This report identifies intervention opportunities to strengthen the performance of the vegetable sub-sector in Eastern Indonesia. The research is based on field observations, interviews with value chain participants and consultation with other stakeholders in West Java, East Java, Central Java, Bali, South Sulawesi and North Sumatra. The report contains a summary of the vegetable sub-sector and an outline of private and public sector roles.

This report presents the findings of a scoping study to examine ways to increase the income of mango smallholders in eastern Indonesia as part of a supply chain. The analysis focused on researching issues in profitable supply chains, rather than identifying technical constraints. The findings reveal that current markets are heavily supplied with the Harumanis mango variety with little opportunity to develop new market opportunities in either export or out of season markets in other areas of Indonesia.

This study explores the feasibility of weather index insurance (WII) in providing cost-effective risk management benefits to rural people for coping with catastrophic events. It uses a case study on drought coverage for maize production in three provinces in eastern Indonesia: East Java, West Nusa Tenggara and East Lombok. Prototype WII contracts were developed for selected areas within these provinces. The contracts were found to provide appropriate coverage for crop losses resulting from rainfall deficit, but the estimated premiums for farmers would be expensive.

While maize production in Indonesia continues to increase, the country remains a net importer of maize. This report details the maize value chain from producers through to processors and retailers, and identifies opportunities for future development activities for increased competitiveness and farmer income in Eastern Indonesia. Analysis was informed by interviews with key sectors of the maize value chain in West Nusa Tenggara, East Java and East Nusa Tenggara.

This study examined the effects of fertiliser, mulch, cultivation and time of sowing on the growth and yield of peanut, mungbean and soybean following rainfed lowland rice. The study involved research stations or farm field experiments in East Java and Sulawesi. Trial design was a randomised incomplete block with four replicates and treatments applied as an incomplete factorial combination.

Increased beef demand and prices could increase smallholder cash flow and production if feed quantity and quality limitations could be addressed. This project assessed the potential use of cocoa by-products as a cattle feed and various forage and tree legumes in managed grazing systems in South East Sulawesi (Sultra). Methodology involved laboratory, research facility and on farm trials. Results indicate cocoa pods could successfully be fed to Bali cattle (10-15g DM/kg live weight/d) while contributing to cocoa pod borer management and using simple low-cost processing for storage.

While many forages suitable for improving livestock production in mixed crop-livestock systems in the tropics have been identified, their adoption has been limited. Before farmers will introduce new forages into their farming system an important prerequisite is that the change will be considered profitable, will have an acceptable level of risk and will not interfere with food security. This paper describes a whole farm systems approach used to identify the benefits of new forages to improve Bali cattle production in the smallholder mixed crop-livestock systems of eastern Indonesia.

This report presents findings from a project aiming to help smallholder farmers improve cattle production in eastern Indonesia by introducing forages into their cropping systems. It identified several factors constraining livestock production in smallholder farming systems, and found that most technologies needed to address the constraints are already available in Indonesia or elsewhere, but have not yet been adopted by local farmers.

This paper presents key findings from a research, development and extension program conducted between 2001 and 2009 in six villages in South Sulawesi and Central Lombok to develop and test a participatory, farming systems approach for evaluating and increasing the adoption of strategies for improving Bali cattle production in the smallholder farming systems of Eastern Indonesia.

This case study presents the research and outcomes of three ACIAR-funded projects to improve Bali cattle production for smallholders in eastern Indonesia. The projects—conducted between 2001 and 2008—developed and tested an approach that combined the principles of participatory, on-farm engagement with farmers, and farming systems analysis and modelling. Their main purpose was to encourage the uptake of technologies that improve the productivity and welfare of smallholder households.