Arid areas develop own farming system<\/p>\n
By Bambang Budi Utomo<\/p>\n
Arid areas in eastern Indonesia have long been a problem. How do
\nthe local inhabitants cope with the problem? Here is a story of
\ntheir efforts to survive.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Man is dependent on the natural environment of
\nhis habitat which provides him with food and raw materials for
\nother needs. Man obtains food to subsist by exploiting his
\nenvironment.<\/p>\n
From manuscripts and reliefs on temples we know that in
\nIndonesia man of ancient times made use of the environment in
\naccordance with natural conditions. Those living in fertile areas
\nand close to water created irrigated rice fields. They were wise
\nin dealing with the natural environment and aware that water in
\nthe rice field contained organic matters useful to the soil's
\nfertility. Water was thus a natural fertilizer. Hence, rice
\nfields have survived through the ages. The proof is the many
\narcheological sites located close to today's settlement areas
\nwhich are surrounded by rice fields.<\/p>\n
What is man's fate if he has to subsist in arid areas such as
\nthose found in the eastern part of Indonesia? How does he adapt
\nhimself to the dry environment with little rainfall?<\/p>\n
Arid areas in Indonesia are characterized by a sharp
\ndifference between the dry and the rainy seasons. In general the
\ndry areas in Indonesia include the eastern part of the country
\nlike Sumbawa, Timor, Roti and Sawu. The majority of the
\npopulation living in these areas make a living by farming. It
\nseems illogical because of the aridity in the areas.<\/p>\n
The problems in developing agriculture in arid areas are
\nmainly physical limitations: climate, topography and soil
\ncondition.<\/p>\n
The climate is marked by fluctuations of rainy and dry
\nseasons. Low and short rainfalls cause long droughts. This type
\nof region has erratic rainfall because of the uncertainty of the
\nrainy season. Water distribution is irregular.<\/p>\n
Erratic rainfall often creates chaos in agriculture-related
\nactivities, e.g. the land is not ready for tilling, it either
\ncontains too much or too little water or when rain falls dormant
\npests spring to life.<\/p>\n
Another problem is high water intensity. Brief but heavy rains
\nwill cause erosion. When the rainy season sets in, plants begin
\nto grow. But the rainy season often comes to an end when the
\nplants just start to grow. The young plants may then die because
\nof lack of water.<\/p>\n
Topography also plays an important role in agriculture. Rivers
\nin a land whose topography is marked by a sharp contrast between
\nhigh and low areas are jagged, preventing the construction of
\nirrigation canals or dams for rice fields.<\/p>\n
In the eastern part of Indonesia there are no volcanic rocks.
\nEven if there were, their chemical structures would not contain
\nthe basic elements required by plants.<\/p>\n
The low capillarity in most of the soil results in the washing
\nof the soil elements such as clay, resulting in the slow
\nabsorption of groundwater. The area may also become a run-off
\nplace for water.<\/p>\n
Human efforts<\/p>\n
Aridity and environmental damage are characteristic of
\nIndonesia's dry areas. The island of Timor, for example, is a
\nplateau generally consisting of vast savannas and steppes
\ninterrupted here and there by rows of hills and mountains. From
\nthese mountains many small rivers run cutting the savannas and
\nsteppes. Due to its location which is close to the Australian
\ncontinent, Timor is strongly influenced by dry winds blowing at
\nhigh speeds from that continent. These dry winds cause a very dry
\nseason with an extreme temperature range between day and night.
\nWhen the dry wind season sets in Timor is arid and dusty.
\nConversely, in the rainy season wet winds blow from the west and
\nchange the Timor plateau into an area of much rain and rapid
\nrivers overflowing their borders. In the hilly areas erosion
\ntakes place.<\/p>\n
Various strategies are adopted to respond to the situation in
\nthe mountain forests, the low plateaus and the savannas. The
\ntechnique of agriculture developed in the hilly and forest areas
\nis shifting as is the permanent cultivation pattern.<\/p>\n
In Timor, for example, two types of land preparation are known
\nas the Lere rai and the Fila rai. To minimize the effects of a
\nlong drought people choose plants with variable water needs and
\ndifferent harvest times. The soil condition and the topography
\ndetermine the choice.<\/p>\n
The Lere rai system is usually applied in forest areas by
\ncutting trees, planting and shifting. The Fila rai method is more
\npermanent, involving intensive preparation by cutting undergrowth
\nand digging holes for planting. This method is not applied to
\nslopes and sandy soil, it is more effective than Lere rai in
\nrestoring soil humidity in the dry season. Fila rai needs a lot
\nof labor. The tendency to make terraces on the slopes of
\nmountains or hills in densely populated areas changes the Lere
\nrai into the Fila arai system.<\/p>\n
In cultivating erratic rainfall areas people have a system of
\ntheir own. The system of planting food crops is not to plant
\nsimilar types simultaneously. In Timor, the people plant maize
\nwith a cycle of 30, 39, 50 and 65 days. If it suddenly rains or
\nstorms, there are other types that survive.<\/p>\n
The savanna land is utilized for herding. The people create
\nand manage savannas to accommodate game animals and cattle herds.
\nThey burn the savanna once a year. By this method new grass
\nshoots will grow, thus eliminating other nuisance plants and
\npreventing the resurgence of forests.<\/p>\n
In arid areas people also cultivate the savannas where various
\ntypes of palm trees, such as lontar (palmyra palm) on Sawu Island
\nand gewang on Roti Island, grow. Lontar is a very useful tree.
\nThe flower stem is tapped before the fruit is produced, its water
\nprocessed into syrup, turned into brown sugar or made into tuak
\n(palm wine). From the lontar stem sago is also made for pig
\nfodder. This feed fattens pigs which then fetch a good price. On
\nRoti Island one does not eat sago. It is enough to drink the
\nsugar to gain energy. One lontar tree can last from two to five
\nmonths.<\/p>\n
The leaves of the gewang tree can be utilized for various
\nneeds such as roofs and walls, umbrellas, baskets, water
\ncontainers, musical instruments (sasando), and in-lay material
\nfor boats. The old branches can be used as firewood and coffin
\nboards.<\/p>\n
The utilization of every part of the lontar and gewang trees
\nshows that the people of Roti and Sawu islands have managed to
\nsurvive, even developed their own technological capabilities in
\nkeeping with the environmental adaptation process.<\/p>\n
In a similar way, many ethnic groups in the eastern part of
\nIndonesia have survived the aridity of their land. The
\nexperiences gained in arid areas have led to a wisdom that is
\nhelping to solve the problems of environmental damage.<\/p>",
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