General conditions of West Java
West Java is a strategic region with an area of 35,377.76 km²
(Juswadi et al., 2020). This province has great potential for elephant grass cultivation with an average annual temperature ranging from 21-30°C and annual rainfall ranging from 1,000-4,000 mm year
-1 (
BPS 2023). The agroclimatic diversity of this province makes it a strategic area in determining specific elephant grass varieties based on location. The ruminant livestock population continues to increase every year, requiring the availability of high-quality forage that is adaptable to the local environment. Not all varieties grow optimally in all agroclimatic conditions. The Pakchong variety is superior in tropical areas with an average annual rainfall of 2,246 mm
(Haryani et al., 2021).
Determination of key criteria
Feed availability and land carrying capacity criteria received the highest weightage (45%). Feed availability and land area were consistently identified as the most critical limiting factors. Feed availability is the most critical limiting factor, representing the largest cost component in livestock farming (60-70% of total production)
(Ernawati et al., 2023). Hasan et al., (2022) reinforce this in their Hierarchy Process Analysis, which prioritizes feed with a weight of 0.548, meaning that feed supply must be sufficient. Livestock resource potential has a weight of 25%. Meanwhile, socio-economic aspects have a weight of 20%. The number of active farmers and market accessibility can determine the ability to convert technical potential into economic potential, making the availability of human resources key to success. The final aspect is agroclimatic conditions with a weight of 10%. Climatic conditions are quite important, but elephant grass is generally grown in multiple locations, so it is highly adaptable to climatic variations.
Feed availability and land carrying capacity
The analysis of feed availability and land carrying capacity integrates data on land use and crop productivity as well as livestock feed requirements to calculate the carrying capacity of the region (Table 1) as a strategic planning indicator. Land use area data is sourced from the central statistics agency (
BPS, 2020). The potential feed availability from rice and corn by-products is estimated as feed production in tonnes of dry matter (DM)
-1 year (
Abbade, 2021). According to
Ekeocha (2023), the availability of 19.47 million tonnes of dry matter only meets 84% of demand, indicating a feed deficit of 16%. This deficit is interpreted through an integrated framework that combines land use composition and forage productivity to estimate dry matter supply and land carrying capacity. Seasonal fluctuations in feed availability and low nutrient quality need to be balanced with the introduction of superior forage to ensure feed security
(Cooke et al., 2024).
West Java is Indonesia’s agricultural production hub, particularly for rice and corn. According to the Central Statistics Agency (2024), West Java produces approximately 8.51 million tonnes of rice. Meanwhile, dry shelled corn production reaches 596,510 tonnes with a harvest area of 81,130 hectares. The high production of rice and corn in West Java is directly proportional to the potential for by-products that become a source of concentrated feed integrated with elephant grass, which supports a sustainable livestock sector.
Feed carrying capacity analysis is an important dynamic for future livestock farming. There is a very good spatial pattern, with the main rice granaries being Indramayu, Karawang and Subang Regencies, which have a fairly high carrying capacity index. These areas have a massive feed surplus, especially rice straw waste. Karawang regency (6.43) can produce nearly 6.5 times the total feed required for its livestock population. The most striking finding is the geographical mismatch between feed production locations and livestock concentration areas. Garut regency has a large livestock population but exhibits a very low feed carrying capacity index (0.45). This occurs in several areas such as Majalengka (0.50) and Purwakarta (0.22), which are centres of ruminant livestock populations in West Java. Sukabumi, Cirebon and Bekasi Regencies have stable and balanced feed support index (FSI) values of >1, indicating a feed surplus that supports the ruminant population.
Analysis of livestock resource potential
Resource potential analysis is an important step in obtaining a more objective picture of the availability and capacity of an area. Analysis of livestock population data reveals a very detailed pattern of the structure of livestock farming in West Java (Fig 1).
The districts of Garut, Purwakarta, Majalengka, Tasikmalaya and Cianjur are fairly consistent in terms of abundant livestock numbers. The strength of this region lies in its high livestock unit (LU) density per hectare. Purwakarta and Majalengka show the highest densities with 4.67 LU hectare
-1 and 3.51 LU hectare
-1, respectively. High density indicates that livestock maintenance exceeds carrying capacity. In line with CABI (2019), grassland diversity begins to decline when grazing intensity exceeds 1.5 LU per hectare.
Socio-economic landscape analysis
The success of developing different varieties of elephant grass depends not only on natural resources and livestock, but also on human factors and supporting infrastructure. These criteria assess the readiness of the social and economic landscape in each region, in terms of the availability and characteristics of human resources and the region’s accessibility to markets and other factors. The farm household data (RUTP) (Fig 2) is sourced from the agricultural census released by
BPS (2023). Market accessibility is measured through a proxy for road density, which is calculated by dividing the total length of roads by the total area of the region (
BPS, 2025).
The distribution of agricultural household businesses (RUTP) indicates livestock farming density (Fig 2). Sukabumi (358,825 RUTP), Garut (327,820 RUTP) and Cianjur (301,072 RUTP) are areas with very high livestock farmer populations. The culture of animal husbandry is deeply rooted in rural communities in West Java (
BPS 2023;
Nugroho and Arifin, 2019). Human resource development is primarily an important foundation in every effort to develop the livestock sub-sector.
Shivakumara (2020) states that small ruminant farming is the backbone of the economy for smallholders and landless farmers in India, thereby increasing the strategic capacity of livestock farmers.
The sub-criteria of market accessibility, measured by road density and the existence of slaughterhouses, show the opposite pattern. Urban areas and their surrounding areas, such as Cimahi City, Cirebon City, Bekasi City and Bandung City, have very high road density scores. This accessibility advantage is central to the market and the ideal supply of elephant grass, which is easily distributed to local farms. Kuningan Regency stands out with 20 slaughterhouses, indicating high market absorption and rapid turnover for livestock commodities.
Garut regency has more than 3 million sheep, while Purwakarta and Majalengka have populations of more than 4 million sheep, indicating high socio-economic activity in small ruminant commodities. Conversely, urban areas such as Sukabumi City, Cimahi City and Banjar City rank low in livestock population, in line with limited agricultural land and an economic orientation focused on the non-agricultural sector
(Kusnadi et al., 2020). The superiority of infrastructure places metropolitan areas as centres of consumption and distribution of livestock products
(Sudarmono et al., 2021).
Agroclimatic suitability analysis
Climate factors directly affect the productivity and quality of
Pennisetum purpureum, especially different varieties.
Pennisetum purpureum cv. Thailand
Pennisetum purpureum cv. Biograss have high tolerance to drought and rainfall
(Mudhita et al., 2024). Suitable agroclimatic conditions can optimise the growth, productivity and nutrient quality of elephant grass.
The agroclimatic region of West Java shows differences in environmental conditions related to the potential for developing different varieties of
Pennisetum purpureum. Highland areas such as West bandung regency, bandung, parts of garut and sumedang show the most ideal agroclimatic profile (Fig 3). These areas have an average temperature (20-22°C) with relatively high rainfall (2600-3700 mm). Low-lying coastal areas like indramayu regency (15 m asl, 27°C) face high salinity due to seawater intrusion.
Fauzan et al., (2026) note that 6.2% of Indonesia’s land is saline (0.5 to 32 dS m
-1). Therefore, mapping forage development zones is critical to minimizing salt stress impacts on elephant grass biomass.
Hawaiian and Taiwanese elephant grass are the main forage crops in Southeast Asia due to their high productivity
(Ismail et al., 2018). However, local innovations have produced more adaptive varieties such as Gama Umami and Biograss, developed through gamma ray mutation techniques
(Umami et al., 2025). Gama Umami and Pakchong have high biomass production in highlands
(Roy et al., 2025), making them ideal candidates for cool agroclimatic regions such as bandung, garut and sumedang regencies. For marginal land challenges, Biograss and Taiwan are more suitable because they are known to have strong root systems that give them good resistance to drought. Both varieties are suitable for development on marginal land or in areas with unpredictable rainfall, such as in the Indramayu (rainfall 1744 mm) or Cirebon (2120 mm).
Potential areas for cultivation of various varieties of elephant grass
The success of introducing a variety depends heavily on genetic suitability and surrounding factors. Each variety has different physiological and agronomic responses, supported by the potential availability of land in a region, adequate human resources, abundant livestock populations and suitable agroclimatic conditions. The determination of the cultivation area for Pennisetum purpureum can be seen in Table 2.
Based on the final score, cianjur ranked first with a score of 8.35. Garut ranked second (8.04), which was superior in terms of livestock criteria (10.00). Cianjur, Garut and Sukabumi ranked in the top three as areas that are very suitable for cultivating various varieties of elephant grass. This indicates that the existing conditions in Cianjur and Sukabumi are very supportive of feed production. Meanwhile, the high livestock population in Garut creates stable and massive demand for feed
(Mulyadi et al., 2019), making intensive elephant grass cultivation highly relevant and economically strategic. The large livestock market demand classifies these three districts as ‘High’ regions.
Regional clustering based on four criteria
The final ranking results show a clear spatial pattern, with regions grouped into three strategic clusters with different characteristics and development needs.
Cluster 1
High potential-livestock growth centres (Garut, Cianjur, Tasikmalaya, Sukabumi, Bandung, Subang, Majalengka). These regions consistently rank at the top and are classified as ‘High potential’. Their advantage lies in the strong synergy between almost all criteria. Garut regency has a perfect score on criterion I (Livestock resources) thanks to its high sheep population and solid farmer base (Criterion IV). Cianjur and sukabumi regencies demonstrate an excellent balance between large livestock populations, favourable agroclimatic conditions, sufficient land availability and a strong livestock farming base. Regions such as Subang and Majalengka fall into this cluster due to their significant feed potential and substantial livestock populations. Various varieties of elephant grass, such as Hawaii, Taiwan, Gama Umami, Biograss, Pakchong-1 and Pakchong-2, can grow optimally in this region.
Cluster 2
Moderate potential-optimisation and integration region (Purwakarta, Bogor, West Bandung, Cirebon, Indramayu, Karawang,
etc.). This cluster includes regions that score highly on one or two criteria but have limiting factors on other criteria. Purwakarta, despite ranking first, is classified as having moderate potential because its very low forage carrying capacity score (IDD 0.22) is a significant limiting factor, even though its livestock and socio-economic resources are strong. Bogor and West Bandung Regencies have good agroclimatic and socio-economic conditions, but face urbanisation pressures that limit land availability. The purwakarta regency area is suitable for planting high-yielding varieties with high production potential per area and good nutrients, such as Taiwan Elephant Grass, Hawai, Gama Umami and BioGrass, with the aim of maximising the yield from the available land. Areas with urbanisation pressure, limited land availability and an unpredictable climate, such as Bogor and West Bandung Regencies, are more ideal for planting Odot elephant grass due to its short height and dense growth.
Cluster 3
Low potential-This cluster is dominated by urban areas. The low score is not due to weaknesses in all areas. Cities such as Sukabumi, Cimahi and others have very low scores on both criteria, which cannot be compensated by their high market accessibility scores (Criterion IV). Developing elephant grass forage in these areas is not realistic if the focus is on primary cultivation. Instead, these areas should serve as centres of consumption, processing and supporting services for the surrounding production clusters. Elephant grass varieties in Cluster 3 are not intended for large-scale feed production, but rather for research, feed processing (such as feed mills or silage), or the production of superior varieties (such as BioGrass) to be supplied to Cluster 2.
