Walnut Farmers in Selayar Islands Manage 40–50-Year-Old Heritage Trees Across Generations

Image: article cover, from Pratiwi et al. (2025), Jurnal Wasian, licensed CC BY 4.0.

A research team from Universitas Sulawesi Barat and Universitas Hasanuddin has documented how forest communities in Onto Village, Bontomatene District, Selayar Islands Regency, South Sulawesi, manage walnut trees (Canarium indicum) across generations. Published in Jurnal Wasian, the study found that residents carry out five management stages: planting, harvesting, drying, shelling, and marketing. The trees they manage are on average 40–50 years old and are inherited from previous generations.

According to the research, almost every part of the walnut is utilised. The seeds are used as food and seasoning, the wood serves as building material, and the shells are processed into charcoal. The selling price of walnuts at farm level is recorded at IDR 60,000 to IDR 100,000 per kilogram. However, the team noted several constraints: drying still uses conventional methods, processing technology is limited, products are sold only in raw form, and there is no replanting programme. Yet the walnut gardens in this village cover 41 hectares and are one of the main suppliers in Bontomatene District.

These findings are important because they show that residents' traditional knowledge can conserve forests while supporting families. The research also reminds us that support in the form of processing technology and better market access needs to be designed without disregarding the inherited ways of working.

Source and how to cite

This story is based on the research article Understanding Traditional Walnut Management System in Forest Communities of Selayar Islands, Indonesia by Rini Pratiwi, Makkarennu Makkarennu and Ridwan Ridwan, published in Jurnal Wasian Vol. 12 No. 01 (2025). The full article is free to read on the Jurnal Wasian website.

Cite the original article (APA 7):

Pratiwi, R., Makkarennu, M., & Ridwan, R. (2025). Understanding Traditional Walnut Management System in Forest Communities of Selayar Islands, Indonesia. Jurnal Wasian, 12(01), 44–51. https://doi.org/10.62142/y4srf690

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.