Abstract
Traditional subsistence farming is an important part of rural society, the yield is a measure of the main source of food to maintain health and livelihoods of rural households. This chapter chiefly investigated the food security issues in AtoinMeto, a subsistence community in semi-arid West Timor, Indonesia. It discusses the concept of subsistence living from the perspective of food sovereignty and food security. Data were collected in Kupang and Timor Tengah Selatan Regencies in West Timor, via mixed-methods of participant observations, and both quantitative household surveys, and in-depth key informant interviews..
This study found that local knowledge and values of AtoinMeto is founded on their existing clan regime and emotionally bonded moral values. This community maintains food sovereignty without overly using the local resources: following seasonal cycles to grow staple food (self-sufficient) and earn cash income via multiple activities within and outside the community to offset declining food stock. However, the system has weaknesses and to support their adaptation to climate change, this chapter suggests three solutions to enhance their food production, improve nutritional value of local diets and develop their ability to market produce.
The findings of this study imply that, in order to attain sustainable food security for the disadvantaged subsistence community, it is vital that any solutions link to the existing community’s knowledge of and values within the cycle of food production and resource use. International organisations and governments must consider this important point and answer the question: How to apply collaborations between technology and local knowledge to the development process?
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Notes
- 1.
As detailed in the Rome Principles for Sustainable Global Food Security, agreed to at the FAO Declaration of the World Food Summit on Food Security, in Rome from 16 to 18 November 2009.
- 2.
In Indonesian term, Adat means custom of a political-social institution, in which the associated mores and laws were derived from way of life of a particular tribe in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) which has been established far before the European occupation in the seventeenth century. In post-independence, following the passing of Law No. 1/ 1957, on Basic Law on Local Administration (and then replaced by Law No. 18/ 1965), Adat as a political-social institution at hamlet and village level was gradually replaced by Desa (the new administrative village unit). In the modern Indonesia, Adat still plays an important role in governing the use of natural resources in some of the tribal communities in remote areas. These communities are recognised as ‘geographically isolated customary law communities’ (Komunitas Adat Terpencil). Such recognition tends to indicate the poverty and primitive aspects of this community (Duncan 2004).
- 3.
The methods and results of the LVI for the three AtoinMeto communities in West Timor have been published (see Tjoe 2016a).
- 4.
In 2016, NTT is ranked the third poorest province in the country, with 22% of its population living on less than Rp 11,550 a day, an amount equivalent to AUD1.15 (BPS Indonesia 2016). Besides West Timor Island, NTT Province has three other major islands, namely Flores, Sumba, and Alor.
- 5.
Those who have smaller farm and production may experience early fun amnahas, starting June to March.
- 6.
- 7.
Each bag may weigh 20 kg to 50 kg, depending on the size of stones.
- 8.
P3A group in Noelbaki village, Kupang Regency is well-known for its best irrigation model in NTT. The group acknowledged the Oematan family as descendant of the water discoverer and adopted local Adat structure in monitoring, control and protection of watershed and source water (Ratumakin et al. 2016).
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Acknowledgements
This paper is based on part of the results of an approved Ph.D. research and supported fully by Griffith University. The authors would like to acknowledge local academics and practitioners in Kupang City, IRGSC (Institute of Resource, Governance and Social Change), FAN (Forum Academia NTT), and Perkumpulan PIKUL, for providing their valuable insights about rural development in NTT and their assistance on the procedure for conducting fieldwork in the region. Also, the authors would like to express their gratitude to the local hosts, local guide and the AtoinMeto communities in the three research sites for their participation and hospitality during the data collection period in West Timor.
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Tjoe, Y., Ratumakin, P.A., Hossain, M., Davey, P. (2019). Disadvantaged Communities in Indonesian Semi-Arid Regions: An Investigation of Food Security Issues in Selected Subsistence Communities in West Timor. In: Sarkar, A., Sensarma, S., vanLoon, G. (eds) Sustainable Solutions for Food Security . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77878-5_19
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