Judul: The Impact of Weather Variability on the Livelihood of Smallholder Salt Farmers (Case Study: Rawa Urip Village, Pangenan District, Cirebon Regency)
Abstrak: Kejadian cuaca ekstrim berupa curah hujan tinggi yang melanda Kabupaten Cirebon terutama di Desa Rawa Urip merupakan wujud dari adanya variabilitas cuaca. Kondisi ini mengakibatkan penurunan hasil produksi garam yang berimbas pada penurunan pendapatan usahatani garam, sehingga petani garam diharuskan mampu beradaptasi. Adaptasi yang dilakukan berbeda sesuai kemampuan yang mereka miliki dan berpengaruh terhadap keberlanjutan penghidupan petani garam. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk (1) membandingkan pendapatan petani garam akibat variabilitas cuaca di Desa Rawa Urip Kabupaten Cirebon, (2) menganalisis livelihood asset petani garam rakyat di Desa Rawa Urip Kabupaten Cirebon, (3) menganalisis bentuk mekanisme adaptasi petani garam rakyat dalam menghadapi variabilitas cuaca. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah analisis pendapatan dan uji t berpasangan, analisis livelihood assets, dan analisis deskriptif kuantitatif. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa terdapat perbedaan pendapatan petani garam pada saat kondisi normal dan variabilitas cuaca. Pendapatan saat kondisi variabilitas cuaca lebih rendah dibandingkan saat kondisi normal. Modal aset yang mendominasi pada lokasi penelitian ini yaitu modal sosial, sementara modal finansial merupakan modal aset yang paling rendah. Adaptasi yang banyak dilakukan petani garam dalam menghadapi variabilitas cuaca berupa adaptasi sosial dengan mengandalkan pinjaman kepada kerabat, mengandalkan kiriman keluarga, meminjam uang ke anggota kelompok tani, serta mengandalkan pinjaman ke tetangga., Extreme weather events in the form of high rainfall that hit Cirebon Regency, especially in Rawa Urip Village, are a manifestation of weather variability. This condition results in a decrease in salt production which has an impact on the decline in salt farming income, so salt farmers are required to be able to adapt. The adaptations carried out are certainly different according to their abilities and affect the sustainability of the livelihood of salt farmers. This study aims to (1) compare the income of salt farmers due to weather variability in Rawa Urip Village, Cirebon Regency, (2) analyze the livelihood assets of smallholder salt farmers in Rawa Urip Village, Cirebon Regency, (3) analyze the form of adaptation mechanism of smallholder salt farmers in facing weather variability. The methods used in this study are income analysis and paired t-test, livelihood assets analysis, and quantitative descriptive analysis. The results of the study showed that there was a difference in the income of salt farmers during normal conditions and weather variability. Revenue during weather variability conditions is lower than during normal conditions. The asset capital that dominates in this research location is social capital, while financial capital is the lowest asset capital. The adaptation that many salt farmers make in dealing with weather variability is in the form of social adaptation by relying on loans to relatives, relying on family remittances, borrowing money from farmer group members, and relying on loans to neighbors.
Keyword: adaptasi, pendapatan, livelihood assets, uji t berpasangan