Revitalizing Critical Land and Strengthening the Economy from Palm Sugar: Laiyuen Indigenous Community

Laiyuen Village, located in West Seram District, West Seram Regency, Maluku, is an Indigenous Peoples community that relies on agriculture and forest products for its livelihood. Located in a mountainous area, the people of this village—consisting of 50 families with a total of 307 people—make agriculture their main livelihood. One of the leading commodities that supports their economy is the sugar palm tree, which is abundant in the Laiyuen customary area. From this tree, they produce palm sugar, which is then sold in local markets as their main source of income.

On the other hand, the condition of the Customary Area which is hilly and tends to be arid is a problem. So it often experiences fires during the dry season, worsening the condition of the land which is already critical. Realizing the importance of environmental sustainability as well as economic sustainability, the Laiyuen indigenous community took the initiative to rehabilitate critical land. This program includes planting 650 productive perennial seedlings such as nutmeg, cloves, and rambutan in an area of ​​10 hectares. In addition to restoring the ecological function of the land, this step also aims to strengthen long-term economic resilience.

Land rehabilitation activities are not only about planting to make the customary forest lush again, but also building awareness and building solidarity that forest fires are not just an individual problem, but a shared responsibility. Customary areas are shared community assets that must be protected and managed collectively.

To improve community welfare, the Laiyuen Indigenous Community also developed traditional palm sugar production. Through training with speakers from the West Seram Regency Food Security Service, 28 community members—consisting of 16 women and 12 men—received training on production techniques that meet food quality standards and marketing strategies. In addition, a production house was built and production equipment was provided to improve the efficiency and quality of palm sugar without abandoning traditional methods.

With a combination of traditional processing methods and better production standards, Laiyuen's palm sugar is now not only marketed locally, but has also begun to reach the capital of West Seram Regency.