Biodiversity and local knowledge in the cultivation of food crops supporting for food security: A case study on tidal swamp land

Abstract

Noor M, Rahman A. 2015. Biodiversity and local knowledge in the cultivation of food crops supporting for food security: A case study on tidal swamp land. Pros Sem Nas Masy Biodiv Indon 1: 1861-1867. Tidal Wetlands are included in marginal lands characterized by the lands physical downsides such as water condition, the lands of physic-mechanical condition, chemic-fertility and viral plant diseases. Agriculture in tidal wetlands is developed hand in hand with the growth of the society as the result of information and cultural exchanges. Wetlands in the early 1960ths had not been explored and the technology used in food crops agriculture was still traditional. The clearing of the tidal wetlands was initiated by the constructions of the canals connecting between two rivers which smoothen the exchange of goods and services, including knowledge. The government had targeted the tidal wetlands clearing of 5,25 million acres since 1969 for 15 years, where 2.27 acres of it were cleared by the government for transmigration program and 3,0 million acres were cleared by the local society. The developments of tidal wetlands are supported by the result of explorations, research, and discussions of agriculture and management technology, especially rice as the main commodity. The potential analysis showed that optimization through management technology input and also ameliorant, fertilizer, and pesticide intakes of 700 thousands acres of tidal wetlands can produce 6,49 million tons of dried rice/ year. But the reality showed the contribution of the wetlands were just about 600- 700 thousand tons. Therefore, to achieve the Food Sovereignty, the use of tidal wetlands needs to be elevated; this can be done by the strong commitment of all stakeholders. The use of tidal swamps lands with broad biodiversity and specific indigenous knowledge can increase the productivity of the food crops and farmers income. The biodiversity of the food crops includes rice, corn, nuts, umbu roots, vegetables and horticulture and also includes duck, chicken, and wetland buffalo livestock. The indigenous knowledge covers the tidal wetlands management which includes the land evaluation and sites selection, land opened and water management, the efforts of maintaining soil fertility, and crop pattern. This paper to explained and review of the result of exploration and research the resources of food crop’s germplasm and indigenous knowledge of farmers on the food crops cultivation in the tidal swamps of Kalimantan, Sumatra, and Sulawesi that conducted between 1999 and 2009.