Livelihood Strategy and Adaptation Pattern to Rainfall Anomaly in Tomra Village, Leti District, Southwest Maluku Regency

Abstract

<p>The current researches about livelihood strategy in small island are not comprehensively revealing the impact of climate change, especially rainfall, on livelihood strategy of household. The objective of this research is to analyze livelihood strategy as the form of adaptation to rainfall anomaly in Tomra Village, Leti District, Southwest Maluku Regency. Village sample is purposively selected, which is specified on villages that conduct farming and fishery activities simultaneously. Household sample is also determined purposively, which is resulting in 25 fisher households. Data are analyzed with qualitative analysis technique to understand the adaptation pattern of fisher household to rainfall anomaly. Moreover, rainfall anomaly is measured with <em>Oceanic Nino Index</em> (ONI) that takes source from the measurement of <em>Sea Surface Temperature</em> (SST). Result of research indicates that rainfall anomaly has disturbed fishing activity as fisher’s livelihood work. This situation is dealt by household by utilizing various livelihood strategies, which among others are intensifying livestock breeding, entering non-farm jobs (working as livestock breeding laborer), and starting off-farm business (being fish trader). Livestock breeding and copra are done by 56 percents households, and this activity contributes for 65.5 percents to the revenue of households. The next household revenue is contributed by coconut commodity (copra), crop (corn), jobs as fisher laborer, livestock breeding laborer, and fish trader.</p>