Abstract
South Aceh and Southwest Aceh Regency, Aceh Province, Indonesia, have been known since the 17th century as the best nutmeg production areas in the world. However, this area has no legally declared Geographical Indication (GI) for nutmeg. As a result, the world has yet to recognise this fact because there is no acknowledgment, and it is not recorded in the form of regional intellectual property rights, known as GIs. This paper analyses the requirements and the allocation areas based on the suitability and spatial planning of South Aceh Regency and Southwest Aceh Regency for GI determination for nutmeg. Land suitability and spatial planning, field data collection for existing nutmeg plants, and geographic information system analysis were employed for GI determination. The results show that the proposed GIs of Tapaktuan-Blangpidie nutmeg have actual land suitability as suitable, moderately suitable, and marginally suitable. The area is ideal with a small proportion being moderately suitable. From the spatial planning point of view, the proposed GI coverage is 69,469.21 hectares. The location of the nutmeg plants in Southwest Aceh Regency occupies 27.71% of Tapaktuan-Blangpidie's proposed GI area for nutmeg. The proposed GI nutmeg area matches 6.69% of the spatial pattern of South Aceh Regency and Southwest Aceh Regency. The determination of GIs of Tapaktuan-Blangpidie nutmeg is biophysical, and spatial planning is appropriate to fulfil the requirements for GIs of the area. The approach for determining GIs using land suitability and spatial planning of the regencies has shown the determination of potential GIs for the area.
