Mutual Benefits through the cultivation of swamp jelutung (Dyera polyphylla): Preventing peatland degradation and creating income by an endemic latex producing Tree of Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia) Source Mitigation of Climate Change in Agriculture (MICCA) Programme of FAO Keywords Peat, peatlands, peat soils, jelutong, soil conservation, latex Country of first practice Indonesia ID and publishing year 8628 and 2016 Sustainable Development Goals Sustainable cities and communities and life on land Summary A swamp jelutung plantation offers a and this is beneficial as it allows the trees sustainable alternative to commodities that to recover. Tapping can begin after five to require drainage, since naturally wet peat six years, although it is recommended that does not oxidise. Undrained, rewetted, tapping does not start until the tree has peatland with swamp jelutung remains a diameter of 30 to 35 cm. About 30 to operational in the long-term. 50 litres of latex can be tapped per tree The following describes the establishment per year, much in the way Hevea rubber is of a swamp jelutung plantation including tapped, and this can occur for 12 years or how to establish a nursery, prepare the sites more. Overtapping results in the death of the and plantation of adult trees and methods tree. of tending and harvest. The economic, Latex needs to be treated with a coagulant, social and environmental benefits are usually with acetic or phosphoric acid, also described. Products derived from within 24 hours. After this time it begins swamp jelutung cultivation are also listed. to deteriorate slowly, becoming more acid Finally, trials undertaken since the 1990s within a few days, and brittle within a few are highlighted to illustrate the positive months. outcomes of using this technology. A swamp jelutung plantation offers a Description sustainable alternative to commodities that require drainage, such as oil palm or Swamp jelutung is only found in the peat Hevea rubber, as naturally swamps of Sumatra and Borneo (Indonesia, wet peat does not oxidise. Malaysia and Brunei) and not found outside Also, drained peatland will in TECA this habitat. Harvesting is seasonal as many cases end up becoming swamps are not accessible all year round, (semi-) permanently flooded TECHNOLOGIES and PRACTICES for SMALL AGRICULTURAL 1/4 PRODUCERS Capacity Development

and is not a long-term option. Undrained (or since 2012, it is expected that small-scale rewetted) peatland with swamp jelutung will commercial nurseries will be established remain operational in the long-term. locally. Figure 1. Jelutung (Dyera polyphylla) plantation on deep Seeds should be soaked in water two peat at Sungai Aur, Jambi, 2003 hours before planting, and planted at an angle with the main wing facing up. Germination is 90 percent, but reduces to 70 percent after eight months. Sow in peat soil, with provision of extra minerals (P, K, N). • Plant, tend and harden the seedlings. These will be reared for several months

© FAO/TECA (some report up to a year, but this seems 1. Establishment of a jelutung plantation long) in the nursery, until they are 35 to Steps to establish a jelutung plantation 50 cm tall. Longhorn beetles (Batocera rufomaculata) and ambrosia beetles may • Establishment of a nursery. be a pest in plantations, especially on • Preparation of the sites and plantation of weakened trees that have been unskilfully adult trees. tapped. • Tending and harvest. • Established in the first six months of year, 1.1 Establishment of a 2 ha nursery (for but continued until the present time. example) 1.2 Preparation of the sites and plantation • The land has to be cleared manually, of of adult trees existing scrubby vegetation / ferns in the • Clear the land. The land has to be cleared case of secondary vegetation. It also has manually of existing scrubby vegetation / to be levelled as peatland normally has ferns in the case of secondary vegetation. a hummocky structure and is difficult to It also has to be levelled as peatland develop. normally has a hummocky structure and is • Construct a roof consisting of netting difficult to develop. that allows 30 to 35 percent of sunlight • Transport the hardened seedlings to the to penetrate, to protect the plants plantation area. This should be done as from harsh sunlight, desiccation, heavy quickly as possible, for instance within a downpours, and damage. day. Avoid desiccating wind (for example • Establish small (1000 W) pumps for open trucks) and keep moist. watering. • Plant the seedlings and pay attention to • Get jelutung seeds or seedlings. Obtaining the watering of the seedlings during the a sufficient supply of jelutung seeds has first weeks, and longer if rains do not proven to be difficult, as Dyera polyphylla occur. flowers and sets seed only every four to Planting should coincide with the onset of five years. Seeds can be stored for up to the wet season or be a few weeks before eight months at 22 to 24 °C, not cooler, the wet season. 60 percent humidity. Given the expansion • Provide the seedlings with initial fertilizers of swamp jelutung in Jambi (Sumatra) (N, P, K).

2/4 • Pay attention to sufficient weeding after the return on labour is higher for swamp two, six, 12 and 24 months after planting. jelutung (the income per person per day Weeding should be manual. labour is higher). The plantation of seedlings is annually These results indicate that swamp jelutung made. In the studied case, 60 to 500 ha might be a good alternative for smallholders, were planted, usually in one to two months as their labour inputs are lower. In the prior to the wet season. In this case, trials, the cultivation of jelutung provided investments in infrastructure have been incomes for the company and employed local high because of the difficulty of access in community members. the peat swamp. 3. Environmental benefits 1.3 Tending and harvest Regarding the environmental aspect, the • Keep the area clean around seedlings assessment depends on which two states of during the first and second years after the peatland are compared. If the jelutung planting. plantation is compared to the original mixed • If necessary, replace the dead seedlings. peat swamp forest, then all carbon emissions • Remove climber and other woody plant are highly increased and sequestration is species. decreased. • The first latex harvest occurs in the fifth However, if the comparison is made between year. The harvest is continual, except at the highly degraded and unmanaged the peak of the wet season (no tapping) state (or an oil palm plantation) and the and on occasion during driest months, managed Jelutung plantation, then the when low water levels prevent access by carbon sequestration is highly increased boat. Tapping occurs like in the Hevea and the carbon emission decreased in the rubber. jelutung plantation. While active it also Care should be taken to avoid using rusty reduces greenhouse gas emissions, reducing instruments, as iron oxide speeds up desiccation. This results in the prevention deterioration of the latex. In this case, of fires and maintaining a permanent tree the collected latex was transported in cover. containers to main camp. It was then processed (as in pressed with coagulant 4. Products derived from swamp Jelutung added; see above) and transported to cultivation Jambi and other cities, ultimately to The trees produce a fine, light wood used Malaysia and Singapore. for carving and pencils, and high quality 2. Economic and social benefits latex that is used for a variety of purposes, including chewing gum, dentistry and Traditionally, people from Sungai Aur are insulation material. Also, the nursery involved in river fisheries, trade, timber and provides seedlings to locals and the Forestry agriculture. People were recruited from Department. Sungai Aur for working on the plantation (mainly men) and in the nursery (mainly 5. Validation of the practice women). Initial economic studies indicate Since the 1990s, various trials have been that while the annual monetary returns carried out in the peatlands of Jambi per hectare are higher for oil palm on peat, province, Indonesia. The practice is derived

3/4 from an initiative lead from 1991 to 2004 Towards climate - responsible peatlands by a private company, based in Jambi city, management. FAO. Rome. pp. 22-23, 52. Indonesia, which established a 2 000 ha (Link: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4029e.pdf) swamp jelutung plantation on deep (3 to 7. Agro-ecological zones 6 m) to very deep peat (more than 6 m) at Sungai Aur, along the Batanghari River. • Tropics, warm Latex tapping was done after five to six 8. Related/ Associated Technologies years of growth. Out of the total concession • Beje aquaculture and inland fishery in area of 8 000 ha, provided by the private tropical peatland of Indonesia: TECA ID company, about 7 200 ha was considered 8619 suitable for conversion to plantation. Two • Peatland restoration in China: TECA ID thousand ha of jelutung (Dyera polyphylla) 8278 were planted. • Illipe nut plantation on undrained peatland in Indonesia: TECA ID 8284 Originally the site consisted of tall, mixed • Sago plantations on undrained peatland in peat swamp forest on deep peat. Selective Indonesia: TECA ID 8281 logging was carried out up to 1986, and the area became heavily degraded. The 9. Objectives fulfilled by the project peatlands of the plantations had a peat 9.1 Resource use efficiency depth of over 300 cm, a water table depth The technology offers a sustainable over 0.5 m and with an active drainage alternative to commodities that require system (the width of the channels were drainage because naturally wet peat does 2.5 m; and the distance between the not oxidise. Undrained peatland with channels was 100 to 300 m). swamp jelutung will remain operational in The peatland was a bog receiving water the long-term. from the main river of Jambi Province (the 9.2 Pro-poor technology Batanghari River). The pH of the water was The income per person per day labour is acidic (pH = 3 to 4). But as the hydrology higher when using this technology. It is a had been greatly modified and had not good alternative for smallholders, as their been restored, problems occurred with peat labour inputs are lower. desiccation and fires spread from adjacent unmanaged areas. 6. Further reading • Giesen W., MacDonald M. 2014. Cultivation of Dyera polyphylla (swamp jelutung), In: Biancalani, R. and Avagyan, A (eds).

TECA TECHNOLOGIES and PRACTICES for SMALL 4/4 AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS