Forest and land fires remain a recurring challenge across Southeast Asia, often contributing to haze that affects communities, health, and livelihoods. In Indonesia, fire risks are closely linked to land management practices, dry peat conditions, and climate variability, particularly during El Niño periods.
To address this challenge, Asian Agri, part of the RGE Group founded by Sukanto Tanoto, developed the Fire Free Village Programme, or FFVP, as a long-term preventive approach rooted in community engagement. The programme encourages villages to adopt zero-burning practices, strengthen local preparedness, and take shared responsibility for protecting their surrounding landscapes.
The FFVP is designed around prevention rather than reaction. Instead of focusing only on firefighting after fires occur, Asian Agri works with villages to identify fire-prone areas, support regular patrols, provide fire prevention equipment, and train local crew leaders. These efforts help communities respond early while reducing the likelihood of fires starting in the first place.
A key part of the programme is behavioural change. Through education, practical support, and performance-based incentives, villages are encouraged to move away from slash-and-burn land clearing by adopting safer methods, such as using machinery to prepare land without burning. Asian Agri also supports alternative livelihoods, including honey, pineapple, and durian production, to help reduce reliance on land-use practices that can increase fire risk.
Since its launch in 2016, FFVP has grown from a pilot initiative into a structured sustainability programme. It began with 10 villages across Riau and Jambi and expanded to 16 villages by 2024, covering 343,276 hectares. This growth reflects stronger governance, monitoring, and long-term collaboration across Asian Agri’s operational areas.
The programme also involves collaboration with local leaders, residents, government agencies, the Indonesian National Armed Forces, police, and Manggala Agni, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry’s fire task force. This shared responsibility model helps strengthen village resilience and reinforces fire prevention as a collective effort.
Through FFVP, which has been implemented for a decade and continues to be strengthened for the long term, Asian Agri demonstrates how community-based prevention can support responsible land management. To learn more, explore Asian Agri’s sustainability initiatives and AA2030 commitments.