Local Economies

For many indigenous communities in Indonesia, land is an essential part of their everyday livelihoods. A variety of small-scale economic activity flourishes in and around forested areas. Forest is cleared to provide land for subsistence farming and growing cash crops, while fishing is a common activity in rivers in the area.

The forest itself provides a multitude of vegetables, meats, and fruits that cannot be domesticated. While these forest foods are generally not enough to consistently sustain a community year-round, they add variety to local diets, can provide an additional income source, and serve as a valuable source of free food during economic hardship or emergency situations. Forests are also a source of medicinal plants and supplies like rattan, bamboo, and leaves for small-scale handicraft work. 

The palm oil industry, which relies on abundant arable land and may use, take, or buy land under customary title to local communities, poses a threat to many of these subsistence and small-scale trade activities, pushing local people into increasing states of economic hardship and food insecurity.