On the Demise of Makkalice: Conservation Enclosure and the loss of a wealth-redistributing Harvest System in South Sulawesi, Indonesia

This article analyzes the effect of a conservation enclosure on a longstanding multi-functional harvest system found throughout rural upland villages in the Maros District of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. We examine how and why a type of redistributive harvest system, known as makkalice––the final stage of the candlenut harvest during which women and children collect the leftover produce––is in demise. Drawing on a mixed-method qualitative approach, we find that the conservation enclosure associated with the establishment of the Bantimurung-Bulusaraung National Park in 1994 prevented candlenut tree renewal, significantly reducing nut production, and limiting options for Bugis farmers and workers to participate in the redistributive harvest system. Formation of the national park limited villagers’ access to their longstanding candlenut groves, compelling farmers to adopt less secure commodity cropping options. We show how coercive conservation restrictions have created a land squeeze for rural cultivators, pushing them to intensify remaining land for more sedentary, seasonal, and market-oriented crops. Restricted access to candlenut groves, and its impact on makkalice, removed access to a ‘productive commons’ used by landless and land-poor households for generations, particularly affecting women and children. The demise of makkalice has curtailed what was once a celebrated socio-cultural practice and obstructed access to an important supplementary form of income for many households.