Tidal rice farming in South Kalimantan: tradition, advantages, and challenges

Abstract

Since the 19th century, South Kalimantan was projected by the Dutch colonial government to become a rice farming area. The land used as rice fields at that time was tidal land, which indigenous farmers planted with various types of local rice that were adaptive and had abundant yields. This study aims to explore community knowledge of tidal rice farming in the modern era, document the local rice farming system, and discover the advantages and challenges of rice farming on tidal land. The study was conducted in Patih Muhur Lama and Jejangkit Muara Villages, South Kalimantan, which have historically been tidal lands. Where local rice farming activities already persist. The used methods to collect data were a survey and semi-structured investigation with farmers, traditional Banjar community figures, and field extension workers. Manuscripts and ancient documents were also analyzed descriptively-qualitatively to strengthen the field study results. The results revealed that community knowledge of rice farming on tidal land was still well-maintained. However, there was a change in the annual rice cropping pattern from once a year to twice a year. Furthermore, local and superior rice cropping patterns were implemented in Jejangkit Muara Village, while the integrated farming pattern of rice and oranges was applied in Patih Muhur Village. This change in rice planting patterns has proven to increase the productivity and income of rice farmers. Additionally, tajak-a traditional tillage tool-is rarely used and has been replaced by hand tractors, which can overcome the lack of manpower. Likewise, handil and saka-traditional water management systems-are often found not functioning properly. Moreover, three basic aspects must be considered carefully in rice farming on tidal land: the characteristics of the land, the variety of rice planted, and the expected yield.