Profitability of Vanilla Intercropping in Pine Forests in West Java, Indonesia

摘要

Intercropping in timber plantations is a common practice in Indonesia. However, intercropping in steep slope areas causes severe soil erosion. Therefore, the local government in West Java has implemented a new policy prohibiting intercropping in steep slope areas. A timber plantation company which restored the Community-based Forest Management Program recommended that farmers grow vanilla in steep areas in West Java. However, the profitability of vanilla cultivation has not been studied. Therefore, interviews with farmers and managers were conducted in the Sumedang District, West Java. The profitability of intercropping with vanilla was slightly higher than that of intercropping with either cash crops or banana. The income level of the farmers was positively correlated with the size of the vanilla-intercropped areas, but negatively correlated with the size of paddy fields. The present study showed that vanilla cultivation is effective for increasing the income level of the farmers who own few or do not own paddy fields.