The Role of Local Communities in Implementing Soil and Water Conservation Practices for Sustainable Food Production Enhancement in the Salawati District, Sorong Regency

Abstract

Salawati District is one of the agricultural centers in Sorong Regency, with 82.43% of its population's livelihood in the agricultural sector. Over time, society faces various challenges that threaten the availability of food supplies and agricultural sustainability. The success of soil and water conservation practices in increasing sustainable food production is highly dependent on the participation and contribution of local communities. This research aims to identify soil and water conservation practices that local communities have adopted, assess their level of knowledge about these practices, and evaluate the impact of conservation practices on sustainable food production. This research uses a dominant, less dominant research design by combining two approaches, namely a qualitative approach and a quantitative approach, with a less dominant position. From the research results, it is known that local community knowledge is 72.86%, and 82.86% have implemented soil and water conservation practices in the process of cultivating agricultural crops. The motivation for implementing conservation practices was 70% to increase agricultural yields, 15.71% to achieve environmental sustainability, and 14.29% based on personal motivation. The obstacles faced were 34.29% from lack of resources (financial, equipment); 30% due to weather uncertainty; 22.86% from lack of knowledge about soil and water conservation practices; and 12.86% were time-constrained. The source of information in implementing soil and water conservation practices was obtained by the community: 51.43% information from other farmers; 37.14% from the internet or social media; 8.57% from local agricultural experts; and the least, namely, 2.86% from agricultural training. Farmer groups are the main source of support in implementing soil and water conservation practices. As many as 100% of local communities have a more sustainable view of the future regarding soil and water conservation practices in terms of increasing sustainable local food production. to create a sustainable agricultural system that can improve the quality of agricultural land, which in turn can increase sustainable food production so that food security can be realized.