Community Strength and Natural Resource Capital among Forest-Village Women in Indonesia: Insights for Green Social Work

Abstract

This study examines community strength and natural resource capital among women in the Forest Village Women's Group (Kelompok Perempuan Desa Hutan, KPDH) in Ngawi Regency, East Java, Indonesia. A quantitative descriptive design was applied, with data collected from 137 women through a four-point Likert-scale questionnaire, structured observation, and documentary study across four capital dimensions: natural resource, economic production, human, and social-institutional capital. The findings reveal a pronounced imbalance across these dimensions. Social and institutional capital, rooted in gemeinschaft solidarity and an ethic of care, proved the community's strongest asset, sustaining the Women's Cooperative (KOPWAN) and collective mobilisation. Human capital, by contrast, was constrained by limited formal education, with 62% of respondents having completed only primary school. Natural resource capital presented a paradox: substantial assets, including fertile land, teak forests, and non-timber forest products such as leaves and fuelwood, remained underused because of insecure land tenure (91% without ownership under Perhutani's authority) and limited processing capacity. Economic production capital was further weakened by geographical isolation and dependence on intermediaries for market access. The study offers insights for a Green Social Work framework integrating natural resource stewardship, capacity building, and institutional strengthening to support sustainable, gender-just empowerment for forest-village women.