The Andong Kraloeng, O’ronaa, and Gaty communities endure chronic food insecurity (CRDT, 2011). Sufficient agricultural productivity remains a significant challenge, particularly in the face of ecological and climate changes. The Bunong depend on upland rice farming, which yields approximately 800 kg/hectare in comparison to the 1,000 to 3,000 kg/hectare for lowland wet paddy farmers (AAH, 2003). Typically the rice harvest is sufficient to meet the needs of the Bunong for an average of only four to six months per year.
Recently, some families have become involved in commercial cassava and cashew farming. This has had mixed results. While diversifying income sources, potentially there are increased vulnerabilities via impacts on the local ecology and deepening dependence on middlemen and markets. These cash crop markets can be highly volatile and. in 2009, many cassava and cashew farmers suffered when the market crashed