“Regenerative agriculture emphasizes practical application wherein farmers, fully informed and proficient, undertake initiatives to enhance soil health and ecosystems, bolster farm biodiversity through non-oil palm crops and ultimately foster a more favourable environment and improve their livelihoods.”
Edy Dwi Hartono, Senior Manager, Agricultural Carbon, Solidaridad Indonesia
Making every hectare count: the stories of Yani and Nerdi
Yani’s Story
Initially, the term ‘regenerative agriculture’ seemed alien and confusing to Yani, a small-scale oil palm farmer from Setia Bangun in Sinar Tebudak village, Bengkayang district, West Kalimantan, Indonesia.
“At first, I thought regenerative farming techniques would be difficult to implement,” said Yani. Little did he know that these practices would soon come to play an important role in his life.
His plantation is only two years old, and is classified as a tanaman belum menghasilkan farm—a plot with immature, non-fruit-bearing trees that are still in the developmental phase. The oil palm trees, therefore, are not yet a source of income.
Yet Yani supports his family from the proceeds of his one-hectare oil palm plantation. How does he do so? Early on, Yani showed keen interest in intercropping on his oil palm plot.
“I have been attending Solidaridad and Regenagri project sessions since 2024, and have learned how to utilize the empty spaces around the young oil palm plants to grow other crops,” says Yani. He began by cultivating tomatoes around the palm trees. “Because my oil palm trees are not tall, the tomato plants I’ve put in grow well and get enough sunlight,” he explains.
“My concerns are about unstable prices and finding replacement crops once my oil palm trees become taller. For that reason, I keep discussing with the Solidaridad field team to find out what plants are suitable to replace these tomato trees.” Based on the team’s advice, Yani is also growing corn and cassava.
This practice has shown great economic potential. “In each of my three-month growing phases, I am able to harvest 100 kg of tomato,” says Yani. “I also get around 1,050 kg of corn in every cycle (of around three months), while cassava yields can go up to 1,080 kg every month.”
From each cycle, he earns around IDR 2,500,000 (127.53 euros) from tomatoes and IDR 4,725,000 (241.03 euros) from corn, while cassava generates a monthly income of IDR 864,000 (44.07 euros). For a three-month-long planting activity, this translates to cumulative earnings of IDR 9,817,000 (500.78 euros).
Intercropping reduces weed growth on the farm. “Areas usually overgrown with weeds can be used to plant horticultural crops. This not only avoids disrupting the growth of oil palm plants but also provides produce for self-consumption or even sale,” he says. He has also reduced the use of chemical fertilizers by up to 70%.
Yani admits that he is now “addicted” to practising regenerative agriculture. He is in the process of registering his estate for Regenagri certification, which he feels will earn him more from his farm, support the ecosystem and ensure the well-being of his two children. “Having experienced the benefits myself, the desire to continue on this path to sustainability has only grown stronger,” Yani says.
Nerdi’s Story
A desire to make the best use of his land is also what defines the journey of Nerdi Are, a small-scale farmer from Sentalang hamlet in Semangat village, Bengkayang district, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Nerdi owns a four-hectare oil palm plantation. Of this land, two hectares are mature, while the remaining is an immature plot.
Nerdi personally oversees his oil palm cultivation, consistently engaging in weed control, fertilization and the application of regenerative farming practices learned from Solidaridad’s farmers’ field school classes, which he joined in 2019. He was a plasma farmer in the 1990s, and joined Solidaridad’s classes once the replanting phase was completed.
“The condition of my plantation was not good at that time,” says Nerdi. “The growth rate of the plants was very slow, because I did not have enough knowledge about proper fertilization and care.” As a result, the yield on his farm was low: less than one tonne of fresh fruit bunches per month.
However, the adoption of organic fertilizers and pesticides has begun to improve the health of the soil and plants, as evidenced by the re-emergence of earthworm populations and improved pH levels. These factors have collectively stimulated the regeneration of fine feeder roots and enhanced nutrient uptake efficiency. “It also has a significant impact on the maintenance costs,” Nerdi states. “I’m using a fertilizer formulation, consisting of 70% organic and 30% inorganic ingredients, on the immature plot. This successfully reduces chemical consumption by 70%.”
On the plot with mature plants, he uses a fertilizer formulation with around 60% of inorganic and 40% of organic ingredients. With this input, he now receives a yield of 1.5 tonnes of fruit bunches worth IDR 3,750,000 (199.08 euros) per month. Nerdi also earned Regenagri certification in 2022 for the mature plot.
As part of the farmer field school classes, Nerdi learnt about intercropping, then started the practice on his farm. “Knowledge about regenerative farming practices is very important because we are not familiar with the use of empty land,” he says. “In the past, the land between my plantations was not utilized and left empty until it was overgrown with weeds. Now I understand how to manage the land, so that it is not overgrown with weeds and can also be a new source of income for me, especially while waiting for around three years before the plantation matures.”
“I’ve started using the inter-row spaces in my oil palm plantation to cultivate vegetables,” adds Nerdi. Alongside diversifying with fruit trees like durian, banana and cempedak (a jackfruit relative), he also grows crops like chilli, beans, cassava and eggplant for household consumption.
“I now harvest around 375 kg of chilli over a three-month period, helping me earn IDR 31,875,000 (1,692 euros) from chilli cultivation alone on my immature plot,” he adds.
Nerdi is hopeful that regenerative agriculture can transform the fortune of his fellow farmers as well.
“I hope that other independent farmers who have not started with regenerative farming will start soon. We need to take good care of our plantations so that the results are optimal. Utilizing the available open land for farming can also benefit us and improve our family income.”
Nerdi Are
Scaling Regenerative Agriculture
“The implementation of regenerative agriculture practices presents a highly effective methodology for smallholder oil palm farmers. This approach not only supports oil palm production but also facilitates the cultivation of intercropped plants, offering additional yields.”
Edi Dastra, Area Coordinator – Sanggau, West Kalimantan, Solidaridad Indonesia
There are currently 2,241 Regenagri-certified farmers spread across different regions in the West Kalimantan province. The certification programme is being implemented by Solidaridad, together with Aliansi Petani Kelapa Sawit Keling Kumang (APKS–KK, or the Keling Kumang Oil Palm Farmers’ Association).
The scale of this transition is significant. Within this initiative, a core cohort of 2,000 APKS-KK farmers managing 3,419.5 hectares of land—spanning the regencies of Sintang, Sekadau, Sanggau, Bengkayang and Landak—are now active participants in the regenerative supply chain. Collectively, these smallholders generate an estimated 57,089,783 kilograms (approx. 57,090 tonnes) of fresh fruit bunches annually.
This quantity of fruit bunches, which translates to a volume of approximately 11,418 tonnes of crude palm oil (CPO) per year, is more than just a commodity—it is a verified sustainable product sourced by major regional off-takers.
The case for the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices in Indonesia’s oil palm plantations is, thus, a strong one. Boosted by a rigorous certification process, not only can regenerative agriculture guarantee and sustain long-term soil fertility, but it can also support farmers’ livelihoods through the provision of diversified/alternative sources of income and improved access to markets.