Appreciation of Local Wisdom

DIONISIUS REYNALDO TRIWIBOWO

The Dayak tribe who are hunter-gatherers have various types of local food directly from food sources such as yards, forests, to rivers.

Much of the local wisdom in the country is quite useful for maintaining food security. The government and companies need to maintain traditional methods in managing food strategies.

For several days Kompas published a series of reports on the people’s struggle in farming activities in Kalimantan. Malan in the Ngaju Dayak language means 'farming'. Not only to fulfill food needs, farming also the center of the life and culture of the Dayak people. If this tradition ends, their cultural identity will also vanish.

The tradition handed down for thousands of years by the Dayak people in Central Kalimantan is disappearing because of the prohibition on slash-and-burn agriculture. In addition to weakening food security, the cessation of the traditional cultivation has caused a multidimensional crisis in rural areas (Kompas, 29/8/2022).

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For centuries, many tribes in the archipelago have adopted reliable strategies in producing food and in implementing food security. Food security is not just the problem of today’s society. The tribes had experienced food crises in the past, but they were able to deal with the problem.

Their traditions have been damaged so the local wisdom disappears.

However, farming methods such as those practiced in Kalimantan and by several other tribes in other regions are not properly appreciated. The hereditary traditions are sometimes even faced with stigma, such as being called less productive and wasteful of energy or time. Unfortunately, in-depth research is rarely done. Their traditions have been damaged so the local wisdom disappears.

Present policies and practices tend to prioritize farming productivity as well as the uniformity of commodities. As a result, local wisdom is being driven to extinction. The emergence of food corporations increasingly eliminates the traditional farming method in society. In fact, we need such local wisdom. If it is supported by adequate research and technology, traditional farming methods can be the answer to the food problem.

KOMPAS/DIONISIUS REYNALDO TRIWIBOWO

Workers prepare seeds in rice fields that have been prepared by the government in the food estate program in Form Jaya Village, Kapuas Regency, Central Kalimantan, on Wednesday (21/4/2021).

The government and corporations should, therefore, save the traditions of local residents. Traditional farming methods such as the use germplasm should not be just eliminated. Such methods may be useful to enrich and improve farming techniques. The crop varieties they grow may be needed later in the future.

Not only that, they may also lose the biological wealth and the tradition of their ancestors.

We don't want our children and grandchildren to forget their roots. They need to know the farming techniques inherited by their ancestors. This legacy may be part of the answer to future problems, not only for food, but also for medicine. The uprooting of children and grandchildren from the tradition of their ancestors will have long consequences. They become dependent on food from outside. Not only that, they may also lose the biological wealth and the tradition of their ancestors.

Traditional and modern agriculture must go hand in hand. The ever-increasing demand for food should not be used as an excuse that mass production is the only answer. Local wisdom can still be useful in dealing with present and future food problems.

(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi)