the form of dynamic change in tree spe-
cies composition and number of trees (Table 4.2 and Figs. 4.2, 4.3). This transfor-
mation results from farmers' strategy to maintain or enhance the dudukuhan
productivity to improve household income and livelihoods. In general, the dynamic
change in tree species composition and tree number has a positive impact on biodi-
versity as well as soil and water conservation. Both indigenous and exotic tree spe-
cies are planted by farmers. The indigenous fruit and timber species are used for
meeting the household subsistence needs; the exotic (introduced) fruit and timber
species are planted to meet market demand (and provide household income). The
occurrence of indigenous and exotic tree species in large numbers in dudukuhans
demonstrates that they are: (a) adapted to the biophysical conditions of the
Nanggung area and (b) meet farmers' marketing and subsistence needs.
The dudukuhan transformation process is illustrated in Fig. 4.4 and can be
described as follows. A fallow system is cleared by farmers to cultivate annual
crops and bananas for 3 to 4 years. Those annual crop-banana systems are called
' huma ' or ' tegalan '. Farmers continuously enrich the huma with priority fruit and
timber species. As the number and size of trees increase huma systems transform
to either mixed fruit-timber-banana-annual crop systems or timber systems.
As enrichment planting continues and trees mature mixed fruit-timber-banana-
annual crop systems transform to mixed fruit-timber systems. Farmers maintain
these systems through careful harvesting and enrichment. When mixed fruit-timber
systems no longer meet farmers' needs they may be abandoned to transform back
to fallow systems or be converted back to huma systems. Depending on management
and harvesting intensity, timber systems may transform to mixed fruit-timber-
banana-annual crop systems or back to huma systems. The distance of the
dudukuhan from the farmers' house also impacts the transformation process.
Dudukuhans further from the home receive less management and more quickly
transform to fruit-timber systems or remain fallow systems. When market conditions
are encouraging distant fallow systems are converted directly to timber systems,
without the huma phase. These distant fallow systems may also be given to sons as
inheritance near the time of their marriage. Sons convert those fallow systems to
timber systems to meet medium-term and long-term livelihood needs.
Table 4.5 summarizes the relationship between dependent variables (number of
species and number of trees) and independent variables (dudukuhan size, tree
density, tree basal area, elevation) in timber systems. An increase in the number of
timber species and trees is associated with an increase in the number of fruit species
and trees, and vice versa. Farmers commonly enrich timber system with fruit
species such as Durio zibethinus and Mangifera odorata . To address timber market
opportunities farmers prioritize the planting of Maesopsis eminii and Paraserienthes
falcataria . Because these timber species are planted with high densities, dudukuhan
size results in significantly great numbers of timber trees. Economic pressures