Fire and the Management of Agricultural Systems in East Nusa Tenggara

摘要

East Nusa Tenggara (ENT) boasts ery diverse agricultural systems within which fire still plays important roles. Depending on how it is used, fire may be either beneficial or destructive. despite the important roles and widespread use of fire, the current policy is more on fire suppression than on fire management. fire has been blamed by the policymaker as the factor that contributes to creating marginal lands, while on theo ther hand it is praised by local communities as the most efficient tool available for land preparation, soil fertility improvement, and weed and pest control. However, if proper management is not initiated, the negative impacts will prevail and unavoidably threaten the sustainability of agriculture in the province. Therefore, fire has to be incorproated into agricultural development policy in ENT. For this purpose, the currently adopted commodity-based, productivity oriented approach must be reconsidered. An agroecosystem approach that allows trade-off between productivity, stability, and equitability must be formulated on the basis of local environmental carrying capacity.