Dryland Sustainable Livelihoods: Role of Clan and Customary Laws in West Timor, Indonesia

View/ Open
Author(s)
Tjoe, Yenny
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2016
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Subsistence farming is one of the essential features of dryland regions to support people in coping with drought and rainfall variability. This paper examines the livelihoods of Atoin Meto, a tribal community that practices subsistence corn growing in dryland West Timor. It discusses the role of clan system and customary laws in the livelihoods of this tribal people. This study finds that the role of the Meto clan system and customary laws is twofold: It has contributed to reducing livelihood vulnerability in the region via the management of community forest resources and maintenance of members’ rights to access farmland and ...
View more >Subsistence farming is one of the essential features of dryland regions to support people in coping with drought and rainfall variability. This paper examines the livelihoods of Atoin Meto, a tribal community that practices subsistence corn growing in dryland West Timor. It discusses the role of clan system and customary laws in the livelihoods of this tribal people. This study finds that the role of the Meto clan system and customary laws is twofold: It has contributed to reducing livelihood vulnerability in the region via the management of community forest resources and maintenance of members’ rights to access farmland and natural resources. On the other hand, it also provides the opportunity for a misuse of power by official village heads and hinders the process of development. Qualitative data were collected through group interviews, in-depth key informant interviews, and participant observation. This finding implies that in order for this tribe to increase its capacity for sustainable rural development in dryland regions, future development policy for this region needs to find ways and means to improve local governance and replace corrupt village officials.
View less >
View more >Subsistence farming is one of the essential features of dryland regions to support people in coping with drought and rainfall variability. This paper examines the livelihoods of Atoin Meto, a tribal community that practices subsistence corn growing in dryland West Timor. It discusses the role of clan system and customary laws in the livelihoods of this tribal people. This study finds that the role of the Meto clan system and customary laws is twofold: It has contributed to reducing livelihood vulnerability in the region via the management of community forest resources and maintenance of members’ rights to access farmland and natural resources. On the other hand, it also provides the opportunity for a misuse of power by official village heads and hinders the process of development. Qualitative data were collected through group interviews, in-depth key informant interviews, and participant observation. This finding implies that in order for this tribe to increase its capacity for sustainable rural development in dryland regions, future development policy for this region needs to find ways and means to improve local governance and replace corrupt village officials.
View less >
Journal Title
International Journal of Sustainability in Economic, Social and Cultural Context
Volume
13
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2018 Common Ground Research Networks, Authors, All Rights Reserved. Permissions: support@cgnetworks.org. This is the author-manuscript version of this paper. Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher in The International Journal of Sustainability in Economic, Social, and Cultural Context. Yenny Tjoe, Dryland Sustainable Livelihoods: Role of Clan and Customary Laws in West Timor, Indonesia, Vol. 13, Issue 4, 2018, 81 pages. Please refer to the journal's website for access to the definitive, published version, https://doi.org/10.18848/2325-1115/CGP/v13i04
Subject
Sociology
Rural sociology
Other human society
Sustainable livelihoods
Clan belief
Subsistance
Village head
Drylands
Metro people