Praktek Ritual-Ritual Pertanian Tradisional Sebagai Strategi Ketahanan Pangan Dan Konservasi Ekologi Pada Masyarakat Adat Bodosare Kabupaten Ngada

Abstract

East Nusa Tenggara Province is endowed with rich cultural heritage and local wisdom; however, it continues to face challenges related to food insecurity and ecological degradation. Empirical evidence indicates insufficient food availability, crop failures, land-use conversion, and various forms of ecological degradation, including floods, forest fires, landslides, climate change, and declining soil fertility resulting from the excessive use of chemical substances. Employing a qualitative descriptive approach, this study examines the values of local wisdom among the Bodosare Indigenous Community in Ngada Regency as strategies for strengthening food security and promoting ecological conservation. The study reveals the following findings: (a) the Bodosare Indigenous Community maintains traditional agricultural ritual practices that contribute to food security, sustainable natural resource management, environmental preservation, and the protection of water sources; (b) the entire agricultural process of the Bodosare Indigenous Community is carried out in accordance with local wisdom through a series of agricultural rituals, including the mepa lago poma ritual (a ritual to pray for soil fertility), the tuza kewe ritual (planting rice, maize, beans, and vegetables in agricultural fields), the keti pu’i ritual (harvesting agricultural produce), the dhami sele ritual (a thanksgiving ceremony for the first harvest), the pete wole ritual (offering agricultural produce to the ancestors), and the noe lako ritual (an effort to protect agricultural land from pest attacks); (c) these agricultural ritual practices integrate economic dimensions (food security), social collectivity, ecological sustainability, and religiosity. These dimensions are interconnected and cannot be separated from one another; and (d) local wisdom functions as a strategy for maintaining food security and ecological conservation while shaping the Bodosare Indigenous Community’s attitudes of respect and responsibility toward land, forests, and water sources. This study emphasizes that local wisdom is not merely a component of the cultural heritage of the Bodosare Indigenous Community but also constitutes a strategic mechanism for maintaining food security and promoting ecological conservation.