Palm oil social conflict resolution and mediation in Jambi

Abstract

The increase of oil palm plantation and manufacturing in Jambi offers any environmental and social problems, leading to conflict between companies and the local community. In addition, some conflict in there not yet resolved, and for achieving conflict resolution need to understand each element that affects the conflict and offer proper conflict resolution. This research identified and analyzed each element that offers the effect to conflict resolution based on mass media information, literature review, and depth interview with the head of village and section head of conflict management in Jambi. However, this article identified through mediation is the best way to resolve the conflict. Each actor and condition of the place will give effect to the success rate for that conflict to be resolve through mediation. Nevertheless, farmers can be used as a driver to encourage mediation process through joint action in the local community.

Keywords:

• conflict resolution
• mediation
• oil palm plantation
• local community

PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT

The expansion of the oil palm industry gives the environment and social impact leads to occur of conflict between the company and the local community. Conflict resolution is a critical process for resolving the problem or conflict between the company and the local community. Each actor, place, and activity will give different results to resolve the problem even the process is the same. Most of the local community does not have proof of ownership. They used the land which passed down from generation to generation so they can not prove they are owned. Because of that, without disregard, they are right; we need to find a good way to resolve conflict. However, this paper results can also be used for conflict resolution in another case. It also extends an understanding of the role of actor and activity in the conflict area, which can increase the success mediation process’s success rate.

1. Introduction

The issue of plantation conflicts is an interesting issue to study considering plantation conflicts are almost always found in Indonesia, not least in palm oil plantations. The increasing need for palm oil as a raw material for derivative products increases the emergence of palm oil plantations. Based on the Central Statistics Agency (2017), there was an increasing the total area of palm oil plantations in Indonesia from 2013, which amounted to 10.47 million hectares to 11.20 million hectares in 2016. The increase in the total area of land can trigger the emergence of social, economic, and environmental impacts. If management is not done wisely, then the impact that will often arise is conflict. There are at least 663 conflicts that are occurring between local communities and palm oil companies in 2010 in Indonesia, mostly cases located in Kalimantan and Sumatra (Komnas & Watch, 2010). The causes of conflicts that occur in oil palm plantations are among others due to disruption to livelihood sources, removal of local communities, lack of consultation, and restrictions on access (Patel et al., 2013; Yasmi et al., 2010). Conflicts that have already occurred can be reduced through a mediation process. The mediation process generally involves a neutral third party and can bridge the parties that are experiencing conflict. Mediation is both formal and informal, which is carried out by an independent third party, namely a mediator who facilitates management conflict without forcing a solution (Bush & Folger, 2005; Engel & Korf, 2005; Yasmi et al., 2010). Generally, the task of mediators facilitates so that the conflicting parties have the opportunity to be involved in resolving conflicts. In its journey, mediation developed into a mediation of transformation that not only aimed at resolving conflicts but also creating a longterm cooperative relationship (Folger & Bush, 2015; Vukovic, 2014).

Mediation is not only in the short-term; it can also make the parties to the conflict more amenable negotiations and build the basis for cooperative relations in the long-term. Through this process of mediation not only can reduce the intensity of the conflict but also jointly lead to emotion and relationship development for the parties that lead to a turning point of conflict transformation (Friedman et al., 2018; Jameson et al., 2014). Conflict transformation is social change that tranforms actors behaviour and attitude, relationship, issue of the conflict, and structural and cultural pattern (Omoyefa, 2014; Rodríguez & Inturias, 2018). Mediation originated from relationships among parties who can be negotiators, disputants, or parties who could be connected by the intervention (Fisher, 2011; Gartner, 2014). In general, mediators are well known as the third party who can reduce or bring the peace of conflict (Ajayi & Buhari, 2014). Based on this understanding, the mediator can play several roles in order to achieve conflict resolution.

The mediator can also act as a person who develops capacity considering the parties come from distinct backgrounds, so there needs to be a common understanding of conflicting issues. Mediators will try to provide capacity building activities by sponsoring seminars and common training events. In addition, mediators can act as motivators, given that the mediation process costs time, and there is a need for the parties to push forward to achieve their initial goals. There are three critical factors in the mediation phase, namely (1) involvement and commitment of all parties in mediation; (2) participation in the legitimacy, process, and trust of mediation; (3) the ability of mediators to mediate conflicts (Dhiaulhaq et al., 2014). The mediation process needs to be carried out with the cooperation of both the conflicting parties and the mediator; trust between the parties is felt very necessary for the smooth mediation process. The factor of trust in the mediator becomes crucial because it determines the success of the mediation process. Useful mediation places a mediator in a position of trustworthiness as a neutral party and is not biased towards certain parties. Indeed, building trust for a mediator will require effort and time. Commitments that have succeeded must also be maintained so that they do not return to conflict. The process of safeguarding the outcome of the mediation agreement becomes a challenge for the parties concerned, bearing in mind that if there is a change in the management of the parties concerned, then the mediation results may be considered invalid. The parties’ commitment is needed in order to maintain conditions that are already conducive to the results of conflict mediation.

Competing for land and resource claims become latent conflicts in several regions in Indonesia, if not appropriately handled, this will trigger violent conflicts (Dhiaulhaq & McCarthy, 2019; Fisher & van der Muur, 2019). According to (Alcorn et al., 2000), over time and changes in population, political and economic conditions technology, social and value incentives, this transformation will lead to ecological degradation unless people improve the institution management and responsive to the ecological aspect. Thus, the resilience of ecology relies on institution development, which governs natural resources and society. The resilience of ecology relies on society’s conclusion based on institution and culture.

Indigenous people’s recognition became one potential conflict in Indonesia. Indigenous people’s position in relation to state regulations is still unclear in Indonesia. In the colonial era, there was two recognized legal/regulatory systems, namely, customary and western law. Indonesian founders have established a legal system which is a combination of customary law and western law, but in reality, most Indonesian law is based on western law. Next came the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007, it helped interpret the policies of countries relating to indigenous peoples (Sirait, 2009). In practice, the acquisition of land and resources is encouraged because of economic interests and does not rule out the possibility of ignoring the values of tradition and local wisdom. These things can increase the intensity of the social conflict. Social conflict occurs when a group of citizens or a community, government, and/or company declares the belief that they have different goals with technology or policy options (Kriesberg & Bruce, 2012).

Some disputes can stem from the illegal operation, overlapping of land ownership, people displacement (Patel et al., 2013; Yasmi et al., 2010), and giving less provision from the company to the community for resettlement and compensation (Colchester, 2010). The emergence of conflicts between local communities and palm oil plantation companies is highly positively related to the possibility of the reduction amount of forest. A number of conflicts are relatively small in a location with a low possibility of reducing the number of forests (Abram et al., 2017). Characteristics understanding of communities that have conflict experience and conflict locations will facilitate better comprehension of reason and location of conflicts that have to happen (Abram et al., 2017).

In resolving a conflict, it requires the involvement of relevant parties in finding resolution efforts from the government, companies, and the community. The participation of each person involved will affect each decision process and ensure the local communities’ rights and livelihoods (Abram et al., 2017). Institutions under government control have an important role in controlling forest and non-forest land and are tasked with resolving forest and land conflicts. However, these institutions did not last long, lacked coordination between one another, and the idea was not implemented. In contrast, the resolution of land and forest conflicts requires joint efforts from various institutions and sectors (GmbH, 2016).

In an effort to resolve conflicts between local and private communities, several local governments have issued regulations on partnership schemes based on the core plasma model (McCarthy, 2010; Mcmichael, 2009; Sirait, 2009). Plantation companies manage most of the estates (nucleus), and establish plasma or plasma plantation schemes with the community, usually getting two hectares per family (Sirait, 2009). National and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) also have a role as mediators in resolving conflicts between local communities and companies. Efforts to involve NGOs in the conflict resolution process can sometimes produce negative results; However, on another occasion, the results were favorable to the community (Mohamad & Ali, 2017; Potter, 2008).

In a Dayak protest and resistance in West Kalimantan (Potter, 2008), Dayak people were eager to defend their cultural practices, which they considered essential for their identity and legitimacy as landowners. Local NGOs have worked to help their empowerment, which has led to the rejection of plantations by certain villages. Influential local leaders also play a role in this process. Other NGOs have publicized the farmers’ problems, and civil society’s role has increased, with the internationalization of more significant indigenous struggles.

One effort at conflict resolution is mediation. In Indonesia, mediation is widely used to overcome conflicts related to large-scale plantations that can be initiated by companies looking for independent organizations to help mediate conflicts which are then supported by the community (Ni’mah & Herdiansyah, 2018). In the mediation process, mediators assume the role of facilitator, advisor, and capacity developer. The role of a facilitator means facilitating and managing the mediation process. As an advisor, the mediator can provide potential suggestions, options, or solutions for the parties without imposing a decision. Each conflict involves peoples with a different understanding and perspective about a problem and how to overcome it. The mediator acts as a capacitance developer, trying to overcome the differences that exist by providing capacity building activities (Dhiaulhaq et al., 2014).

To further understand the ideal arrangement of this research, the basic component building blocks of the research are arranged in Table 1.

Table 1. The basic component building blocks of the research

Component	Description	Previous research
Conflict	Conflicts that occur relating to Oil Palm Planting	Potter, 2008; McCarthy, 2010; Sirait, 2009
Jambi conflict	The conflict that occurred in the Jambi area	McCarthy, 2010; Beckert et al., 2014
Related Parties	The role and background of the parties related to the conflict	Boons & Mendoza, 2010; Prabowo et al., 2017
Conflict Resolution	The process and achievement of conflict resolution results	Yasmi et al., 2010; Yasmi et al., 2013: Dhiaulhaq et al., 2014; Dhiaulhaq et al., 2017; Córdoba et al., 2018

2. Methodology

This article focuses on the case of conflict resolution on palm oil smallholders in Jambi, Indonesia. In order to understand better about the elements of conflict which offer the effect to conflict resolution. This article used a descriptive studied method as a research methodology. And then, secondary data was collected from mass media and other related documents about the conflict in Jambi related smallholder palm oil conflict. And then, those related document (reports, journals, reviews, articles) was identified, reviewed, and analyzed

Field observation and interview conducted in Jambi between July 2019 and November 2019. This article carried out depth interviews during fieldwork to understand individual’s perspectives and experiences with smallholder palm oil conflict. That interview conducted with community leaders, village leaders, and government figures. Interviews focused on understanding the conflict; area conflict, nature and social condition, community activities, actor-actor related conflict and resolution conflict, informant profile, and informant experience related to palm oil conflict. Recruitment of interviwees was initially done via word of mouth and phone call invitation. To got all participant consent before interview was conducted, the participant was informed about the purpose of interview, content information consent, and interview process was record. Interviews were conducted in Indonesian languange, by one interviewer (ER) who were researchers who had no relationship with participants prior to the interview. Interviews were conducted in person, in private rooms that ensured participant privacy and confidentiality. Interview duration ranged around 1 hour. In an attempt to obtain a better understanding the interviewees experiences about conflict, this study used an semi structured in-depth interview. The semi-structured interviews included predetermined questions and further in-depth questions based on the interviewees’ answers. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The transcripts and notes interviews were then analyzed. Firstly, be identified manually as the research question and themes in the transcripts and note interview. Each researcher made they are selected note or key point based on the mayor theme and research question from the related document and transcript interview was got it. After that, each results from researcher was combined and reanalyzed based on mayor theme and reaserch quetion which one was relevant and not relevant. As for transcript interview the data was directed by the content of the data, reflect the explicit content of the data, and reality evident that was getting to give strong evident and judgement related the research question. And then, all results data were then combined to answer the research question. All the name companies in this article does not revealed for confidential purpose and to bring objectiveness regarding to the research question.

3. Results & discussion

3.1. Identify the element actor

The agriculture sector has a vital role in the economy of Indonesia. Based on the 2018 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data, it is known that agriculture’s contribution is 12.81%, ranked third after the motorcycle car processing and repair industry. The oil palm plantation business is included in the agriculture category. Based on the status of the operation of oil palm plantations can be divided into three, namely private large plantations, community oil palm plantations, and state large plantations. In 2016 according to the Central Statistics Agency (2017), large private plantations had 5.75 million hectares (51.37%), community oil palm plantations had4.74 a million hectares (42.31%), while plantations large countries have 0.71 million hectares of land (6.32%).

In its journey, oil palm plantations and that conflict resolution have a lot to do with actors who play an important role. An actor is an individual or social entity that acts individually or collectively, while the action is a unit of behavior possessed by an actor to make decisions. Every actor has a choice and motivation (Kosamu et al., 2017; Overmars et al., 2007; Presseau et al., 2019). The choice is an action that is considered by an actor related to the goals of the actor. At the same time, motivation is an operational characteristic of choice considered normatively relevant to the actor.

The actors involved in the operation of palm oil plantations include government, palm oil plantation companies, oil palm growers, palm oil business people, and farmer associations, banks, certification bodies, non-governmental organizations, academics, oil palm user companies and civil society. The increase in palm oil production balanced by the increase of palm oil land amount has created direct and indirect impacts. These impacts can be environmental and social. The environmental impacts that are felt by villagers in Jambi include an increase in air temperature, a reduction in the number of fish in the Batang Hari river, and soil hardening. As stated by the village head of Rukam village. The land is changing, the fish population is decreasing, and the weather is getting hotter (Interview with Village Head of Rukam Village).

It is feared that if the impacts are not managed and monitored correctly, they will cause losses. Through this background, in Kuala Lumpur, a global palm certification was formed in 2004, namely Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). RSPO consists of downstream industry owners, mill owners who process palm oil, retailers/distributors, producers, and international non-governmental organizations. In general, the eight RSPO principles integrate 3P (people, planet, and profit) (Kunz et al., 2019) In Indonesia itself, there is a mandatory palm oil certification process through the issuance of Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture Number 19 the year 2011, namely Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) (Kadarusman & Pramudya, 2019). ISPO standard involves various regulations from the relevant Ministries, including the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture, National Land Agency (BPN), Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises, and Ministry of Manpower.

In 2000, the decentralization process began and also impacted regulations. The central government no longer controlled the increasing of palm oil plantations. The local government provided the acquisition of palm oil plantations land. Permissive land acquisition by the government due to the euphoria of reforms has the potential for future conflicts. Actors involved in the issuance of permits for oil palm plantations include regional governments, elite political parties in the regions, and financiers. To avoid conflict and expedite the establishment of palm oil plantations, especially when the area is transferred from local communities to private/private ownership, the regional government issues cooperation scheme schemes, including the core plasma model. This scheme accommodates companies to manage most of the plantations (nucleus) and build plasma schemes with the community. Usually, each family gets 2 hectares. Land extensification and conflict management programs that are not mature will cause conflicts in oil palm plantations. It was recorded that in South Sumatra Province, there were 136 conflicts related to oil palm plantations while Jambi ranked third in 60 conflict cases (Marti, 2008).

In resolving conflicts, there are also many involved actors such as companies, village communities, third parties such as persons and environmental organizations, the government. The government involved was adjusted to its function in the field, as notified by the section head of conflict management in Jambi.

From the technical side, it is plantation ministry, forestry ministry, and BPN. From the social side, the approach is the Polda, Korem, BIN, Kejati, Kesbangpol. Environmental ministry is more on the aspect of the impact(Interview with Section Head of Conflict Management in Jambi).

The scale of the conflict problem and the problem causing the conflict will also determine the actors who handle the case, such as the third party involved or the government level that will handle the conflict. As noted from the head of conflict management in Jambi

“While it can still be handled in a district, it should be handled by the district. Unless the district cannot handle the problems, it is too heavy, too big a problem; for example, it is too complicated to be thrown into the province. We received several cases that were thrown from the district, for example, PT.X (Interview with Section Head of Conflict Management in Jambi)

Actors who are in conflict or who handle conflicts will affect the level of success and enthusiasm of the community for solving the problems that exist in their villages. If the third party handling it does not communicate well, it will affect to villagers. The villagers can become pessimistic in resolving the conflicts because the conflict has been prolonged but not resolved. As noted from the interview with Rukam village head, their area has a crisis of trust in villagers. That because, a few times, some people as a third party tried to take care of the conflict. After some time, they are gone without any notification. They are still waiting and hope the conflict will be resolved, but they are already pessimistic. Therefore the role of each actor is critical in determining the success of the conflict resolution. One of the actors who can determine the resolution of the conflict is the village farmer. The village farmer is a villager who can work under a company plantation or own their land. That is because they are one of the actors who are directly involved with the conflict area and understand the conditions in their area.

3.2. Overview of place elements

The island of Sumatra in Indonesia has, for several decades, been famous for its extensive plantation industry with key commercial crops such as rubber, palm oil, and industrial wood (Beckert et al., 2014). The Central Statistics Agency (2018) recorded the area of food and forestry plants around 133.8 thousand Ha and 4.2 million m² in Jambi Province in 2017. Jambi plantation area is dominated by People’s Plantation with the most massive production is the rubber of 334.4 thousand tons from the total area of 665.3 thousand hectares in 2017. Besides rubber, another mainstay commodity in Jambi Province is oil palm with a production yield of 1.03 million tons with the number of oil palm farmers occupying the second-highest position after rubber farmers, amounting to 212.8 thousand households. The most extensive area of oil palm plantations in Jambi is in Muaro Jambi, which is 97.7 hectares, but the highest production yield is in West Tanjab with a yield of around 251.1 thousand tons (Statistics Indonesia, 2018).

In 2009, Jambi Province had an area of around 450 thousand hectares of oil palm plantations with an additional nearly 450 thousand hectares planted and another 690 thousand hectares that obtained plantation permits but were not yet processed (McCarthy, 2010). In Jambi regency oil palm plantations, the land and forest law facilitates this by subjecting the land of people, in this situation Malays, in-state power over natural resources and stipulated in the constitution (Darmawan, 2019). In the Jambi case, Malay did not have laws or arrangements that might prevent the rapid conversion of village land (McCarthy, 2010). In the 1970s, almost all of the Jambi forest area was allocated as a forestry concession for timber extraction. PT. Q cooperates with plasma plantations for Javanese transmigrants with a total of 30 thousand hectares. Under Soeharto’s leadership, this program was called nucleus estate, along with the handover of oil palm concessions to family members, political elites, and other conglomerates (Beckert et al., 2014). Then in the 1980s and 1990s, the Indonesian government helped develop the oil palm area with a “transmigration program” by smallholders and private companies (Guillaume et al., 2016).When the Asian financial crisis in 1990, the plantation sector received the support of the International Monetary Fund from investors and foreign companies. Since then, there have been many changes in the palm oil sector in Indonesia. At present, sixty percent of the palm oil plantation sector is controlled by private companies from Singapore, Malaysia, and the US (Beckert et al., 2014).

One oil palm plantation in the village of KarangMendapo, Jambi Province, conflicts with the establishment and management of plantations. In the context of developing oil palm plantations, the Cooperative and the oil palm plantation company invited KarangMendapo villagers to join the Pratama Cooperative Credit Scheme. Conflicts arise due to plantations that are not surrendered to villagers after a specified time agreement. After a six-month mediation process, the parties agreed that the community could continue to manage the plantation on condition that the oil palm fruit would be sold to the company (Dhiaulhaq et al., 2014).As noted from the head of the Rukamvillage, the granting of land permits to areas that are experiencing land conflicts also still occur in Jambi. Such as conflicts about the land that occur between PT. Y and sekumbung villagers. The land conflict area is still given a land permit even though the conflict status is still unresolved. The granting of the land permit made the sekumbung village head disappointed because, in the final stage of mediation, the government gives the land permits to PT.Y.

3.3. Identify the elements of the activity

The oil palm development has changed the activities of the village community in Jambi from livelihoods to their way of life. As experienced and recorded by Rukam village head, most of the villagers work as fishermen, factory workers in plantations, vegetable traders, flying car drivers, food stalls, farming, and some people who look for honey. Who choose the occupation as factory workers in plantations dominated by productive age. Changes in livelihood activities and community lifestyles are also caused by environmental impacts arising from the presence of oil palm, such as the reduction of villagers who work as fishermen due to the continued fish number decrease they get from the Batang Hari River is their source of income. The changes related to oil palm expansion can be determined by how strategies are formed or controlled by social, economic, and political relations (Harahap et al., 2019; Hickey & Toit, 2007; McCarthy, 2010). The changing strategies and social relations are shaped by smallholder development schemes and the state’s role at critical points (McCarthy, 2010).

In addition, third-party activities as a generator of environmental issues also affect the awareness and desires of villagers in demanding their rights. As in the case of PT. Z which give environmental effect to many villages, including Manis Mato, Rukam, Sekumbung, Dusun Muda, Jambu Bay. However, the most vocal about that problem is Rukam village. As noted by the village head of Rukam village

Each village has the same loss, and it is the same because the shape of the area is the same. However, in the village head’s conversation, the most discussed this conflict is Rukam. Because this village does not have a conflict resolution, they do not feel disadvantaged and do not feel there is conflict. This Rukam conflict began to be resurrected since Wahli was there; it was the people of the environment (Interview with Village Head of Rukam Village).

Each party felt their understanding was the most correct, which resulted in the emergence of debate and conflict. These emerging social and environmental relations encourage and accelerate the process of transformation where land access is at the core of current land problems (Beckert et al., 2014). The low production level due to the shortage of capital, planting material, fertilizer, and network forces them to sell their land and become wage laborers. It happens when they want to plant and marketing activities independently (McCarthy, 2010).

3.4. Conflict resolution

Usually, Oil palm land conflict will occur for an extended period. As long as there is no common ground between the parties involved, the conflict will not resolve. That can be seen from the land conflict that occurred between Batin Sembilan and PT. X. The conflict continues until now. Conflicts that initially occurred only between the two parties developed to become increasingly complicated because of population growth, population migration, as well as inconsistencies, misunderstandings, and friction related to the rule of law on land rights between different government institutions (Beckert et al., 2014; Steinebach, 2013). Conflicts that last for a long time need to be carried out further conflict resolution after the resolution of the conflict that was carried out previously has not been successful in resolving existing conflicts. The development of parties who participated played a role and had an interest in land conflicts in Jambi was one of the factors that resulted in the conflict being resolved. Conflict resolution used in conflict resolution must be appropriate and appropriate so that conflicts can be resolved. One conflict resolution that can be used is through mediation conflict resolution (Dhiaulhaq et al., 2014, 2017). Mediation is one of the best ways to resolve conflicts because if through legal channels, the position of the community is weak in the conflict because, in general, many villagers do not yet have proof of ownership. As notified by the head of section conflict management in Jambi

The community usually does not have proof of ownership, the land was passed down, usually in the name of Adat (interview a Section Head of Conflict Management in Jambi)

So that mediation is the best way for village communities to defend their rights. However, if there is research that can prove that the community has indeed been in that place for generations, there will be a solution in handling conflicts such as the case of PT. X in district Batang Hari. The conflict was resolved with the final solution being a partnership. The community was partnered with the company, and each KK received a two-hectare plantation.

However, the ability of mediators to mediate conflict as a third party is sometimes not enough to prevent conflict resolution in the mediation process. In order to build trust between all parties related to the conflict, it needed dedication and participation in all involved parties, aside from the mediator’s capacity and ability (Darmawan, 2019; Dhiaulhaq et al., 2014, 2017). When public confidence decreases with the third parties as discussed in the actor element, which is involved in resolving the conflict, the community will choose to surrender to the conflict resolution, so it is essential to build trust in all parties involved in resolving the conflict. That is because community trust is important factor in determining the community participation level in a program or activity, including conflict resolution.

In addition, some conflicts must also be seen as a social process that leads to the creation of agreements between the parties involved by analyzing conflict resolution from the perspective of the agent’s structure and relationship (Afrizal, 2015) it can help achieve maximum mediation results. Therefore, a role unit that can unite perceptions and communication at the level of the community unit involved in the conflict to build the same commitment, trust, and goals is needed so that the mediation from conflict resolution can achieve maximum results. Every action, choice, and motivation on a related party can influence decision making in the negotiation process (Boons & Mendoza, 2010) and prevent conflict (Budiani, 2020). Joint action in the community can resolve company conflict with the community in a district. Joint action is a driver of the process of resolving the conflict. For example, it is an environmental problem caused by PT. Z in Muaro Jambi district was felt by several villages in the district, but only a few villages raised the issue and became a conflict in that district. However, differences in opinion villages and joint community action absence within the district make the problems prolonged. The examples of successful joint action and trust in the role of third parties can be seen in PT. O case found in the conservation land. That case resolution was facilitated by NGO’s Cappa, Walhi, and Green Associations completely. As stated by the head section management conflict in Jambi, the community gives the authority and the NGOs independently with the power of the community to assist in mediating the conflict between companies and the community.

Each individual or group can achieve useful resource material information resources. That can be influenced by an individual or group network connections, influence, and accountability of the individual or group is built and intertwined in their environment (McCarthy, 2010). In the mediation process of conflict resolution, an individual or group is needed to influence the achievement of these resources. Community units that can be empowered in this conflict are farmers. Farmers who are part of a community unit that experiences conflict can be empowered as a party that unites perceptions, understandings, knowledge, and beliefs at the level of community units that disagree before starting the mediation process. One reason is that farmers are a unit group directly affected by this land conflict. It because farmers have a role not only as local communities but also farmers who act as transmigrants, smallholders, and big holders (Jelsma et al., 2017). Knowledge from the local community is important. By paying attention and listening to the community’s various voices, it can be relevant to solve various problems that arise in the community, especially in the local community (Koike, 2019).

Farmers as a unit group can act as a driver of joint action in communities in conflict with the company. They can use their relationships with other parties in the process of land agreements and farmer networks with other role units in the achievement of resources (Rutten et al., 2017). Joint actions are important to ensure that community concerns are adequately represented in the mediation process (Yasmi et al., 2010). The process of pooling joint actions can help, especially in the initial phase of the mediation (pre-mediation) process. The process of finding and comprehend the actors involved, history, reasons for conflicts, regional cultural conflicts, and building trust must be achieved at the beginning of the mediation process through conflict analysis conducted with the help of a mediator (Dhiaulhaq et al., 2014; Yasmi et al., 2013). In this pre-mediation phase, joint action in the community can be an important factor in mediating the understanding of history, goals, culture, emotional ties, and interests to be achieved by conflict-affected communities. As for the pre-mediation process, it is not only a matter of socialization, but a process of understanding the boundaries of areas such as gardens and forests can be carried out. As stated by the head of section conflict management in Jambi, the weakness of conflict resolution is the problem of forest boundaries. However, on the map, there is a boundary. In the actual forest, there is no sign of the forest boundary so that the community can enter the forest area.

Farmers, besides as drivers, that joint actions will also help the mediation process in the mediation phase. The mediation phase begins with obtaining agreement on the mediation stage in reaching an agreement on which issues will be prioritized in the mediation (Dhiaulhaq et al., 2014). The role of farmers is critical, especially in the resolution of land tenure conflicts. The participation of farmer unit groups in the mediation process allows agribusiness companies to frustrate the farming community to choose to negotiate contracts individually and cannot act forcefully as opposition forces, because they do not have enough group cohesion (Córdoba et al., 2018).

Conflict resolution is one approach to achieve a more just and responsive social system (Deutsch et al., 2006). Conflict resolution mechanisms are implemented at various levels. Conflicts at the group level, such as problems between individual members and group management, are mostly resolved during monthly or informal meetings at the farmer’s house or group leader. Conflict at the level of several groups means that if there is a conflict that affects more than one group, the leaders of the various groups discuss each other and with the cooperative manager. If there is a conflict with a third party, the cooperative leader directly contacts the third party to resolve the problem (Prabowo et al., 2017).

Conflict resolution can be made in various ways, one of which is negotiations conducted by parties related to the conflict to reach mutually satisfying agreements that maximize their mutual interests (Deutsch et al., 2006). Bercovitch and Jackson (2001) put forward the prerequisites for negotiations are; (1) low or reduced probability of achieving conflict goals through the struggle for withdrawal, or avoidance of violence; (2) the reduction in the value of conflict objectives, relative to the direct costs of achieving these goals and relative to other objectives; (3) a set of shared or compatible interests between the parties, or at least the possibility of a solution that offers mutual benefits for ongoing conflict; and (4) flexibility by each leader to consider negotiations. If the parties are motivated enough to work together and see mutual benefits in a peaceful settlement, then logically, the conflict should be resolved by directly negotiating and resolving their disputes without outside intervention (Bercovitch & Jackson, 2001). According to the section head of conflict management in Jambi, the best resolution from the mediation process is a partnership with the villagers who are partnered, fostered, and the villager can also take advantage of the land. Because until now there have not been companies which offer they are land. Because they have the land permits, so if they just offer it, they will false.

In Indonesia, mediation is known as traditional informal deliberation, which seeks to reach community consensus (mufakat) (Dhiaulhaq et al., 2017). Mediation is a useful tool in resolving conflicts and reducing the potential for conflicts that arise in the future (Abram et al., 2017; Dhiaulhaq et al., 2014, 2017). On the other side, mediation remains weak against the impact of various factors, including the socio-political climate at the district level (Dhiaulhaq et al., 2014). Therefore, in carrying out the mediation process, it is important to involve key stakeholders in general, or the attachment of other parties (NGOs and experts) and develop the information capacity of these parties in preventing. It is also important to overcoming and handling conflicts, so they not only function as observers but also provide suggestions, comments, and responses from the mediation process (Dhiaulhaq et al., 2014). Apart from stakeholder involvement, the mediator’s expertise is one of the critical factors in a successful mediation. To ensure the feasibility of the mediation results and achieve the objectives in the long run, it requires binding agreements and policies by notaries or authorities involving all stakeholders. Therefore, differences in the complexity and context of the conflict in each case will have different mediation processes and results.

4. Conclusion

The role of elements of actors involved in the conflict and its resolution, conflict areas, and activities that occur in conflict areas become important factors in encouraging conflict resolution. Mediation is one of the concrete actions of conflict resolution. However, if mediation only occurs in groups or individuals, conflict resolution will be difficult to fulfill. The role of actors involved in the conflict and knowing the area and activities in the conflict area becomes crucial in resolution. One of the actors is the farmer. Farmers can be sources of information, giving ideas and knowledge, and giving motivation and encouragement in conflict resolution.

In a concrete action, the farmers’ roles in conflict mediation are to encourage joint action. Those roles are including verifying the information that will be used in the initial analysis process of the mediation process, providing and sharing knowledge between stakeholders concerned about motivation, needs, fear, culture, and values that are fundamental to each other. They can also be clarifying details about conflict situations (location, time, acquisition, losses, resource requirements). Besides that, farmers can provide the initial idea completion of the mediation process and encourage initial consultation with residents before deciding on land-use change. Besides that, they can provide an idea of agreement on agreements on land tenure systems and market schemes related to achieving economic prosperity in the location area. These things can be a concrete action for the role of farmers as a driver of the mediation and conflict resolution process.

Declaration of interest statement

There is no competing interest to declare.

Acknowledgements

This research is supported by DIKTI (Direktorat Jenderal Pendidikan Tinggi), Ministry of Research and Higher Education, Republic of Indonesia as Penelitian Dasar Unggulan Perguruan Tinggi (PDUPT) 2019 (Contract Number NKB- 1460/UN2.R3.1/HKP.05.00/2019) and the authors would like to thank Erita Narhetali, Yogi Pambudi, Zakiyus Shadicky, Ronny and Lilis who has helped retrieve data in the field

Additional information

Funding

This research is supported by DIKTI (Direktorat Jenderal Pendidikan Tinggi), Ministry of Research and Higher Education, Republic of Indonesia as Penelitian Dasar Unggulan Perguruan Tinggi (PDUPT) 2019 (Contract Number NKB- 1460/UN2.R3.1/HKP.05.00/2019).

Notes on contributors

Rofikoh Rokhim

Rofikoh Rokhim is a Professor and lecturer in Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Indonesia. Her main research is about management.

Arty Dwi Januari

Arty Dwi Januari is currently a Master’s degree student at School of Environmental Science, Universitas Indonesia. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Biology Science from Universitas Indonesia. Her work experience was in service and manufacturing fields.

Umar Atik

Umar Atik is currently a Master’s degree at School of Environmental Science, Universitas Indonesia. The author’s work experience begins as a forestry auditor at PT. Sucofindo from 2013.

Siti Shara

Siti Shara is currently a Master’s degree student at School of Environmental Science, Universitas Indonesia. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Syiah Kuala University. She has written a paper on dragon’s blood palm extraction.

Nurul Rusdayanti

Nurul Rusdayanti is currently a Master’s degree student at School of Environmental Science, Universitas Indonesia. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Applied Meteorology from IPB University. She has written about climate index insurance for paddy field.