Relationship of coping strategy with income by households of farmers cultivating dry land (A case study in food-insecure regency of East Sumba in East Nusa Tenggara)

Abstract

East Sumba Regency is an area that does not grow enough food to support people’s demands, although the main source of income of the people is from agricultural sector. This article aims at identifying the relationship between coping strategy and income which is applied in the households of farmers cultivated dry land for their livelihood. The samples for this research included farmers in four villages situated in two sub-districts at risks of food shortage. The samples were taken using snowball sampling technique and the data were gathered using interview, observation and recording. Additional information was used to support the findings and crosschecking was carried out with related parties. Coping strategy was applied by the households of farmers cultivating dry land by managing food-crop farming with salome planting pattern. This pattern is one of local wisdoms in muddling through problems of meeting necessities of life. The other strategy is pig-raising, by using keeping pattern which is adapted to the availability of crops resulted from land cultivation and by looking for food source in the forest. This research found that the more households practiced the coping strategy, the more income there will be.