Farming Without Burning and Stingless Beekeeping in Penampi

Penampi Village lies on Bengkalis Island in northern Riau Province, west of the district and regency capitals. Its low-lying coastal terrain ranges from 0–3 metres above sea level and faces the Bengkalis Strait. Its coordinates are 102.1752658° East and 1.4467929° North. Administratively, it forms part of Bengkalis District, Bengkalis Regency, Riau Province.

Participatory mapping by the Peatland Restoration Agency in 2019 recorded a village area of 1,057 hectares, comprising 3 hamlets: Makmur, Mekar and Penampi. Its boundaries meet Resam Village to the north, Kelebuk to the east, the Bengkalis Strait to the south, and Kuala Alam and Sungai Alam villages to the west.

The village landscape is dominated by mangroves, peatland, plantations and settlements. The original account identifies Other Use Areas (APL), the Peat Hydrological Unit (KHG) and Limited Production Forest (HPT) within its administrative context. Under Riau Regional Regulation No. 10 of 2018 on the provincial spatial plan for 2018–2038, almost the entire village is designated APL. Ministerial Decree No. SK 903/MENLHK/SETJEN/PLA.02/12/2016 identifies coastal mangrove areas as Limited Production Forest. Under Ministerial Decree No. SK. 129/MENLHK/SETJEN/PKL.0/2/2017 on the national peat hydrological unit map, Penampi lies within the Bengkalis Island KHG.

Local livelihoods depend mainly on rubber, pineapple and areca palm cultivation, alongside fishing. Fires in 2014 degraded the village’s peatland. Canals constructed along village boundaries can contribute to peat subsidence and fire vulnerability. Without alternatives, farmers may continue clearing by burning, historically practised after pineapple harvests.

In 2019, the Peatland Restoration Agency provided community capacity-building training and promoted land management without burning. Rudiyanto, one of the farmers trained by BRG, continued advocating the approach. Peat covers 854 hectares of the village and can reach depths of 12 metres in its northern part.

Recognising local farmers’ commitment, Yayasan Gambut, with funding from Global Environment Centre (GEC), worked with 4 farmers to develop cultivation without burning on peatland around residents’ homes.

Yayasan Gambut discussing land management without burning with the Penampi Village Government

Farmers began growing a range of horticultural crops around their homes. They prepared the land manually with hoes and made raised beds. Soil acidity was a key consideration: they applied dolomite before planting to raise soil pH, then fertilised according to crop needs and provided daily water.

Farming without burning in Penampi

These practices form part of local fire prevention and efforts to keep peatland economically productive without harming the surrounding environment. Farmers also manage fire danger information so that residents understand risks and take greater care with activities that could ignite peatland.

Another group of 7 residents began stingless bee honey farming. Although established elsewhere, the enterprise was new to participants such as Samrizal, who received training from Yayasan Gambut. During training on 8–9 October 2020, Penampi participants received 14 colonies. Within a month, participation grew from 7 to 11 people and the number of colonies reached 30.

Stingless bee training and searches for additional colonies in Penampi

Penampi residents are demonstrating how livelihoods can remain productive without burning peatland, including by combining horticulture with stingless beekeeping. Pesticide use on crops can harm the bees, reinforcing the need to balance peatland conservation, crop production and honey farming.