Resistance to mining and adaptation of Indonesia farmer's household to economic vulnerability of small scale sand mining activities

ABSTRACT

This research describes how agriculture-based villages have changed due to small sand mining (artisanal) activities: the social meaning or social representation of the mining existence, how much it contributes to household income, and community resistance forms, including how the farming community adapts to the vulnerability. To analyze various quantitative data related to social representation, we used Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to explain community acceptance of the mining activities. Qualitative data were analyzed using qualitative descriptive analysis, while four-quadrant analysis was employed in analyzing mining development, resistance, and community adaptation to vulnerability. The findings show that the shift in the village economy from agriculture to mining has been driven more by the government's massive infrastructure development policy since 1990 that sand mining has become an integral part of people's social lives, and people become so dependent on it. It has resulted in split public opinion regarding the mining activities. The people's contradictory views on mining have caused community resistance to be closed and cultural, not open and structural, that mining activities do not face many obstacles. As a result, their adaptation strategy to vulnerability is dominated by short-term reactive strategies rather than long-term anticipations to stabilise livelihoods. The current research illustrates that sand mining is inherent in the social system and harms the environment and social sustainability, especially on the community's weak opposition and low adaptability.

KEYWORDS:

• Sand mining
• artisanal
• representation
• livelihood
• resistance
• adaptation

Acknowledgments

I wish to thank various people for their contribution to this project: Ms Ratna Kusuma M.Sc, the Ministry of Forestry and Environment as the national leader of PMU (Project Management Unit), the CCCD (Cross-Cutting Capacity Development Project) Project from UNDP (United Nations Development Program), and GEF (Global Environment Facilities) for allowing us to become individual consultants in the formulation of policies on Micro Watershed management where one of the villages of the research sites is the locus of the project. However, the full research results are the authors’ responsibility, not the opinion of the institutions. Our special thanks should be given to Mr. Ajik Siswastoro M.Sc, our research counterpart, for his professional guidance and valuable support in the field studies.

Disclosure statement

No financial interest or benefit has arisen from the direct application of this research.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.