Forty-two percent of the land area in the neighbouring districts (kapubatens) of Wonogiri, Central Java and Ponorogo in East
Java is covered with secondary forests of naturalized exotic tree species that are common components of governmental land
rehabilitation programs. The seed suppliers operating in the Wonogiri–Ponorogo area represent only 9% of the suppliers in
Indonesia yet they account for 80–90% of the national tree seed supply capacity. Wonogiri–Ponorogo suppliers procure and sell
1,510 tons of seed annually. About 24% of this (362 tons) is exchanged between suppliers, 1,148 tons are sold to customers
across Indonesia, and less than 1 ton is exported. About 72% of the seed sold (826 tons) is collected in the Wonogiri–Ponorogo
area, the remainder originating in Sumatra, Madura and Nusa Tenggara. In Wonogiri–Ponorogo, tree seeds are collected by farmers
on contract with seed assemblers or seed companies. Assemblers link farmer collectors with seed companies and middlemen, who
sell seed to customers. Government agencies purchase 75% of the seed. Cover crop species,
Gmelina arborea,
Tectona grandis and
Leucaena leucocephala account for the 85% of the total seed sold. The sheer volume of seed collected in Wonogiri–Ponorogo assures that it comes
from a large number of unrelated trees over widely dispersed locations. However, research results indicate individual farmers
collect seed from a limited number of adjacent trees. Experience indicates simple seed collection guidelines help farmers
improve their seed collection practices and the genetic quality of seed collected. A commitment to seed quality by all agents
involved in the seed trade and customers is required to make such guidelines functional and acceptable. Seed procurement and
diffusion generate significant income for all seed agents. As the dominant agents who facilitate most of the activities and
inputs required to move seed through the pathway from forests to customers, seed companies receive the most financial benefits.
Farmer seed collectors are the most numerous agents in the seed pathway, with an estimated 22,500 farmers involved in seed
collection activities annually. Farmer families living near seed companies earn additional income by processing seed.
Keywords Reforestation - Land rehabilitation - Tree seed collection - Tree seed sources - Tree seed quality - Tree seed markets - Tree seed revenue
An earlier version of this paper was published as ICRAF Southeast Asia Working Paper, No. 2004-1.