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Abstract
Land grabbing in relation to boom-crop production or nature conservation triggers displacement and dispossession of local communities as well as rural resistance often culminating in violent conflicts over land. In Indonesia, company-initiated oil palm production on debatable territories also stimulates migration into these contested rural areas by individual farmers who seek to become part of the boom-crop economy. Based on discussions on land grabbing and land rights this article deals with the appropriation of land by independent migrant farmers and their role as another new party in conflicts over land. The role of rural migrants in land conflicts in Jambi Province, Sumatra is shown through two case studies. The case studies highlight the importance of customary local elites and their strategic employment of social identity and political authority to facilitate land seekers’ access to contested land. The local elites transcend conceptual boundaries to generate a profitable counter-business with a set of individual stakeholders and brokers who profit from the dispossession of the masses. The case studies reveal that the migrants’ presence is essential to rural resistance and a contested resource of economic and political benefit to various stakeholders at the same time.
Acknowledgements
I thank the following persons for granting me access to their properties: the village head of Bungku, neighbourhood heads in Bungku and all community members I met. I thank Matthew Bock, Jonas Hein and Yvonne Kunz for their valuable comments on the manuscript as well as the anonymous reviewers and the TAPJA editors who made extremely helpful comments.
Notes
[1] Land grabbing can be defined as the acquisition or long-term lease of large areas of land by investors (Schutter Citation2011).
[2] Green grabbing can be understood as part of the vigorous debate on ‘land grabbing’ more generally, a debate which already highlights instances where ‘green’ credentials are called upon to justify appropriation of land for food or fuel (Fairhead, Leach & Scones Citation2012, 237).
[3] In 2013 the Consortium for Agrarian Renewal (KPA) reported 369 violent agrarian conflicts in an area of 1.28 million hectares throughout Indonesia (Nurdin Citation2014, 5).
[4] The province size is 5.3 million hectares. In 2010 the area defined for oil palm cultivation was approximately 950,000 hectares and rubber had a share of about 1.3 million hectares (Jambi Province Government 2010).
[5] Sungai Bahar is the name of the area’s main river and thus the vernacular name given to the region. The district’s name is derived from this river.
[6] About 20,000 resettled households from Java in 1984–85.
[7] The Batin Sembilan, due to their lifestyle, were categorised as a ‘Remote Customary Community’ (Komunitas Adat Terpencil) that should be modernised and integrated into mainstream society through special modernising programs. In Jambi these groups were socially and politically marginalised and referred to as ‘Suku Anak Dalam’ or ‘Kubu’ (see Steinebach Citation2013).
[8] ‘Undang-undang No. 5 Tahun 1979 tentang Pemerintahan Desa’.
[9] The 1979 village law in theory allowed the possibility of maintaining local political structures but overall the law clearly sought to achieve uniformity in the village administration structure (see Kato Citation1989).
[10] The Batin communities were usually lacking both.
[11] Regency head of Batang Hari 2001–6 was H Abdul Fattah SH; vive regency head was Ir Syahirsah SY. Regency head from 2006–11 was the former vice regency head Ir Syahirsah SY; H Ardian Faisal SE Msi became his deputy. From 2011–16 H Abdul Fattah SH, who ruled over Batang Hari from 2001–6, was re-elected into office. He stepped down from his position in 2013 due to internal party discrepancies and allegations of corruption.
[12] IUPHHK-RE—Izin Usaha Pemanfaatan Hasil Hutan Kayu Restorasi Ekosistem—Permit for Timber Extraction from Natural Forests.
[13] Violent actions include kidnapping, raids, the burning of houses, the poisoning of farmers’ rubber trees and oil palms as well as the imprisoning of villagers.
[14] Letters number: 622/V/BK/JB/Pemdes and 01/KT/BK/2005.
[15] The process of registering and certifying land for the status of hak milik is usually complex and lengthy, involving several institutions at various governmental levels.