Management along a gradient:Southeast Sulawesi

Indonesia’s cacao production landscapes are increasingly important sites for supporting social and
ecological sustainability. To inform these efforts, this study presents information on the history of
cacao cultivation, current management practices, factors influencing these practices, and ongoing
developments related to land in Southeast Sulawesi. Three findings are highlighted. First, despite the
commonality of a full-sun growing strategy, a diversity of management practices persists, some of
which challenge common renderings of socio-ecological trade-offs. Second, current levels of
production loss suggest the potential transience of cacao as a livelihood strategy and source of wildlife
habitat in Indonesia, highlighting the need to study socio-ecological trade-offs over a long time period
and in relation to other cropping systems. Third, while many efforts to boost social or ecological
sustainability assume that farmers make decisions on the basis of economic risk and return,
management practices appear to be more often informed by the quality and orientation of institutional
support farmers receive.