Pengetahuan lokal petani dan inovasi ekologi dalam konservasi dan pengolahan tanah pada pertanian berbasis kopi di Sumberjaya, Lampung Barat

Farmers in Sumberjaya (West Lampung, Sumatra) have a good understanding of ecological processes related to soil erosion and land cultivation in coffee-based system. Their Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) was collected through a series of individual and group interviews and stored in electronic knowledge bases. The articulated LEK provide examples of ecological knowledge among farmers about various components in their farming systems. Although much LEK comes from personal experience and observations, farmers also learn from neighbors, relatives, friends and others. It appears their plot level LEK is more developed than the landscape level knowledge. Some farmers practice conservation techniques and innovations such as terracing, pit holes, ridges, ditches, vegetative strips and shade trees. Despite a good understanding of the causal factors of soil erosion, farmers did not always follow conservation practices. Household resource (labor and capital) limitation is a constraint. The low price of coffee furthermore reduces farmers' interest and investment (time and effort) in coffee systems. The fact that individual conservation efforts, without a concerted effort by the community, cannot produce any tangible benefits was mentioned by farmers as another major constraint. The land conflict in the area may also affect the willingness of farmers to adopt conservation techniques.

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