This story is related to the landscape initiative “The Mosaik Initiative”, and originally published on SourceUp.
The Impact of Regenerative Agriculture: A One-Year Analysis of Biophysical and Socioeconomic Changes
Kaleka and Gawi Bapakat have piloted a regenerative agriculture (RA) system for oil palm cultivation in the villages of Sulung, Bangkal, Bahaur, and Selunuk. The intervention focused on enhancing existing oil palm plantations by introducing compost and organic fertilizers, planting cover crops, reducing chemical pesticide use in favor of biological controls, and reintegrating organic materials such as palm fronds back into the soil.
The program began in 2023 with 96 participating farmers and established ten observation plots across the four villages. These included four conventional plots (one in each village) and six RA plots (one in Sulung, two each in Bahaur and Bangkal, and one in Selunuk).
After one year, the impact assessment revealed encouraging trends in soil health, with soil pH showing the most significant improvement. Farmers practicing RA reported increased productivity and lower input costs, resulting in a 26.7% rise in annual income. While meaningful soil restoration takes time—requiring improved organic matter, greater microbial activity, and diversified planting—these processes unfold gradually. The immediate economic benefits observed after one year are largely due to reduced reliance on chemical inputs and improved farm management, rather than substantial changes in soil condition.
The report can be downloaded here: https://kaleka.id/publication/the-impact-of-regenerative-agriculture-a-one-