Sustainable rattan harvesting: these farmers show that it is possible

The global demand for rattan is causing major damage to the forests of Indonesia, where rattan grows exclusively in the wild. This unsustainable exploitation is causing the rattan to disappear in some areas, putting even more pressure on the underpaid farmers. In Central Sulawesi, farmers are demonstrating that rattan harvesting can be done differently. Rattan harvesters are working together to prevent overexploitation by adhering to the criteria of the PGS RoLes certification label. A web database provides insight into the harvest data. The farmers hope that all parties – the manufacturers and the consumers – are prepared to pay a slightly higher price for sustainably harvested rattan. In many areas, forest management and the sustainable harvest of forest products by local communities remain the last buffer against deforestation.

Lariang landscape in Central Sulawesi © Evelien van den Broek

Namo is a village located in the Lariang landscape in Central Sulawesi. NTFP-EP, a longstanding partner of IUCN NL, works in this area with local organisations and communities on sustainable forest management under the Forests for a Just Future programme. The landscape around Namo is mountainous and the forests harbour Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) such as rattan, honey, pandanus, resins and medicinal plants.

The village has a few thousand inhabitants, and the average income for most families is IDR 1,000,000 (± €56) per month. Most of their income is generated through corn and cocoa farming. In addition, the families collect NTFPs from forests in which they own management rights that were granted under the Indonesian Social Forestry programme. This area, known as hutan desa, covers 490 hectares and is located a few kilometres from the village, on the other side of the river.

Sustainability label for rattan

Rattan is an important forest product for the people of Namo. In 2016, NTFP ID introduced the sustainable rattan certification label (PGS-RoLes) in the Lariang landscape under the Green Livelihoods Alliance programme. The farmers harvest rattan according to the criteria of the Participatory Guarantee System. The system holds up two basic principles: rattan must be harvested sustainably, and the ecosystem should not be undermined. In addition, the production of rattan needs to contribute to the economic and social well-being of the communities. Monitoring of the certification label is not conducted by expensive consultants but goes via a peer-monitoring system which is developed with local farmer organisations according to the established criteria.

Visit to Namo to harvest rattan © Femke Schouten

Visit to Namo

In February 2025, two representatives of the IUCN NL – Evelien van den Broek and Femke Schouten – visited Namo to meet with rattan harvesters and learn about their sustainable harvesting methods. The farmers took them to the hutan desa.

Van den Broek says: ‘The trip started in the morning with a scooter ride along winding, worn paths to the river. To get to the hutan desa, we had to wade through the wide, fast-flowing river. The densely overgrown forest is located on a hill, and the farmers used machetes to clear a path upwards in search of a rattan vine that could be harvested. After two kilometres of climbing and a 300-metre ascent, a harvestable rattan plant was found.’

The exact harvesting location is decided among the farmers. A penalty is imposed if harvesting takes place at a different location. The agreements and penalties are based on adat (traditional law) and are included in the village regulations.

The rattan harvest

A rattan vine climbs up a tree for tens of metres, but only the lower six metres of the vine is harvested. This method is required by factories who want the rattan to be delivered in bundles of six metres. The rattan plant needs seven years to develop a new long shoot, after which harvesting can be done in the same place.

Harvesting rattan involves hard work. A person can harvest seventeen to eighteen six-metre rattan vines each day, with a total weight of 100 to 300 kg, yielding between 11 and 33 euros for the farmer. This earning is also used to pay other labourers who transport the rattan bundles from the forest via the river and by scooter to the road. The rattan is sold to companies via middlemen for one and a half times the price that farmers get paid. The price of rattan is determined by the processing factory, and sometimes the harvest price is so low that it is not rewarding to go harvesting.

Rattan harvesters © Evelien van den Broek & Femke Schouten

PGS RoLes is currently being implemented in three locations: Namo, Sigi District (Central Sulawesi), Pepas Eheng, Kutai Barat District (East Kalimantan) and Ketab, Barito District (Central Kalimantan) and is to be expanded to farmer groups in other villages. In addition, a pilot project is being conducted with Findora Company, a supplier to IKEA, in South Kalimantan.

In the past, rattan chairs and cabinets were produced in a workplace in Namo. However, the workplace was destroyed by a severe earthquake in 2018. The workplaces used by women to produce woven rattan and pandanus products (baskets, mats) were also destroyed. If funds become available for the construction of new working stations and the necessary tools, rattan and pandanus could be processed in the village again.

The farmers see the overviews of the monthly rattan harvest per village as useful information. This gives them a better insight into the monthly and annual variation in rattan harvest. To give an impression of the condition of the forest, they would like to have the option to add photos to the database. They would also like to include the selling price in the app. This can support them in negotiations and addressing the fluctuating prices as a problem for a healthy revenue model.

‘PGS ROLES taught us how to harvest sustainably, like how we should avoid cutting down trees when harvesting rattan and to take care not to harm seedlings or harvest the young rattan. We only harvest from designated blocks and apply a rotation system agreed upon by the farmers.’

• Safir, a rattan harvester from Namo

Farmers hope that producers and consumers are willing to pay a slightly higher price for rattan with a PGS RoLes certification. The web database is a valuable tool for rattan buyers who prioritise sustainability. It enables them to trace the origin of a batch of rattan and gain insight into how it was harvested