The Dayak Iban Way of Farming

Overview

For generations, the Dayak people on the island of Kalimantan have used local knowledge to cultivate agricultural land in a sustainable manner with traditional and customary approaches, farming patterns with a rotating farming system that begins with burning the fields taking into account natural conditions. Land that is not used will be left for years for nature to work on its own to restore soil fertility so that it can be used again. However, now the situation was different. Dayak farmers are blamed for practicing this farming tradition, arguing that they are causing forest fires and smoke pollution, while the big companies that have become suspects in this case are continuing business as usual.