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PAPER A12 - The Role of Mollo Women in Preserving Plant Genetic Resources to Achieve Food Self-Sufficiency
Meilati Ligardini Manggala
1
, Arzyana Sunkar
1
, Siti Amanah
3 1
Department of Forest Resource Conservation and Ecotourism, Faculty of Forestry, Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia
3
Department of Communication and Community Development Sciences, Faculty of Human Ecology, Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia
Corrresponding Email: meilatiligardinimanggalagmail.com
ABSTRACT
Food security closely relates to agriculture, yet agriculture is underperforming in many developing countries, in part because the women do not have equal access to the resources
and opportunities to work in a more productive way. Although women are often neglected, they accounted for nearly half 43 of the world’s famers and highly contributed to
agricultural labour force FAO 2011b. This research was conducted to identify the role of Mollo women of East Nusa Tenggara Province in agriculture and to analyse its relevancy with
self-sufficiency in food. Data had been collected using in-depth interview, observation, and literature study from February to March 2014 in Fatumnasi Village of East Nusa Tenggara
Province. The results were analysed using Gender Framework Analysis and qualitative descriptive analysis. The Results of the study indicated that Mollo Women had very significant
contribution to agriculture as seed selector, seed planter, and post-harvesting manager. The in seed management would ensure the quality of the seeds that closely links to the preservation
of genetic resources. The genetic resources are vital to food security and sustainable agriculture as it ensure the best quality of seeds as well as sustainability of local food diversity.
Preserving local food diversity is very important in achieving self-sufficiency in food as it is adaptable to the changing environment. Thus, the conservation of genetic resources and the
used of crop diversity could contribute more sustainable agriculture to achieve food sufficiency.
Keywords: East Nusa Tenggara, food self-sufficiency, genetic resource conservation, Mollo Women, sustainable agriculture
1. INTRODUCTION
Women have an important role in agriculture and food security, but their work usually unrecognized as productive work. Food security closely relates to agriculture, yet agriculture is
underperforming in many developing countries, in part because the women do not have equal access to the resources and opportunities to work in a more productive way. Although women
are often neglected, they accounted for nearly half 43 of the world’s famers and highly contributed to agricultural labour force FAO 2011b. Shiva 1988 considered women as the
world’s original food producers, and continue to be central to food production systems in terms of the work they do in the food chain. However, the lack of recognition of women’s
work in agriculture will impact on their access to the resources.
Men and women have a different role in agriculture, but women have historically been the primary food providers in natural farming Shiva 1988. Women have same important role in
agriculture in several places in this world such as Guatemala Lara and Azurdia 2002, Tana Toraja Indonesia Dungga 2007, and Pakistan Samee et al. 2015. Mollo community has the
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same characteristics with those places where agriculture is the main production sector. Mollo community lives in Gunung Mutis area with a more fertile land than the other area of Timor
Island, so that the area is the main supplier of agriculture products in Timor Island Farram 2004. Thus, the study of the role of Mollo women in agriculture is important to be done. This
research was conducted to identify the role of Mollo women of East Nusa Tenggara Province in agriculture and to analyse its relevancy with food self-sufficiency.
2. METHOD 2.1 Time and Location
Data collection was performed from February-March 2014 in Fatumnasi Village of East Nusa Tenggara Province.
2.2 Data Collection and Analysis The instruments that used to obtain and analyse primary data were interview guideline and
Harvard Gender Analysis tool that used to see a gender profile of a community and the role of gender in development projects that emphasize the importance for interrelation among
components of activity, access, and control profile Overholt et al. 1986 in Handayani and Sugiarti 2008. The activity profile is described through activities list that were done by
community in three sectors: domestics, production, and social. Meanwhile, access and control profile divide to access and control to the resources and access and control to the obtainable
utilization. The profile was made in table form filled with some values based on criteria below:
1. Nothing 0 : If one of the both sides men or women does not do any activity both in
domestic, production, or social activity, also does not get any access and control to the resources neither the obtainable utilization.
2. Low 1 : If one of the both sides intensively do domestic, production, and social
activity, also get the access and control to the resources neither the obtainable utilization 50.
3. Average 2 : If the both sides do domestic, production, and social activity with the same
intensity, also get the access and control to the resources neither the obtainable utilization 50: 50.
4. High 3 : If one of the both sides intensively do domestic, production, and social
activity, also get the access and control to the resources neither the obtainable utilization 75.
5. Very high 4 : If domestic, production, and social activity is always be done by one of
the both sides, also the access and control to the resources neither the obtainable utilization is only achieved by one of the both sides.
The data was collected through in-depth interview, observation, and literature study. The respondents of in-depth interview are 16 women of Mollo that picked by convenience
sampling. Beside personal interview the data collected through focus group discussion FGD with 14 women member of Tourism group and Tenun group of Fatumnasi village. The results
were analysed using Gender Framework Analysis and qualitative descriptive analysis.
3. RESULT AND DISCUSSION 3.1 The Role of Women in Fatumnasi Village
