Reframing the Competition for Land between Food and Energy Production in Indonesia

As populations in the developing countries grow, so does the demand for energy and food needed to sustain socioeconomic development and human welfare. This increasing demand exacerbates the competition for land between food production and electricity generation. Of particular concern are the developing countries with limited capital, land scarcity, or with geographically isolated communities. Case in point is the island nation of Indonesia, where the increasing demand has resulted in mounting pressure on the forest resources. The degradation and loss of forest exacerbates the global climate change, disrupt the ecosystem services at varying scales, and negatively impact certain aspects of the human environment, whose well-being is dependent on the forests.