Early research on rubber agroforestry in Indonesia was conducted by CIRAD, with whom the World Agroforestry Centre subsequently formed a close relationship when it began to explore the issue in the mid-1990s. Working with scientists from CIRAD and the Indonesian Rubber Research Institute, Ratna Akiefnawati and her fellow researchers, including Ilahang in West Kalimantan, collaborated with more than 150 farmers over the following decade, testing a range of rubber agroforestry systems in Jambi, West Sumatra and West Kalimantan. “One of our main considerations was selecting technologies that would be suitable for smallholders,” recalls Ratna. “This meant they had to work for.
