Hegemoni Politik Kebun Energi

The report examines the socio-ecological impacts of energy plantation forests (HTE) in Java, specifically in Sukabumi, Grobogan, and Bojonegoro. It argues that Perhutani uses the narrative of 'critical land' and 'energy transition' to reclaim land from local farmers, effectively continuing a history of agrarian extraction. The study finds that the introduction of biomass crops like gamal and kaliandra restricts community access to food and fuel, transforms these species into 'flex trees' for industrial profit, and employs local labor under precarious, low-wage conditions. The document concludes that these projects often fail economically while exacerbating land conflicts and environmental degradation, recommending a shift toward genuine forestry land reform.

• Perhutani utilizes the concept of 'political forest' to control territory, species, and labor, using labels such as 'critical land' or 'unproductive land' to justify the seizure of land previously reclaimed or farmed by local residents.
• The development of energy plantations restricts rural communities' access to essential resources, specifically firewood and livestock feed, while limiting their ability to plant food crops due to dense planting patterns (1x1 or 2x1 meters).
• Biomass crops gamal and kaliandra have been transformed into 'flex trees'—commodities with both economic value for wood pellets (exported to Korea or Japan) and political functions to exclude communities from forest access.
• Local residents are mobilized as low-wage contract or piece-rate laborers for planting and nursery work, with wages often lower than those paid by fellow farmers and lacking benefits like food or coffee.
• In Grobogan, the energy plantation project has actively hindered land redistribution efforts (TORA), as Perhutani uses the planting of biomass crops to legitimize its claim over land that residents were attempting to certify as private property.
• Resistance from local communities, such as uprooting biomass plants or replacing them with cassava, has been met with state-supported criminalization, including police interrogations and detentions.
• The report identifies a failure in the economic viability of these projects, noting that in some areas of Bojonegoro, harvested gamal and kaliandra could not be sold because Perhutani and private buyers failed to agree on a price.
• The biomass co-firing program for 52 power plants is criticized for its high carbon footprint, with estimated emissions from wood pellet supply chains ranging from 7.9 million to 26.5 million tons of CO2e per year.

APA

Gara, R. O., Saifulloh, M. K., & Habib (2024). Hegemoni Politik Kebun Energi. Trend Asia. https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/TrendAsia-hutan-tanaman-energi.pdf

Chicago

Gara, Rendi Oman, M. Khorik Saifulloh, and Habib. Hegemoni Politik Kebun Energi. Trend Asia, 2024. https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/TrendAsia-hutan-tanaman-energi.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gara |first1=Rendi Oman |last2=Saifulloh |first2=M. Khorik |last3=Habib |title=Hegemoni Politik Kebun Energi |publisher=Trend Asia |date=1 October 2024 |url=https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/TrendAsia-hutan-tanaman-energi.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gara2024hegemoni, author = {Gara, Rendi Oman and Saifulloh, M. Khorik and Habib}, title = {{Hegemoni Politik Kebun Energi}}, institution = {Trend Asia}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/TrendAsia-hutan-tanaman-energi.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }