Dayak Farming: Tradition and Future Challenges
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| Dayak Farming: Tradition and Future Challenges. Photo credit: Katarina Nambi. |
By Masri Sareb Putra | Special Report
🌍 DAYAK TODAY | PONTIANAK : Deep in the heart of Borneo, where mist-covered highlands meet ancient rainforests, the Dayak people have practiced their unique system of rice cultivation for at least 10,000 years. This tradition, passed down through generations, is not merely an agricultural practice: it is a sacred relationship with the land, a cycle of planting and regeneration that has shaped the landscape and culture of the island.
Mochtar Lubis (1978: 9), an acclaimed Indonesian journalist and author, noted that Dayak agriculture has long existed in harmony with nature, creating a landscape that is not only productive but also sustainable.
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Contrary to modern misconceptions, this form of shifting cultivation does not lead to deforestation—it nurtures biodiversity, fosters soil recovery, and strengthens the resilience of indigenous communities.
The Dayak Fields: A Legacy at Risk
Today, the legacy of Dayak farming is facing an existential threat. The encroachment of industrial palm oil plantations, rampant deforestation, and government policies favoring large-scale agribusiness have put immense pressure on traditional Dayak agricultural systems. Yet, despite these challenges, many Dayak farmers proudly share images of their fields on social media, showcasing their continued connection to the land and their deep-rooted identity as stewards of Borneo’s forests.
The narrative that shifting cultivation destroys forests has been widely propagated, but research tells a different story. Yansen (2018) found that these rotational fields actually encourage forest regeneration, allowing previously absent plant species to return. By leaving a plot fallow after several years, Dayak farmers create diverse ecosystems that support wildlife and preserve ecological balance.
However, with palm oil expansion accelerating, many fear that the coming decade may be the last time we see untouched Dayak fields. If these lands vanish, it is not just a farming tradition that will disappear, but a cultural and ecological heritage that has sustained life in Borneo for millennia.
Beyond Rice: The Multifaceted Role of Dayak Agriculture
Unlike industrialized rice paddies, which prioritize monoculture for maximum yield, Dayak fields produce a diverse array of crops. These include vegetables, medicinal plants, fungi, and indigenous grains with high cultural value. This biodiversity ensures food security, maintains soil fertility, and provides communities with essential resources beyond mere sustenance.
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Safeguarding Dayak farming is not just about preserving tradition—it is about protecting local food systems, ecological diversity, and a way of life that has endured through centuries of external pressures. At a time when climate change and environmental degradation are global crises, the Dayak model offers a time-tested, sustainable alternative to extractive agribusiness.
Debunking the Myth: Who Really Destroys Borneo’s Forests?
For decades, Dayak communities have been wrongfully accused of being the primary drivers of deforestation. This narrative, often promoted by government agencies, environmental activists, and corporate interests, has led to restrictive policies that criminalize traditional farming methods. This is a classic case of post-truth politics—a distortion of reality that benefits those who seek to control the land for profit.
Yet, historical and scientific evidence paints a starkly different picture. The true culprits behind Borneo’s environmental crisis are not small-scale indigenous farmers, but large corporations engaged in illegal logging, mining, and palm oil monoculture. These industries, often operating under legal loopholes or with government backing, have cleared millions of hectares of pristine rainforest, displacing communities and devastating wildlife habitats.
Ironically, while indigenous Dayak farmers face criminalization, the major players behind massive deforestation continue their operations with impunity, shielded by political and economic interests. The fight to preserve Dayak farming is thus not just an environmental struggle—it is a battle against ecological injustice, land grabs, and the erasure of indigenous rights.
Preserving the Fields, Saving the Forests
As the tide of modernization sweeps across Borneo, the Dayak people find themselves at a crossroads. The challenge is not just to survive, but to assert their right to their land, their culture, and their way of life.
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Raising public awareness is crucial. The global community must recognize that Dayak fields are not a threat to forests—they are an integral part of an ecological balance that has sustained Borneo for thousands of years. Protecting these fields means protecting indigenous wisdom, biodiversity, and an alternative model of sustainability that challenges the dominance of industrial agriculture.
At the policy level, legal recognition of indigenous land rights is imperative. Restrictive regulations on shifting cultivation must be reconsidered, and policies should shift toward supporting sustainable indigenous farming practices rather than criminalizing them.
If no concrete action is taken, deforestation will continue —not because of Dayak farmers, but because of corporations that prioritize short-term profits over the survival of Borneo’s people and forests. The future of Dayak farming is not just a regional issue; it is a global concern that speaks to the larger struggle for environmental justice and cultural survival in the 21st century.
The True Value of Dayak Swidden Farming: More Than Just Rice
Deep in the heart of Borneo, the Dayak people have practiced swidden, or shifting cultivation, for centuries—an agricultural tradition often misunderstood by outsiders. A 1978 study by Guy Sacerdoti and Jenkins found that a single hectare of Dayak farmland yields approximately 900 kilograms of rice. While this may seem modest compared to industrial farming standards, recent research suggests that such measurements barely scratch the surface of the land’s true value.
Dr. Yansen TP, a leading researcher on indigenous farming systems, argues that the worth of a Dayak farm extends far beyond its rice yield. In his 2018 study, Yansen observed that Dayak swidden fields are far more than monoculture rice plots. Interspersed among the rice are an array of crops—vegetables, tubers, taro, and wild mushrooms—along with medicinal plants and fruit-bearing trees. Furthermore, these farms serve as cultural hubs, fostering gotong royong, a deeply rooted tradition of communal labor and mutual aid.
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According to Yansen, when accounting for the ecological and cultural wealth of a single Dayak farm, its valuation could be as much as ten times higher than the rice yield alone. Even more remarkable is what happens after the land has been cultivated: Dayak farming methods inadvertently encourage biodiversity. Newly cleared fields give rise to plant varieties that did not exist there before—a natural process of reforestation and ecological renewal.
“The Dayak farm is not merely a means of survival; it is a system of re-planting and re-birth—a cycle of nature that only the Dayak truly understand,” Yansen explains.
At a time when modern agriculture is grappling with sustainability challenges, the Dayak approach offers a compelling case study. What some might dismiss as primitive is, in reality, an intricate, time-tested model of ecological harmony—one that could hold lessons for a world increasingly disconnected from nature.
Injustice Against Dayak Farmers: A Call for International Advocacy
Ironically, in Sintang, West Kalimantan, Dayak farmers who have upheld their ancestors' traditional farming practices for 10,000 years are now being arrested, dragged to court, and accused of environmental destruction. These farmers, who rely on shifting cultivation for survival, are treated as criminals despite their deep-rooted knowledge of sustainable land management.
Meanwhile, on the other hand, foreign illegal miners operating in West Kalimantan, who have been proven to engage in unauthorized mining and extract more than 1 trillion in resources, are set free by the courts. This stark contrast highlights the imbalance in law enforcement, where indigenous farmers face persecution while large-scale environmental exploiters walk away unpunished.
The challenge to traditional farming does not only come from external pressures but also from within the system itself. Policies that criminalize indigenous agricultural practices fail to recognize the wisdom of sustainable land use that the Dayak have preserved for millennia. Instead of supporting and protecting these farmers, the system is working against them, further marginalizing indigenous communities.
This injustice against the Dayak people is not just a local issue—it is a global concern. Indigenous rights, environmental sustainability, and fair governance must be upheld. The voices of the Dayak farmers deserve to be heard, and their struggle should be recognized on the international stage to ensure that their traditions and livelihoods are protected.
History has shown that those who have sincerely supported the Dayak people include missionaries, the Church, as well as Javanese and Flores teachers. These groups have played a crucial role in education and community development. Now, it is time for international advocacy groups, human rights organizations, and environmental activists to stand with the Dayak and fight for justice.*)