Strategi Sinergistik Peningkatan Produksi Pangan Dalam Hutan Lestari Melalui Wanatani - Yudi Widodo (JURNAL PANGAN, 2011)
Peningkatan produksi pangan merupakan agenda penting guna mencapai TujuanPembangunan Milenium matra pertama bahwa kelaparan dan kemiskinan harusditanggulangi hingga 50 persen pada tahun 2015. Upaya tersebut tidak mudah untukdicapai, karena terjadinya bencana ekologis berupa perubahan iklim global. Perluasanlahan pertanian untuk meningkatkan produksi pangan dipandang sebagai jawabanpilihan. Perluasan lahan pertanian baru berupa sawah maupun ladang hingga 2 jutahektar, akan mengurangi areal kawasan hutan. Pengalaman proyek sejuta hektar konversihutan di tanah gambut untuk lahan pertanian menjadi pelajaran yang perlu disimak,karena secara ekonomi tidak layak dan ekologi rusak. Makanya perluasan lahan pertanianseluas 2 juta hektar harus dipersiapkan cermat, agar keberlanjutan dapat dicapai.Kelestarian hutan harus dipertahankan sebagai wujud komitmen anggota masyarakatglobal dalam mengantisipasi perubahan iklim. Dua matra tersebut seyogyanya disinergikandalam wanatani, agar kepentingan jangka pendek pemenuhan sumber pangan berikutkebutuhan ekonomi tercukupi tanpa mengabaikan kelestarian hutan beserta hasratekologi. Komoditas sumber pangan tahan naungan seperti kelompok ubi-ubian (tuberosa)famili Araceae layak dikembangkan. Varietas tahan naungan padi dan serealia lainmaupun aneka kacang (leguminosa) perlu dirakit guna diintegrasikan ke dalam wanatani.Mengingat kerimbunan tajuk hutan menimbulkan naungan >80 persen, maka perlumenggali potensi hayati kelompok sumber pangan tidak hanya dari phylum Spermatophyta(tumbuhan berbiji) yang masa panen >4 bulan, tetapi juga dari Thalophyta (jamur),Bryophyta (lumut) maupun Pteridophyta (paku) yang dapat dipanen harian atau mingguan.kata kunci: wanatani, pangan dalam hutan lestariIncreasing food-crop production is urgent to meet Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) in which it is stated that the first objective is to decrease hunger and povertyup to 50 percent till the year 2015. This effort is not easily achieved due to ecologicaldisorder in a form of climate change. Addition of new agricultural land to increase foodcrop production is considered as an alternative answer. Consequently, opening forestsfor agricultural areas causes deforestation up to 2 million hectares. Past experience inconverting one million hectares of peat land for agriculture learnt a lesson, becauseeconomical and ecologically was not sustainable. Therefore, expanding agricultural landup to 2 million hectares has to be planned accurately, so sustainability could be attained.Forest sustainability is also a priority to combat against climate change. Those two objectives can be synchronized synergistically under agro-forestry, so food as well asshort economic seductions could be fulfilled without sacrificing forest sustainability aslong term ecological dreams. Shade tolerance root crops under family of Araceae aresuitable to be developed. Shade tolerance varieties of rice and other cereals as well aslegumes need to be generated and incorporated into agro-forestry. Due to shade intensityunder forest up to more than 80 percent, the food requirement is not merely based onSpermatophyta plant that mostly can be harvested at the period of around 4 months. Itis also a need to explore the potential of Thallophyta (mushroom, algae), Bryophyta(musci) as well as Pteridophyta (Azolla etc.) that can be harvested daily or weekly.