Frameworks To Empowering Felda Lands Development

 FRAMEWORKS TO EMPOWERING FELDA LANDS DEVELOPMENT TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY & HIGHEST-BEST USE APPROACH

Dr. Salbiah Hj. Mokhtar (Project Leader)

Prof. Madya Gs. Dr. Mohd Fadzil Hj. Abdul Rashid

Tpr. Dr. Siti Mazwin Kamaruddin

Gs. Dr. Muhammad Asri Bdullah Kamar

Sr. Ts. Dr. Suzanah Abdullah

Dr. Mohamad Azal Fikry Ali

(Universiti Teknologi Mara)

ABSTRACT

Rural land development focuses on settlements and agricultural areas are crucial to be managed efficiently. This paper highlights the FELDA settlement area as in Malaysia FELDA has become an established organisation that manages both the rural settlements and the crop areas well. The Felda scheme has changed the lives of landless residents by providing housing, employment, income from agribusiness shareholders, and the ownership of valuable land titles. Improving productivity and the quality of rural settlement and crop area plantation operation is one of the most difficult challenges and groundwork. Therefore, determining the highest and best use and ensuring the sustainability of the development needs to be catered for. This paper will conceptualise the elements essential for SHBU, and then, from the SHBU model, it will further develop the assessment of land suitability for crops and other land uses. This shows that the framework can assist in determining the highest and best use of the available land. The findings can be implemented in other rural areas within other agencies concerned with managing and developing rural and regional areas, such as RISDA, FELCRA, UDA and other rural development agencies in Malaysia.