Women in Gowa Community Forest Play Major Role in Coffee Harvest and Post-Harvest

Image: article cover, from Reski et al. (2026), Jurnal Wasian, licensed CC BY 4.0.

A research team from Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar has examined gender roles in coffee agroforestry management in the Boritallasa Community Forest (Hutan Kemasyarakatan, HKm), Rappolemba Village, Tompobulu District, Gowa Regency, South Sulawesi. The study, published in Jurnal Wasian, found that men and women share tasks in a complementary rather than substitutive way. Understanding this division of roles is considered important so that social forestry and agroforestry programmes can be more inclusive.

According to the research, men are more involved in land preparation, digging planting holes, planting and crop maintenance, each accounting for 65 per cent of total participation. Women, by contrast, are more dominant in coffee harvesting (65 per cent) and post-harvest handling (85 per cent). Women also continue to bear most household work, such as cooking, washing, cleaning the house and managing the family's daily finances. In community activities, men more often attend farmer group meetings, while women show increasing involvement in extension services and training. Technical cultivation decisions are mostly held by men, whereas decisions on marketing and the use of income tend to be taken jointly within the household.

For communities around the forest, these findings show that the success of coffee agroforestry in social forestry areas depends on the contribution of both parties. The researchers note that women carry a double burden because they remain responsible for domestic matters while being active in the garden. Support and training programmes therefore need to reach women so that their participation in forest management and the coffee business becomes more equal.

Source and how to cite

This story is based on the research article Gender Roles in Coffee Agroforestry Management: A Case Study of the Boritallasa Community Forestry Area, Gowa Regency, Indonesia by Nur Reski, Rahmat Ariandi, Hajawa Hajawa, Hasanuddin Hasanuddin, Sultan Sultan and Andi Azis Abdullah, published in Jurnal Wasian Vol. 13 No. 01 (2026). The full article is free to read on the Jurnal Wasian website.

Cite the original article (APA 7):

Reski, N., Ariandi, R., Hajawa, H., Hasanuddin, H., Sultan, S., & Abdullah, A. A. (2026). Gender Roles in Coffee Agroforestry Management: A Case Study of the Boritallasa Community Forestry Area, Gowa Regency, Indonesia. Jurnal Wasian, 13(01), 38–44. https://doi.org/10.62142/zzp87595

If you use these findings in coursework, a thesis or other writing, cite the original article above, not this news story. The original article is licensed CC BY 4.0.