Study of Local Knowledge on the Practices of Swidden Agriculture to Increase Productivity and Sustainable Land: Case Study on the Kenyah and Bahau Dayak in East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Abstract

East Kalimantan is facing the massive increase of population in the near future due to the relocation of Indonesian Capital Jakarta Java to East Kalimantan Province.  One of the prospective ways to increase the productivity of rice is to improve the agricultural ways of the Indigenous people through implementation of local knowledge so that they could gain benefits from the relocation of Indonesian Capital.

The aims of this study were (1) to examine the knowledge and local wisdom of the ‘umabileng' farming system and the ‘daleh' system of the Bahau and Dayak Kenyah ethnic groups, (2) to integrate local wisdom and knowledge of the Dayak Kenyah and Bahau ethnic farming systems and science into a more productive and sustainable agricultural concept.

Research sites were two villages of indigenous Dayak people in Mahakam Ulu Regency and East Kalimantan Indonesia from March to July 2022. A descriptive qualitative approach was used for data analysis.

Research result showed that during the practice of this ways of farming, they have implemented traditional knowledge and wisdoms at every stage, i.e. how to look for fertile land, how to fell big trees to get optimum biomass, the best day to planting, traditional pest control, and the last stage of harvesting including the treatment to have good quality rice for seed (benih/beneq) in the following year. 

However, the farmer still lacks in some stages of farming which need intervention and integration of agricultural science.  For example, farmers still need to be assisted by the treatment of seeds by soaking rice seeds in a salt solution in order to obtain good quality seeds. Another example of how to increase soil fertility was by fertilizing organically, such as liquid organic fertilizer (POC = pupuk organic cair). In order for the daleh and umabileng systems to work, it is necessary to have field agricultural extension that will organize and motivate farmers so that this system can work well.