Community empowerment programs are among the most important means for SMF to meet its social responsibility goals. These programs are designed to facilitate people to be able to live in autonomous, prosperous, and environmentally aware communities.

SMF's programs focus on empowering local people and improving their livelihood thus supporting one of Indonesia's Millennium Development Goals to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. SMF programs are based on encouraging direct participation and on respecting people's rights and values.

The following cases illustrate the types of Community Development Programs initiated and supported by SMF. The program's results include the development of wild honey, Acacia seedlings and latex for rubber

1. Cooperatives: Honey Farming
Based on its years of experience in working together with the community, SMF identified the potential for local honey farming, a commodity in high demand. To fully utilize local knowledge, SMF established a joint cooperative with local communities that distribute honey throughout the nation.

In addition to enhancing the local community's economy, the program has also raises the environmental awareness of the community, especially with regards to the conservation of the habitat for bees, which form the basis of the community's livelihood.

2. Bunut Abadi Cooperative: Cultivating Acacia Seedlings to Improve Livelihoods
SMF together with local leaders (the Bunut Community) agreed to establish a unit to develop acacia seedlings. SMF provided funding, Acacia seeds, and the skills training necessary to establish a cooperative to grow Acacia seedlings. The training included an introduction into the business skills necessary to manage the cooperative and to sustain the nursery over time as an independent operation. Members of the cooperative cultivate the seedlings on their own land and then sell them through the cooperative to SMF, using the market index to set a fair price.

This cooperative provides job opportunities and a new source of income for the Bunut Abadi community. The cooperative's 82 members include former illegal loggers as well as previously unemployed people. Income generation has increased by 33% - 100%.

Embracing the motto "Di Bumi Melayu, Kita Bisa" (In Malay Land, Everything is Possible), the cooperative members work hard to grow their assets. In 2007, The Siak government awarded the organization third place in the Best Performance Cooperative in the Region.

3. Community Forestry Program: Creating a New Hope for a Better Life
To enhance the quality of live for Riau's indigenous tribe, the Sakai community, SMF provide 240 ha area for rubber plantation, the land would be divided to ensure every Sakai family is provided with approximately 2 hectares to manage and use. By owning and managing their own land as rubber plantation, the Sakai families are able to significantly increase their livelihood thus improving their quality of live.