Illustration of the Ki Bujangga Indigenous forest or known as  “Dungus Ki Bujangga” which is located in the Kaolotan Cibadak Customary Area, Warungbanten Village, Cibeber District, Lebak Banten Regency which has been registered as a Community Managed Conservation Area (AKKM). Photo : jkpp.org.

JAKARTA, THE NUSANTARA POST- Representative of the indigenous people of Warungbanten Village, Lebak Regency, Banten Province, Ruhandi said that indigenous peoples are currently being affected by the climate crisis.

To overcome this, his party is promoting the farming and livestock raising movement. “When I was the village head, I tried to make a breakthrough, how could people be aware of farming and raising livestock,” said Ruhadi as a guest speaker at the discussion session “Women and the Climate” initiated by the Coalition The People for Food Sovereignty (KRKP) which is also supported by the Association of Women’s Micro Small Enterprise Companion (ASPPUK) in Jakarta some time ago.

In addition to being faced with the climate crisis, the agricultural sector in Indonesia, including in Lebak, Banten, is also faced with slow regeneration of farmers, as a result of which farmers are now dominated by the elderly, this will be a serious threat to food security.

Ruhadi revealed that in recent years, although indigenous peoples have a tradition of farming, namely rice fields and raising livestock, it turns out that not many young people are interested in these activities.

“This condition causes many agricultural lands in Cibeber District, Lebak Regency, Banten Province to be abandoned. Some of them are overgrown with useless wild plants. As a result, the number of farmers has decreased.

The next threat is the presence of gold mines. “Those who study history might know about Antam. Antam Cikotok Gold, that is our territory,” he said.

As a result, in a short time, gold mining began to penetrate in a number of locations which disrupted the living space of indigenous peoples. Several companies even took turns offering a certain amount of money to be able to mine in customary areas.

“In that position in my heart, don’t let us fall asleep,” said Ruhandi.

Food Barn

The environmental wisdom possessed by the indigenous people of Warungbanten Village, Lebak Regency, especially in making food storages, is part of the local community’s survival strategy when the climate and food crisis occurs.

Ruhadi said that indigenous peoples in his area have been taught to build barns for generations. The granary in question does not belong to the village, but is privately owned as a place to store rice and other crops.

“That’s why if a crisis occurs, for 1-2 years, we can still survive, because in us rice can not be sold but stored,” he said.

Not only that, Ruhandi also promotes the literacy movement in the community and conducts participatory mapping to ensure that locations such as agricultural land, springs, rivers and so on are well maintained.

Finally, Ruhandi initiated the presence of a young farming community which is currently underway. “Our dream is to be able to make our own market, own fertilizer and planting and there must also be a cooperative. That’s what we will do,” he said (Jekson Simanjuntak/Wan).

………………………………………………………………..

Hadapi Krisis Iklim, Begini Strategi Bertahan Masyarakat Adat Warungbanten

JAKARTA, THE NUSANTARA POST- Perwakilan masyarakat adat Desa Warungbanten, Kabupaten Lebak, Provinsi Banten, Ruhandi menyampaikan masyarakat adat saat ini terimbas krisis iklim.

Untuk mengatasi hal itu, pihaknya menggalakkan gerakan bertani dan beternak.”Sewaktu menjabat kepala desa, saya mencoba membuat satu gebrakan, bagaiimana masyarakat bisa sadar untuk bertani dan beternak,” kata Ruhadi ketika menjadi narasumber  pada sesi diskusi “Perempuan dan Iklim”  yang digagas Koalisi Rakyat untuk Kedaulatan Pangan (KRKP) yang juga didukung oleh  Asosiasi Pendamping Perempuan Usaha Kecil Mikro (ASPPUK)  di Jakarta beberapa waktu lalu.

Selain diperhadapkan pada krisis iklim, sektor pertanian di Indonesia termasuk di Lebak, Banten juga diperhadapkan melambatnya regenerasi petani, akibatnya petani kini didominasi kalangan tua, ini akan menjadi ancaman serius bagi ketahanan pangan.

Ruhadi mengungkapkan dalam beberapa tahun terakhir, meskipun masyarakat adat memiliki tradisi bertani, yakni padi huma dan sawah serta beternak, ternyata tidak banyak anak muda yang menggemari kegiatan tersebut.

“Kondisi tersebut menyebabkan banyak lahan pertanian di Kecamatan Cibeber, Kabupaten Lebak, Provinsi Banten terlantar. Sebagian malah ditumbuhi tanaman liar yang tidak bermanfaat. Akibatnya, jumlah petani menjadi berkurang,”bebernya.

Ancaman berikutnya adalah kehadiran tambang emas. “Yang belajar sejarah mungkin tahu tentang Antam. Emas Antam Cikotok, itu wilayah kami,” ujarnya.

Akibatnya, dalam waktu singkat, pertambangan emas mulai merambah di sejumlah lokasi yang mengakibatkan ruang hidup masyarakat adat terganggu. Beberapa perusahaan bahkan silih berganti datang menawarkan sejumlah uang agar bisa menambang di wilayah adat.

“Pada posisi itu dalam hati saya, jangan sampai kita terlena,” kata Ruhandi.

Lumbung Pangan

Kearifan lingkungan yang dimiliki masyarakat adat Desa Warungbanten, Kabupaten Lebak terutama dalam membuat lumpung pangan, menjadi bagian dari strategi bertahan masyarakat setempat ketika terjadi kriris iklim dan pangan.

Ruhadi menuturkan masyarakat adat di wilayahnya secara turun temurun diajarkan untuk membuat lumbung. Lumbung yang dimaksud bukan milik desa, namun milik pribadi sebagai tempat menyimpan padi dan hasil bumi lainnya.

“Itu sebabnya jika terjadi krisis, selama 1 – 2 tahun, kami masih bisa bertahan, karena di kami itu padi gak boleh dijual tetapi disimpan,” katanya.

Tidak hanya itu, Ruhandi juga menggalakkan gerakan literasi di masyarakat dan melakukan pemetaan partisipatif untuk memastikan lokasi-lokasi seperti lahan pertanian, mata air, sungai dan lain sebagainya tetap terjaga dengan baik.

Terakhir, Ruhandi menggagas hadirnya komunitas petani muda yang saat ini sedang berjalan. “Mimpi kami itu, bisa bikin pasar sendiri, pupuk sendiri dan nanam serta harus ada koperasi juga. Itu yang akan kami lakukan,” tandasnya (Jekson Simanjutak/Wan).