Toba Caldera UNESCO Global Geopark (TCUGG) has not only geological phenomena of international geological significance value but also has outstanding universal value by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The establishment of TCUGG as a national priority and the Lake Toba Authority Agency is a serious commitment from the government to develop this region. Although it is now a super-priority tourism destination, over the last six decades, the water level of Lake Toba has decreased significantly by 2.4 cm per year from 1957 to 2016. The environmental quality index shows a decline from year to year, and environmental conditions of Lake Toba are already very severe due to various factors. The government and local communities are still running independently for the conservation agenda. This empirical research uses a mixed method of sequential explanation. The main objective of the research is to analyze the determinants of local people's choices to participate in conservation activities in TCUGG. From the research results, the significant factors that determine the local communities' participation in conservation activities are water availability, incentives, suitability of seeds, trust level for the initiator, and the success rate of previous conservation. Society does not need promises or rhetoric, especially for those who have participated before and experienced low success rates. Application of reward and punishment as an incentive for the community to participate in conservation activities and to further encourage their motivation. The main key is to serve the needs of the community in conservation practices.

Poverty reduction strategies should refer to who and why poverty occurs to make sustainable development programs effective for the welfare of society. The research aims to describe the problem conditions of the farmer households in Mutunggeding Village, Umalulu District, East Sumba Regency, with an overview of natural assets and human and physical resources. The research method used descriptive qualitative based on secondary and primary data from observations, documentation, and in-depth interviews with 102 randomly selected farmers to answer 41 key questions. The study results found that most farmers were young farmers with paddy fields and gardens, had low education and had supporting skills and good health. However, these land assets have yet to function optimally to meet household economic needs due to a scarcity of subsidized fertilizers, minimal hand tractors, and uneven distribution of irrigation water. This condition will be even more severe if the farmer must bear the burden of customs and culture, so you must go into debt and pawn your paddy fields. On the other hand, the strength of the community's social assets is a strong capital to survive against poverty. Therefore, the Government needs to strengthen the synergy of farmer groups, agricultural BP3K, and BUMDesa in overcoming the fundamental problems experienced by farmers and also needs to strengthen the institutional capacity of BUMDesa as a foundation for improving the people's economy.