Food Carrying Capacity as an Indicator of Sustainability of Smallholder Oil Palm Plantations in Riau Province

Abstract

The food carrying capacity of smallholder oil palm plantations as an indicator of the performance of ecosystem services can be seen from the carrying capacity of actual and potential food. The carrying capacity of potential food is calculated based on indirect food potential while the carrying capacity of actual food is calculated based on the availability of food produced from the production of Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) of oil palm which is converted into a staple food. This study aims to calculate the food carrying capacity of smallholder oil palm plantations in Riau Province. The research methods employed were spatial analysis and farm analysis. The results indicate that smallholder oil palm plantations are able to produce food of 199,979 kg/ha/year originating from the potential food carrying capacity of 198,865 kg/ha/year and the actual 1,114 kg/ha/year. The food requirement of 73,916 kg/ha/year comes from the potential food need of 73,298 kg/ha/year and the actual food need of 618 kg/ha/year. To conclude, oil palm plantations have a surplus food carrying capacity of 126,063 kg/ha/yr originating from potential food of 125,567 kg/ha/yr and actual food of 496 kg/ha/yr.