Sections:
Reforming forestry and building democracy
22nd May 2007
By the time President Suharto resigned in 1998, Indonesia’s economy was in
tatters and the country was riven by conflict. Over three decades of
authoritarian rule meant that few people within Indonesian society had
experience of how to make democracy work. Reforms were urgently needed to tackle
the disputes, corruption and power struggles that the sudden political changes
had unleashed.
The DFID-supported
Multistakeholder
Forestry Programme (MFP) focussed on the problems
threatening the nation’s forests, but its wider ambition was to help build a
democratic state in Indonesia. Its approach was highly innovative: concentrating
on bringing about changes in policy and on encouraging ordinary
people, businesses and the Government to work more constructively
together for the mutual good.
Opening up state land for farmers
A
huge problem afflicting Indonesia’s forests was disagreement over rights to
land. MFP recognised that, unless clear user rights to the forests were
established, tens of millions of people would be without a reliable source of
income and so would be condemned to poverty. The programme brought together the
Ministry of Forestry, local government bodies, forestry officers, charities and local
communities to create new policies that would provide more people with access to
land.
During MFP’s lifetime, some 70 new regulations were passed allowing villagers to
farm state land, and access will continue to grow with an important law of
January 2007. This will provide local communities with secure, long-term rights
to state land, creating new jobs, boosting the rural economy and reducing
poverty. One of MFP’s most important achievements has been to encourage the
Indonesian government to introduce just such major reforms.
Negotiating for change
A
massive part of the programme’s work was to fund a number of initiatives which
promoted new and effective approaches to long-standing problems. Over 500
grants, worth a total of £16 million, supported a range of activities including:
• negotiations to resolve land-use conflicts;
• research into the underlying causes of forest destruction;
• teaching farmers’ groups marketing skills;
• investigating illegal logging.
Enabling negotiation and the sharing of expertise were key components of MFP. In
the words of the programme’s shared learning facilitator, Prudensius Maring:
“One of the best ways of helping people to develop new skills is to expose them
to the experience of others.” Shared learning projects were developed in each
region, with knowledge being exchanged on how to market non-timber products in
Kalimantan, on resolving conflicts in Sumatra, and on how to use land more
productively in Java.
MFP’s innovative approach has had a significant impact in Indonesia, influencing
forestry policy, reducing poverty and helping to change the way that government
and citizens work together. “In the past, our staff were very reluctant to
communicate with organisations outside the Ministry; we were always on the
defensive,” explains the Ministry of Forestry’s Secretary-General, Boen Purnama.
“Now we are much more receptive to ideas from outside.”
Key Facts
- The total DFID commitment to the Multistakeholder Forestry Programme was ₤25 million over six years (2000 to 2006). About ₤14 million went towards developing partnerships with civil society and local government grantees.
- A transparent process for grant awards was implemented, to ensure diversity, quality, capacity building within civil society and local government, local ownership, responsiveness to locally relevant policy issues and engagement with local drivers of change.
- The majority of grantees were NGOs (70% of grants, 86% of funds), with 14% of grants going to government organizations (central, provincial and district), and the remainder to universities, people’s organizations, the private sector and individuals.
- Administration costs amounted to about 20% of the total budget. The programme had one national office, one MoF office and six regional offices (in Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara and Papua). Staff comprised two DFID representatives, six national facilitators, four MoF agents, eight partnership administration and support staff, six regional facilitators and six regional administrators.
- An additional budget of ₤3 million was allocated for facilitation and support to partnerships, including capacity building, technical assistance, networking, shared learning, policy analysis, advocacy and communications.