Sawah Lodok: Study of Preserving the Agrarian Cultural Roots Towards the Development of Food Security in East Nusa Tenggara

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

11:15 – 13:00 (GMT+7)

Paper Abstract: Indonesia is a typical rural country with more than 80 thousand villages which still maintain their traditions as an agrarian society with traditional farming systems. One of the diverse agrarian cultures is the agrarian culture on the island of Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, which is called Sawah Lodok. This agricultural system is an expression of the traditions and culture of the Manggarai people in dividing land called Lodok or Lingko to meet common needs, to display a unique cultural landscape aesthetic on rice fields in the form of spider webs. Sawah Lodok is a form of civilization in an agrarian society that reflects the norms, traditions, and wisdom in the daily social and cultural life of the Manggarai people. The historical and cultural values contained behind the aesthetics of the Sawah Lodok cultural landscape, along with the surrounding environment and supporting communities, are very important to be managed and preserved for the development of food security in East Nusa Tenggara. This research will apply phenomenology analysis based on the multi-discipline approach in order to describe a comprehensive understanding regarding the preservation of the agrarian cultural roots in the Manggarai area as an asset for developing integrated and sustainable food security. This paper aims to formulate a model for developing food security based on sustainable governance, economic sustainability, socio-cultural sustainability, and environmental sustainability. Practically, this research result is expected as a recommendation that supports the problem-solving and decision-making process needed in formulating food security policies in the region.

Presenter(s)

HP

Hutomo Putra
National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Indonesia