The number of second-tier governments has risen sharply, from a little over 250 during most of the Suharto era, to approximately 500: 399 districts and 98 municipalities. The range of services under the second-tier local governments’ responsibilities expanded from a limited set of construction projects, maintenance of local infrastructure and regulation of firms to 11 key functions including agriculture.4 Decentralisation was motivated by a fear of territorial disintegration, due to widespread inter-communal and ethnic violence. It was also pushed as an antidote to widely acknowledged corruption at the central government level (Barichello and Patunru, 2009). Before decentralisation, the agricultural development planning function was characterised by central command and control.