More than just monoculture

Five species of bioenergy plants are being trialed on the plot.

The most successful test crop so far, says Siti, is Calophyllum inophyllum, known locally as ‘nyamplung’. Just one hectare of this seed-producing crop can supply up to 20 tonnes of oil for biodiesel per year. A factory to extract the oil from nyamplung seeds is already operating on the nearby island of Java. Normally grown on saline seaside soils, the crop is being trialed here on peatland for the first time. Seeds should appear in the next 1-4 years.

Trials of ‘kemiri sunan’ (Reutealis trisperma), ‘lamtoro’ (Leucaena leacocephala) and ‘gamal’ (Gliricidia sepium) are also performing well. Like nyamplung, the kemiri sunan and lamtoro can be used to produce biodiesel. Gamal can be converted to wood pellet for biomass, a potential source of power for electricity.

‘Kaliandra’ (Calliandra calothyrsus) has struggled under seasonal downpours, but Siti still holds hope for the crop. The normally fast-growing plant is already being used and exported as biomass pellets from nearby Madura. Its flowers attract honey bees, offering an additional source of income. Siti has relocated some of the plants from the riverbank to higher ground, hoping to overcome the problem of flooding.

   Forestry lecturer Siti Maimunah and her student, Kristianto Okoiiko, check the condition of the ‘kemiri sunan’, or Reutealis trisperma. Catriona Croft-Cusworth/CIFOR

   'Kaliandra', or Calliandra calothyrsus. Edliadi Mokhamad/CIFOR

   'Nyamplung', or Calophyllum inophyllum. Catriona Croft-Cusworth/CIFOR

A sixth crop, pineapples, are interspersed among the bioenergy plants, providing a harvest of food alongside the fuel.

“We want to introduce the idea that it’s not just about monoculture,” Siti says. “While waiting for the forestry crops to grow, we can combine in the same area plants that meet market demand. Like pineapples.”

By planting on degraded peatland, the trial also avoids the common criticism of bioenergy crops taking up valuable agricultural land. Not only are the crops planted on land where little else can grow, but they actually have the potential to restore the land for future use, particularly the gamal and kaliandra crops.

The intersection between sustainable bioenergy and land restoration is one of the main research interests driving the trial.

   A pineapple ripens among the bioenergy test crops in Kalimantan, Indonesia. The idea is to plant both food and fuels simultaneously as a way to restore degraded peat lands and forests. Catriona Croft-Cusworth/CIFOR

Clean energy, local livelihoods

A short canoe ride and overland trip away is the village of Buntoi, a settlement of around 2,500 people spread along the Kahayan River. Houses here are raised on stilts, to allow for seasonal fluctuations in the river. Fishing is a major source of income, but is also dependent on the river tides. Pollution and overfishing have made it harder than ever to rely on a regular catch.

Before the fires, many depended on additional income from the rice and rubber crops where the trial plot now stands. But the old plantations can no longer grow on the burned and degraded land.

“It’s been hard for people here,” says Buntoi local Yuliatin, who runs a small shop in front of her home. “Our rubber crops were burned, it’s hard to find fish in the river.”

Yuliatin welcomes the initiative to try bioenergy crops. “What’s important is that the community develops,” she says.

Karlin K. Ganti, head of the village forest management institution (LPHD), is also positive about the bioenergy trial.

Biofuels and forests

Revisiting the debate

“I know the community here in Buntoi village. If there is an opportunity to increase their economic prospects, there’s a good chance they’ll take it,” he says.

“We’ve just found out about nyamplung, kemiri sunan and the other plants grown on the plot. We really want to learn more about it,” he adds.

Just across the river from Buntoi is the coal-fired plant that provides electricity for the area. Siti says she hopes that biomass from plants like gamal and kaliandra can one day replace coal to power the plant. Meanwhile, the biofuels from nyamplung, kemiri sunan and lamtoro could be used locally for river transport and fishing.

“Life here is heavily dependent on diesel or gasoline,” Siti says. “Perhaps the bioenergy crops here could provide an alternative solution for the community.”

   The bioenergy crops are hoped to eventually replace coal as a source of power for Buntoi village. Catriona Croft-Cusworth/CIFOR