Inclusion, Exclusion and Agrarian Change

268 Pages·2015·3.28 MB·English

Inclusion, Exclusion and Agrarian Change:
Experiences of Forest Land Redistribution in Indonesia

Martua Thomas Sirait
This dissertation is part of the research programme of CERES, Research School for Resource Studies for
Development

The research was funded by Ford Foundation, Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst and World Agroforestry Centre.

© Martua Thomas Sirait 2015
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior permission
of the author.

ISBN 978-90-6490-050-1
Inclusion, Exclusion and Agrarian Change:
Experiences of Forest Land Redistribution in Indonesia

Participatie, uitsluiting en veranderingen in de landbouw:
ervaringen met herverdeling van bosgrond in Indonesië

Thesis

to obtain the degree of Doctor from the
Erasmus University Rotterdam
by command of the Rector Magnificus
Professor dr H.A.P. Pols
and in accordance with the decision of the Doctorate Board

The public defence shall be held on
2 November 2015 at 10.00 hrs

by

Martua Thomas Sirait
born in Braunschweig, Germany
Doctoral Committee

Promotores

Emeritus Prof.dr. B.N.F. White

Prof.dr. S.M. Borras

Other members

Prof.dr. G.A. Persoon, Leiden University

Dr. R.A. Rutten, University of Amsterdam

Prof.dr. M.N. Spoor
Dedication

To my wife Sandra Moniaga, my daughter Amelia Rugun Sirait and my son Benno Tumpak
Ahimsa Sirait for their generous support for me to finish the book.
Contents

List of Tables, Figures, Maps and Appendices vi
Acronyms ix
Acknowledgements xii
Abstract xv
Samenvatting xxi

Inclusion, Exclusion and Agrarian Change in Land Redistribution 1
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Background of the Study 1
1.3 Statement of the Problem 5
1.4 Redistributive Land Reforms and Agrarian Change: Towards an
Analytical Framework 16
1.5 Research Questions 26
1.6 Research Strategies and Methods 26
1.7 Organisation of the Study 34
Notes 37

The Emergence of Forest Land Reform in Indonesia 40
2.1 Introduction 40
2.2. Market Liberalisation in the Forestry Sector 42
2.3. Forest Land Redistribution Discourse and Policies 50
2.4. The Responses of Civil Society and Local Governments 56
2.5. Concluding Remarks 57
Notes 58
iii
iv Contents
Land Redistribution and Agrarian Change: The Experience of Ciniti
Hamlet (Garut) 60
3.1 The History of the Settlements 61
3.2 Conflict and Collaboration: Reaction to MoF’s Claims 67
3.3 The Agrarian Structure and Agrarian Relations in Ciniti and
Surrounding Areas prior to Land Redistribution 70
3.4 Patterns of Surplus Transfer prior to Land Redistribution 83
3.5 The Land Redistribution Process 91
3.6 Farming Practices and Processes of Differentiation under
Individual Land Ownership (1999–2010) 104
3.7 Changes in the Agrarian Structure and Agrarian Relations after
Land Redistribution 122
3.8 Concluding Remarks 133
Notes 140

Land Redistribution and Agrarian Change: The Experience of
Simpang Duren Hamlet (Lampung) 144
4.1 History of the Settlements 145
4.2 Conflict and Collaboration: Reactions to MoF’s Claims 150
4.3 The Agrarian Structure and Agrarian Relations in Simpang Duren
Hamlet prior to Land Distribution 155
4.4 Patterns of Surplus Transfer prior to Land Redistribution 162
4.5 The Land Redistribution: 2001–2006 168
4.6 Farming Practices and Processes of Differentiation under
Individual Land Ownership (2001–2010) 175
4.7 Changes in the Agrarian Structure and Relations after Land
Redistribution in Simpang Duren Hamlet 179
4.8 Concluding Remarks 188
Notes 196

The Future of Forest Land Redistribution in Indonesia 199
5.1 Introduction 199
5.2 Contestation over forest areas in Ciniti (Garut) and Simpang
Duren (Lampung) before the land redistribution 200
Contents v
5.3 Changes in the Land-Based Agrarian Structure 201
5.4 Changes in Agrarian Relations 203
5.5 Questioning the Application of the Evolutionary Theory of Land
Rights (ETLR) 207
5.6 A Trajectory of Indonesian Upland Communities 212
5.7 Implications and Reflections for State Policy and Civil Society
Movements 216
Notes 219

Appendices 220
References 223
List of Tables, Figures, and

Boxes

Tables
Table 1.1 Possible alternative outcomes of the land redistribution
process 11
Table 1.2 Interview Process during the Study 32
Table 2.1 Forest classification in Indonesia in 1982, 2004 and the
projected plan for 2030 44
Table 2.2 Tenure arrangements under several social forestry policy
options 47
Table 2.3 Total land redistributed (1966–2005) 52
Table 3.1 Origins and class positions of households in Ciniti hamlet
before the land redistribution 81
Table 3.2 Household classes based on land ownership, directly after the
land redistribution in 1999 99
Table 3.3 Household classes based on land ownership, during the land
redistribution in 1999 and in 2010 124
Table 4.1 The origins and class positions of households in Simpang
Duren 171
Table 4.2 Household classes based on land ownership, directly after the
land redistribution in 2002 173
Table 5.1 Change in the class structure of households in Ciniti and
Simpang Duren, based on landholdings before and after land
redistribution 202

vi
List of Tables, Figures, Maps and Appendices vii
Figures
Figure 1.1 Organisation of peasant households 25
Figure 1.2 Data Gathering Tehniques 29
Figure 3.1 Map of the origins of Ciniti Households 82
Figure 3.2 Summary of the eight forms of surplus transfer in Ciniti
before land redistribution 91
Figure 3.3 Recapitulation data of the land registration and a cadastral
map of the redistributed land in Ciniti (1997 and 1999) 95
Figure 3.4 Land redistribution among all beneficiaries’ household &
class differentiations, 1999 98
Figure 3.5 Distribution of households by land area and number of adult
members in Ciniti 101
Figure 3.6 Percentage of households by age group category of
household heads Ciniti 102
Figure 3.7 Land distribution and agrarian class status among all
beneficiaries, 2010 (10 years after land redistribution) 123
Figure 3.8 Form of surplus transfer in Ciniti after land redistribution
(2010) 128
Figure 4.1 Map of the Bengkunat area in 1938 148
Figure 4.2 Map showing the origins of Simpang Duren households 160
Figure 4.3 Surplus transfer mechanisms operating in Simpang Duren,
prior to land redistribution 168
Figure 4.4 Land redistribution among all beneficiaries & household class
status, in Simpang Duren 2002 172
Figure 4.5 Land distribution among all beneficiaries and household class
status in Simpang Duren 2010 183
Figure 4.6 Surplus transfer mechanisms in Simpang Duren, after land
redistribution 188
Figure 5.1 Changes in agrarian relations in Ciniti and Simpang Duren 204
Figure 5.2 Transformation of land tenure form in Ciniti and Simpang
Duren 209