Trees that feed you today, forests that feed you tomorrow
In the forests of South Kalimantan, Indonesia and Norway have joined hands around a question as old as land itself: how do human communities and living ecosystems sustain one another across time? Under the FOLU Net Sink 2030 programme, officials walked 82.86 hectares of replanted ground in Hulu Sungai Tengah, measuring not just tree survival but the viability of a model that asks farmers to tend the future while feeding the present. It is a wager that environmental recovery and human livelihood need not be rivals — and that accountability, measured in roots and survival rates, is where that wager is either kept or lost.
- Indonesia's forests continue to carry the weight of decades of land-use emissions, and the FOLU Net Sink 2030 programme represents one of the country's most concrete bets on reversing that trajectory by 2030.
- A joint Indonesian-Norwegian inspection team walked the replanted terrain in Hulu Sungai Tengah, scrutinising tree survival rates and vegetation growth across two villages — the kind of on-the-ground verification that separates genuine progress from paper commitments.
- The programme's central tension is practical: farmers cannot afford to wait years for forest trees to mature, so rubber, durian, mahogany, and fast-cycle crops like chilies and tomatoes are grown together, generating income now while the longer arc of restoration unfolds.
- Officials confirmed the work is currently on track, but the programme's durability depends entirely on whether farmer groups remain committed stewards long after the initial funding and international attention have moved on.
- Expansion is already planned, with more farmer groups set to enter the programme — each one becoming both a beneficiary and a guardian of the land they are helping to restore.
Deep in South Kalimantan, officials from Indonesia's Environmental Fund Management Agency and Norway's climate contribution unit recently walked through newly planted terrain in Hulu Sungai Tengah to assess how the work was holding up. The visit was part of FOLU Net Sink 2030, a programme aimed at reducing land-use emissions by restoring forests and managing ecosystems with greater care. Across 82.86 hectares spread over two villages, the team examined tree survival rates, growth speed, and overall vegetation — the clearest indicators of whether the programme is genuinely delivering.
What distinguishes this effort from a conventional tree-planting exercise is its insistence on weaving environmental restoration together with the economic realities of local farmers. Participants are not simply replanting for a distant future — they are cultivating rubber, durian, mahogany, and longan trees alongside faster-growing crops such as chilies, tomatoes, and eggplants. The short-cycle crops provide income today; the maturing trees build toward both a healthier forest and a more stable livelihood over time.
Alip Winarto, who oversees watershed management and forest rehabilitation for South Kalimantan's forestry office, framed the inspection as an accountability check — verifying that ground-level work matched regulatory requirements and that plant survival rates confirmed the programme's goals were being met. The underlying challenge the programme attempts to solve is a familiar one: how do you ask farmers to invest in long-term ecological recovery when immediate needs press in from every side?
The answer the programme offers is shared stewardship. Farmer groups are expected to maintain the plantations over time, and if that commitment holds, the gains compound — more carbon stays out of the atmosphere, ecosystems recover, and communities secure a durable income source. The current inspection suggests the work is on track, and the next phase will bring additional farmer groups into the fold, each one asked to become a long-term guardian of the land they are restoring.
Deep in the forests of South Kalimantan, officials from Indonesia and Norway recently walked through newly planted land to see how the work was holding up. The inspection was part of a larger effort called FOLU Net Sink 2030, a program designed to reduce emissions from how land is used by bringing forests back to life and managing ecosystems more carefully.
The team from Indonesia's Environmental Fund Management Agency and Norway's climate contribution unit focused their attention on Hulu Sungai Tengah, a region where rehabilitation work has been underway. They examined 82.86 hectares of replanted forest spread across two villages, looking closely at whether the trees were surviving, how fast they were growing, and what the overall vegetation looked like. These measurements matter because they tell the story of whether the program is actually working.
Alip Winarto, who heads watershed management and forest rehabilitation for South Kalimantan's forestry office, explained the purpose of the visit. The inspection was meant to verify that the work on the ground matched what the regulations required, and to measure plant survival rates—the clearest sign of whether the program's goals were being met. It's the kind of accountability check that happens when two countries are investing in the same outcome.
What makes this project different from a simple tree-planting exercise is how it weaves together environmental restoration with the economic needs of local farmers. The people working the land aren't just replanting for the future. They're growing rubber, durian, mahogany, and longan trees alongside faster-growing crops like chilies, tomatoes, and eggplants. The short-term crops generate income now, while the longer-maturing trees build toward a healthier forest and a more stable income stream down the road.
Winarto emphasized that the program is designed to deliver benefits that last. Beyond simply increasing forest cover and improving land quality, the farmer groups involved in Hulu Sungai Tengah can earn additional money from the crops they're cultivating as part of the rehabilitation work. It's an attempt to solve a real problem: how do you ask farmers to invest in long-term environmental recovery when they need to eat and pay bills today?
The structure of the program assumes that farmer groups will take on the responsibility of maintaining these plantations over time. That's where the real test lies. If the groups stay committed to the work, the environmental gains compound—more carbon stays out of the atmosphere, ecosystems recover, and the farmers have a sustainable income source. If the commitment falters, the project becomes just another well-intentioned effort that fades once the initial funding and attention move elsewhere. For now, the inspection suggests the work is on track, and the next phase will bring more farmer groups into the program, each one expected to become a steward of the land they're restoring.
Citas Notables
We reviewed the sites to ensure forest and land rehabilitation activities are being implemented in accordance with regulations and to determine plant survival rates, which serve as a key indicator of the program's achievements.— Alip Winarto, Head of Watershed Management and Forest and Land Rehabilitation, South Kalimantan Forestry Office
In addition to improving the quality and quantity of land cover, forest farmer groups in Hulu Sungai Tengah can also earn additional income from commodities developed through rehabilitation activities.— Alip Winarto
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does it matter that Indonesia and Norway are doing this together? Couldn't Indonesia just restore the forest on its own?
Norway has committed climate finance to this work. They're not just writing a check—they're sending people to verify the results. That accountability matters when you're trying to prove that restoration actually reduces emissions, not just plants trees that die.
So the farmers are the real key to whether this works long-term?
Exactly. A farmer who owns a stake in the outcome—who can sell durian or rubber from the same land—has a reason to keep the trees alive. Without that economic layer, you get abandoned plantations.
What happens if the trees don't survive at high rates?
Then the program adjusts. That's what the inspection is for. They're measuring survival rates to see what's working and what isn't before they scale up to the next phase.
Is 82.86 hectares a lot?
It's a start. That's roughly 115 football fields of replanted forest. But South Kalimantan has lost far more than that to deforestation. The real question is whether this model can expand.
What's the timeline?
The program runs through 2030. That gives the trees time to establish themselves and the farmer groups time to prove they can maintain the work. It's not a quick fix.