Shifting Cultivation as a Characteristic of Tropical Agriculture that Damaging the Forest

 

Tropical agriculture can be defined as an agriculture/farming activities in a tropical region/country that produce an agricultural products. The products in a tropical region/country is like banana, rice, papaya, coconut, palms, etc. Tropical agriculture has been existed since a long time ago. Usually, each community had their own ceremony to welcome the farming time or be thankful for the harvest that they’ve got. It’s has a different activities in each region in Indonesia, like a traditional ceremony before planting or after harvested crop. Many society in Indonesia show it with their own culture that we called it as a cultural expression.
 

Shifting Cultivation is a traditional culture of Indonesia people which has survived until this time in almost every island in Indonesia. The characteristic of shifting cultivation is a low production levels but it’s has a high sustainability because it doesn’t require any input of production. Shifting cultivation can be defined to a primitive agriculture system. Shifting cultivation is an example of cultural expression in a tropical agriculture. Papua, aceh, bali, and pare has their own ceremonial before they open a new land for planting. They believes, if they do that ceremonial, blessing will comes to their land and the plant can thrives until the harvest day. For example, Dayak Simpakng society do a traditional ceremony that they called nudok angko tautn before they open a new land for farming. It’s like a small ritual before open the land, survey the land and ask a permission to Menkedum Jembalang Tonah dan Puyaknggana (forest owners).
 

Nowadays, the problem is not about their ritual or the reason of that ritual. The problem is on the effect after they open a new land and a way that they use to open it. Usually, they use fire to open a new land because this is the easier way and cheap (doesn’t need high cost) to do it. The effect is a wildfire that burn the forest and caused a fume that spread everywhere. The effect is not stopped there, many countries around us will be feel the disadvantages because the fume that spread everywhere from our country. Moreover, if the fume spread everywhere, it will cause the fog and sickness that can harm us. Furthermore, burning the land will be made an effect to ecology in the forest. So, biodiversity in the forest will be decreased and it will impacted the animal population too. Although burn the land can make a fertile field for farming but it’s really detrimental for us and we don't have to do that.
 

It is not a simple problem and we must solve this problem although it is a tradition of the society. This is a simple activity with many disadvantages and we must turn it to the right way. Maybe, shifting cultivation is not make an impact in a hundred years ago but nowadays it’s make a bad effect for human because the way they used it is not good for environment. So, this a case that we must  find the solution before it spread and become a bad habit for the society.

There are many ways that we can do it to solve this problem. But, a simple things that we can do it is give a right explanation of the bad effect that will be make a bad impact for us if they still do that for farming. This is the best way that we can do it, we must do it directly to them and can’t do it by media. People in their society like that doesn’t know the impact of their action and we can’t judge them with the all bad things because they live in the rural area that didn’t have an enough education. So, that’s why they never think a long term of their action because they didn’t the impact of that. Open the land with burning the forest is not only their action. It’s possible for the educated people to do this bad behavior because they have a bad attitude and never learn about environment and norm. So, we must give a right rules/explanation to make it better and make an understanding about this case with them. Burning the land is not only the way to open the field for planting. we can find the other land or give a fertilizer for the land that have a potential for planting without burning the forest to open a new land.

Moreover, we can grow the trees again in the land that need it. It’s useful for make a new habitat for animal and make the biodiversity back as before. Besides that, publish this problem with a right solution in media is the way that we have to do it too. Although media doesn’t give a real action or directly impact, media is the right way to make all people open their eyes about this problem and aslo the solution to solve it. We can share and discuss it together with the others and maybe one of them want to help to solve this problem together.

Maybe all people know about the shifting cultivation, but to know it is one of cultural expression that have a bad side. This is a tradition in a society in a rural area that doesn't have big land/fertile land for planting. Although shifting cultivation has a bad side now. But, we must give an appreciation to this culture that had been here for a long time ago. Realize this is one part of the cultural and tropical agriculture process is aslo the way to appreciate it. This is a cultural heritage that we can’t accept it with a blinded eyes. Just think about it, make a right understanding and do it if it doesn’t harm anyone.
 

Shifting cultivation is the one of cultural expression in a tropical agriculture that can damaging the forest. Actually, this is a way for us to recognizing the tropical agriculture  and maybe open our eyes for the bad impact if we let it like never know about it. So, before the sun closed his eyes and the star give more light for us, this is our job to recognizing tropical agriculture through cultural expression and we must remember it, cultural expression is not always good for environment/human. So, pick up the good things and bring a bad things to a right way is the action that we can do it for the better world.
 

Tropical agriculture is not only an agricultural but it’s make us alive until this time. And cultural expression is not a heritage that we must follow it everytime, just think about the bad or good side of that culture and we can recognizing how’s wonderful our tropical agriculture.