The dynamics of peri-urban agriculture during rapid urbanization of Jabodetabek Metropolitan Area

Rapid urbanization in Asia puts strong pressure on densely populated agricultural land in the peri-urban zone. It has created a specific feature, namely 'Desakota', as a mixed urban-rural zone which has been proposed to play an important role to support urban sustainability. However, preserving agriculture during urban expansion is hampered by the lack of understanding of its character and its economic, social, and ecological roles within the urban system. This research analyzed urbanization patterns in Jabodetabek Metropolitan Area (JMA) with Indonesia's capital Jakarta at its core, and the dynamics of peri-urban agriculture in this context. Land use change analysis, descriptive and multivariate statistical approaches of social-economic panel data, and spatial mapping and clustering of agricultural types were applied. Results showed that rapid urbanization still continues at low development densities. It has led to the large-scale loss of farmland and increased land fragmentation. Interestingly, peri-urban agriculture still persisted and was even strengthened when JMA was hit by the economic crisis. While the area of agricultural land suffered heavy losses, the overall decline was less than expected due to conversion of woodlands into farmland. The number of farmers even increased but mostly because of a steep rise in landless farmers. Moreover, many peri-urban dwellers were still involved in on-farm and off-farm activities. We distinguished 10 agricultural types. Lowland horticulture and inland aquaculture were able to adapt and even benefit from urbanization due to proximity to the nearby urban market, whereas paddy fields, food crops and livestock were mostly displaced by urbanization and moved to the non-urbanized area. These results shed new light on the dynamics of peri-urban agriculture and indicate its persistent role in the peri-urban economy as well as supporting urban resilience during an economic crisis. Therefore, peri-urban agriculture should be regarded as a vital element of a megacity. Some strategies for its protection and development are suggested.