Strategi Sinergistik Peningkatan Produksi Pangan Dalam Hutan Lestari Melalui Wanatani

Abstract

Peningkatan produksi pangan merupakan agenda penting guna mencapai Tujuan
Pembangunan Milenium matra pertama bahwa kelaparan dan kemiskinan harus
ditanggulangi hingga 50 persen pada tahun 2015. Upaya tersebut tidak mudah untuk
dicapai, karena terjadinya bencana ekologis berupa perubahan iklim global. Perluasan
lahan pertanian untuk meningkatkan produksi pangan dipandang sebagai jawaban
pilihan. Perluasan lahan pertanian baru berupa sawah maupun ladang hingga 2 juta
hektar, akan mengurangi areal kawasan hutan. Pengalaman proyek sejuta hektar konversi
hutan di tanah gambut untuk lahan pertanian menjadi pelajaran yang perlu disimak,
karena secara ekonomi tidak layak dan ekologi rusak. Makanya perluasan lahan pertanian
seluas 2 juta hektar harus dipersiapkan cermat, agar keberlanjutan dapat dicapai.
Kelestarian hutan harus dipertahankan sebagai wujud komitmen anggota masyarakat
global dalam mengantisipasi perubahan iklim. Dua matra tersebut seyogyanya disinergikan
dalam wanatani, agar kepentingan jangka pendek pemenuhan sumber pangan berikut
kebutuhan ekonomi tercukupi tanpa mengabaikan kelestarian hutan beserta hasrat
ekologi. Komoditas sumber pangan tahan naungan seperti kelompok ubi-ubian (tuberosa)
famili Araceae layak dikembangkan. Varietas tahan naungan padi dan serealia lain
maupun aneka kacang (leguminosa) perlu dirakit guna diintegrasikan ke dalam wanatani.
Mengingat kerimbunan tajuk hutan menimbulkan naungan >80 persen, maka perlu
menggali potensi hayati kelompok sumber pangan tidak hanya dari phylum Spermatophyta
(tumbuhan berbiji) yang masa panen >4 bulan, tetapi juga dari Thalophyta (jamur),
Bryophyta (lumut) maupun Pteridophyta (paku) yang dapat dipanen harian atau mingguan.
kata kunci: wanatani, pangan dalam hutan lestari

Increasing food-crop production is urgent to meet Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) in which it is stated that the first objective is to decrease hunger and poverty
up to 50 percent till the year 2015. This effort is not easily achieved due to ecological
disorder in a form of climate change. Addition of new agricultural land to increase food
crop production is considered as an alternative answer. Consequently, opening forests
for agricultural areas causes deforestation up to 2 million hectares. Past experience in
converting one million hectares of peat land for agriculture learnt a lesson, because
economical and ecologically was not sustainable. Therefore, expanding agricultural land
up to 2 million hectares has to be planned accurately, so sustainability could be attained.
Forest sustainability is also a priority to combat against climate change. Those two objectives can be synchronized synergistically under agro-forestry, so food as well as
short economic seductions could be fulfilled without sacrificing forest sustainability as
long term ecological dreams. Shade tolerance root crops under family of Araceae are
suitable to be developed. Shade tolerance varieties of rice and other cereals as well as
legumes need to be generated and incorporated into agro-forestry. Due to shade intensity
under forest up to more than 80 percent, the food requirement is not merely based on
Spermatophyta plant that mostly can be harvested at the period of around 4 months. It
is also a need to explore the potential of Thallophyta (mushroom, algae), Bryophyta
(musci) as well as Pteridophyta (Azolla etc.) that can be harvested daily or weekly.