Dynamics of Sweden Agriculture and Extension of the Indigenous People Communities in Borneo Kalimantan, Indonesia

Abstract

Kenyah Dayak is one of 18 Dayak groups of East Kalimantan Indonesia and has the biggest population among them. Since the 1950s, most Kenyah migrated from their native land, Apau Kayan to downstream in different areas into which the monetary economy had infiltrated to different degrees. Infiltration of the monetary economy leads to changes in the importance and practices of Swidden agriculture, so called ladang in Indonesia.  The objectives of this study are to assess the dynamics of ladang practices and the agricultural extension among the indigenous Dayak people. Results show the changes in ladang practices including traditional knowledge and the farming calendar, labor allocation for mutual aid systems and reciprocal work, land productivity, livelihood diversity and income sources, and the gender perspective of ladang. Despite influence by the monetary economy, the Kenyah maintain cohesiveness among themselves through traditional forms of ladang work organization. The extent of such cohesiveness has somewhat declined in the new settlement in sub-urban area. Kenyah people in general are quite responsive to changes in livelihoods diversification, but rather late in adopting agricultural technology or extension due to limitation of Agricultural Agents, cultural constraints and old values.