Exploring social resilience among small-scale agroforestry farmers: A case study from a remote Indonesian village

Social resilience represents a community's capacity to adapt and thrive in response to external pressures and changes. A reduction in social resilience within a community leads to increased social vulnerability, manifested in diminished adaptive capacities and heightened exposure to adverse impacts. Evaluating a community’s social resilience is essential to understanding the robustness of its support systems and its ability to confront challenges effectively. This study aims to assess the social resilience of the agroforestry farming community in Kagitakan Village, located in a remote area of central Indonesia. In addition, it seeks to develop a comprehensive empowerment program designed to enhance the social resilience of this community. Utilizing a qualitative research methodology through a case study approach, data were collected between April and May 2023. The analysis was conducted both descriptively and qualitatively, enabling a nuanced understanding of the social resilience dynamics in the community. The results revealed that the agroforestry farming community in Kagitakan Village faces substantial vulnerability across multiple dimensions. Key challenges include limited access to knowledge and information, inadequate community infrastructure, a lack of creativity in diversifying business activities, insufficient economic innovation, low awareness of collective rights, and inadequate support from both governmental and non-governmental institutions. Despite these vulnerabilities, the community exhibits a strong sense of social capital, which serves as a critical factor in maintaining resilience amid adversity. Based on these findings, the research proposes a series of strategic recommendations to strengthen the social resilience of the agroforestry farming community. These recommendations include enhancing social capital and fostering collaborative partnerships, improving community infrastructure, ensuring market access stability, expanding financial credit availability, implementing targeted farmer empowerment programs, and improving policy frameworks to support sustainable resilience-building efforts.