How Bananas Are Helping Protect Forests, One Community At A Time

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In Malaysia, bananas are ubiquitous in food culture, from kuih and cakes to chips and street-side snacks. But beyond their familiar place in the daily diet, bananas may also hold an unexpected role in Southeast Asia’s environmental story.

That link is becoming more relevant as pressure grows on food systems and smallholder farming across the region. Globally, banana production and consumption reached approximately 135 to 139 million tonnes between 2022 and 2024, and are projected to grow by 1.4 per cent annually, reaching 166 million tonnes by 2034. In Asia, however, the supply chain faces growing pressure from climate change, crop disease and land conversion, affecting both availability and price.

Malaysia produced around 313.9 thousand metric tonnes of bananas in 2024, with forecasts showing a further decline to 305.1 thousand metric tonnes by 2028. Bananas remain an important fruit crop for smallholders, with varieties such as pisang berangan, pisang tanduk, and pisang awak widely grown for both domestic consumption and processing into flour, chips, and fiber-based products.

To preserve banana farming, the government has integrated bananas into the National Agrofood Policy, promoted tissue culture for disease-resistant varieties, and supported smallholder sustainability programmes that emphasise energy efficiency, reduced carbon footprint, and diversified cultivation.

Across the region, one such story comes from Penyandingan Village in South Sumatra, where bananas have become part of a larger effort to protect forests, strengthen women’s livelihoods and sustain local commodities.

Women, Bananas and Forest Protection

The initiative is led by Anita Tasriah, a resident of Penyandingan Village who actively organises local women to help guard the Ghimbe Pramunan Customary Forest. Drawing from her daily connection to the forest as a source of food and livelihood, Anita has become a key figure linking traditional indigenous knowledge with collective female action to support environmental sustainability.

The Ghimbe Pramunan Customary Forest covers 43.7 hectares and preserves the community. It contains rivers, waterfalls, indigenous trees, rattan, bamboo, coffee and wild bananas. The ecosystem remains protected through the Semende customary system, including the concept of tunggu tubang, under which family inheritance is entrusted to the eldest child, who is responsible for protecting it from over-exploitation.

“This forest has been guarded by our ancestors since long ago. There are boundaries, there are rules. It must not be damaged,” says Anita Tasriah, who serves as the Chairperson of the Anak Belai Women’s Social Forestry Business Group (KUPS) and Secretary of the Ghimbe Pramunan Customary Forest Management Institution (LPHA).

Mothers of KUPS Anak Belai head to the Ghimbe Pramunan Customary Forest to collect bananas.

That sense of vigilance was shaped by experience. In areas surrounding Penyandingan Village, illegal logging has often encroached upon customary lands, particularly along the borders. In response, LPHA Ghimbe Pramunan was established as a pillar of sustainable forest management, with women taking a central role in forest monitoring.

“When heavy rain falls and the river suddenly turns murky, it is a sign that there is trouble upstream. Usually, the women are the first to notice,” Anita explains.

The women carry out scheduled monitoring along specific trails, recording changes in water flow and signs of logging. They also monitor resources such as bamboo, rattan and banana plants to ensure harvesting remains within sustainable limits. These findings are discussed in monthly meetings to determine preventive action or customary sanctions.

From Banana Chips to a Bigger Purpose Through Restorative Economy Approach

In 2023, that conservation effort expanded into an economic initiative with the formation of KUPS Perempuan Anak Belai, a group comprising 24 housewives and 10 elderly women skilled in food processing and bamboo weaving. Under the guidance of the LPHA, bananas were chosen as a strategic focus because they are quick to harvest, versatile in use and can be cultivated without harming the forest.

“Initially, we made banana chips only for our own needs or to serve village guests. The process was very simple, using traditional knives we call kuduk,” Anita recalls.

The creation of the Love Bana brand marked an important shift. With support from PINUS South Sumatra, a civil society organization focusing on community-based natural resource management, which helped Anita and her team to improve production efficiency and quality consistency while retaining the traditional kuduk and anak belati knives as part of their cultural heritage and identity. PINUS also supported institutional strengthening, administrative set-up and legal permits, while emphasizing the role of women in governance and decision-making over natural resources in Penyandingan Village.

“We do not just help residents make a finished product; we accompany the process so that women gain confidence, hold positions in decision-making, and ensure their businesses are sustainable,” says Yunita Sari, Director of PINUS South Sumatra.

The impact is already being felt. The group has recorded a 4 percent increase in local community income, with 24 direct beneficiaries involved in production, packaging and marketing. At the same time, the women of KUPS Anak Belai have planted approximately 100 banana trees across a 1-hectare agroforestry plot, creating both a sustainable raw material source and a contribution to environmental restoration. This shows that a restorative economy approach can both have a tangible environment impact and increase welfare of the communities.

The process of weaving bamboo into handicrafts.

For Anita, the goal remains clear: “I want to see more village women become confident, earn an income, and remain active guardians of the forest. If the forest is destroyed, we lose everything.”

The story of Anita Tasriah and the women of Penyandingan Village offers a timely reminder that a familiar fruit can carry a wider meaning. In Penyandingan Village, bananas are not just a snack or commodity, but a bridge between women’s livelihoods, local enterprise and the long-term protection of forests.

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