home | about us | divisions & staff | publications
newsletters | news from the region | ngo database
employment opportunities | links

working paper
April 2002

Towards the end of year 2000, a group of researchers from SMERU conducted a study of small-scale rural credit in a number of villages traditionally associated with wet-rice cultivation in the Cirebon area of West Java. In one of these villages, Buyut in Kecamatan Cirebon Utara, our team was struck by the relatively dynamic economic environment evident within the local community. Throughout the day there was little or no evidence of young people chatting idly with nothing to do, a common indication of unemployment in many other village communities throughout Java. Every morning a number of vehicles collected large numbers of young men and women from the village, returning with them again in the evening from their work in the rattan industry. Some of those returning home were carrying rattan from their places of employment, apparently as models for making additional items in their own homes. At the same time, in many houses throughout the village, many of the occupants - old and young, male and female - were busily occupied with rattan work. It was apparent that in Buyut, and possibly in other villages nearby, the rattan industry had become a mainstay of those people looking to obtain additional income outside the parameters of the traditional agricultural economy.

Fieldwork for this study was carried out in September 2001. The research team observed and recorded a significant part of the economic activities of the village community in Buyut, and especially those associated with the rattan industry. The study set out to concentrate on the following three areas: to examine the impact of economic activities in other villages in the surrounding area on the economic life of Buyut; to assess the impact of non-farm economic pursuits on agricultural activities; and to consider briefly the influence of these non-farm economic activities on the wider dimensions of economic and social life in the village.

Information was collected from a wide range of sources during fieldwork. In addition to interviews with members of the local community involved in the entire range of economic activities evident within the village, valuable insights were also gathered from interviews with rattan factory staff and managers, local sub-contractors, workers at all levels of the rattan industry, industry association representatives, and government officials from various agencies.

Pendahuluan

Menjelang akhir tahun 2000, beberapa peneliti SMERU melakukan penelitian tentang kredit kecil perdesaan di beberapa desa di Kabupaten Cirebon, Jawa Barat, yang secara tradisional adalah daerah pertanian sawah. Di salah satu desa penelitian, Desa Buyut di Kecamatan Cirebon Utara, kehidupan ekonomi penduduk desa yang dinamis sangat menarik perhatian Tim peneliti SMERU. Di siang hari, tidak tampak atau jarang ditemui pemuda-pemudi asyik mengobrol di jalan tanpa melakukan sesuatu, indikasi umum adanya pengangguran yang sering kita temui di banyak masyarakat perdesaan di Pulau Jawa. Setiap pagi tampak beberapa kendaraan truk menjemput pemuda-pemudi Desa Buyut, dan sorenya kendaraan itu kembali mengantar mereka pulang dari tempat kerjanya di perusahaan industri rotan. Beberapa pemuda tampak membawa rotan untuk dijadikan contoh pembuatan model serupa di rumahnya sendiri. Pada saat yang sama, di banyak rumah terlihat beberapa penduduk usia remaja hingga agak tua, baik perempuan maupun laki-laki, sedang asyik menganyam dan mengikat rotan. Rupanya industri rotan telah menjadi andalan penduduk Desa Buyut, dan mungkin juga bagi penduduk desa-desa sekitarnya, sebagai sumber penghasilan tambahan di luar usaha ekonomi pertanian tradisionalnya.

Pengamatan lapangan studi ini dilakukan pada akhir September 2001. Kali ini tim merekam sebagian besar kegiatan ekonomi penduduk Desa Buyut, terutama di sekitar kegiatan industri rotan. Tiga titik perhatian studi ini adalah: pertama, melihat pengaruh kegiatan ekonomi desa lain terhadap kegiatan ekonomi masyarakat Desa Buyut, kedua, melihat dampak kegiatan ekonomi di luar pertanian terhadap kegiatan pertanian, dan ketiga, melihat hubungan antara kegiatan ekonomi di luar pertanian dengan dimensi sosial ekonomi penduduk desa yang lebih luas.

Informasi diperoleh dari berbagai sumber. Di samping dari wawancara dengan masyarakat setempat yang terlibat dalam seluruh kegiatan ekonomi yang berlangsung di desa, sumber informasi berharga lainnya diperoleh dari beberapa staff dan manager perusahaan rotan, sub-kontraktor rotan lokal, pekerja pabrik rotan dari berbagai tingkat, wakil-wakil asosiasi industri dan aparat pemerintah dari sejumlah dinas pemerintah.