BIODIVERSITAS ISSN: 1412-033X Volume 19, Number 2, March 2018 E-ISSN: 2085-4722 Pages: 640-651 DOI: 10.13057/biodiv/d190236 Utilization of Araceae by local community in Cisoka Village, Cikijing Sub-district, Majalengka District, West Java, Indonesia ASEP ZAINAL MUTAQIN, MUTHI FATHARANI, JOHAN ISKANDAR, RUHYAT PARTASASMITA♥ Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Padjadjaran. Jl. Raya Bandung-Sumedang Km 21, Jatinangor, Sumedang 45363, Indonesia. Tel. +62-22-7796412 ext. 104. Fax. +62-22-7794545. ♥email: [email protected]; [email protected] Manuscript received: 30 June 2017. Revision accepted: 21 March 2018. Abstract. Mutaqin AZ, Fatharani M, Iskandar J, Partasasmita R. 2018. Utilization of Araceae by local community in Cisoka Village, Cikijing Sub-district, Majalengka District, West Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 19: 640-651. Various species of Araceae plants are widely used by the tribes of Sunda as food. However, cultivation is increasingly rare inWest Java region, and is found in some places only. One area where many people still grow Araceae plants is Cisoka Village, Cikijing Sub-district, Majalengka District, West Java Province, Indonesia. This paper aims to explain the reason for the cultivation of Araceae by the local community in the Village of Cisoka. This study used a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, but the former was used more than the latter The primary data were collected through structured and semi-structured interviews, participant observation, exploration, and plant sample collection. The data were analyzed descriptively with emic and ethic approaches. The results of the study showed that 20 species and 13 varieties (landraces) of Araceae plants were used by the community. The parts of plant traditionally used by the commumity were tuber, petiole, and leaf. The utilization of the Araceae plants were categorized into 4 main functions, namely, as food, medicine, decoration, and fish feed. The species of Araceae were commonly cultivated in various agroecosystem types, mainly home gardens, gardens, and rice fields. Keywords: Araceae, Cisoka Village, utilization INTRODUCTION interrelated with various natural resources. Each village ecosystem has various local potential natural resources. Indonesia has been known as a country having high The rural people have been determined by availability of diversity of ethnic groups (cf. Sastrapradja 2010; Wijaya et the local natural resources (Kurniawan and Asih 2012). al. 2014; Iskandar 2016). At least 159 ethnic groups have Plants are considered as the main natural resources been recorded throughout Indonesian islands. These essentially needed to support the human life because Indonesian local communities have various cultures and humans are not able to produce self-generated natural sources of household income. Indeed, various local plants ingredients such as those produced by plants to support have been utilized by the local people which is strongly their daily lives. The plants are commonly used by people related to economic, spiritual values, culture, health, for various purposes, including food, clothes, indigenous cosmetic, and medicine (Prananingrum 2007). According textiles, medicines, poisoning materials, building materials, to Maffi (2004), Ellen (2006), and Partasasmita et al. craft materials, and dye materials (Polunin 1994; Balick (2017), cultural diversity and biodiversity have a strong and Cox 1996; Iskandar et al. 2017; Partasasmita et al. correlation in various aspects of the bio-cultural system. 2017). The Araceae or talas family has been recognized as The level of local knowledge of utilization of various one of the largest monocot families and it is widely used by plants by each local community group is determined by local communities. Various plants categorized as the family many factors, including the level of differences in culture of Araceae have played important roles in social and and local condition. This is the basis of ethnobiology economic functions such as daun sente (Alocasia studies (cf. Lizarralade 2004; Sunderland 2004; macrorrhizos (L) Schott) (Bachtiar 2002) and umbi suweg Cunningham and Choge 2004; Zen and Kopez-Zent 2004; (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (Dennst.) Nicolson) Iskandar 2012). (Firman et al. 2016). Umbi suweg is mainly used as On the basis of the human ecology and ethnobiology, medicinal materials. In addition, several species are used as the local communities have strong interrelationship with food, aesthetic, and rituals. Leaves, stems, and tubers are their environment components. To fulfill their daily needs, predominantly used as food source and medicinal materials the local communities need various biotic and abiotic (Heyne 1987). components, such as food, oxygen, and water, as primary Cisoka, is one of the villages in the Sub-district of human needs. They also have secondary needs, including Cikijing, District of Majalengka, West Java Province, communication among the community members, education having diverse species of Araceae. The local community of system, fulfillment of material and wealth (Suparlan 2005). Cisoka has utilized plants of the Araceae family for various The village ecosystem consists of many components. The purposes. However, the local knowledge of the Cisoka main component is the rural people. This is continuously people on utilization of various plants of the Araceae MUTAQIN et al. – Utilization of Araceae in Cisoka Village, West Java, Indonesia 641 family has not been studied and documented. Therefore, predominantly planted with mixed annual and perennial this study aimed to explain the reason for the cultivation of crops, but it is located outside the home garden and hamlet Araceae by the local community in the village of Cisoka. area. Unlike both home garden and mixed garden system, The results of the study may be used for the government to the garden is commonly planted with monoculture crops, manage and to conserve the plants of the Araceae family to such as corn, cassava, etc. be used for supporting the sustainable development. Three The home garden, mixed garden and talun systems can aspects are discussed in this paper, namely the species and be categorized as traditional ecosystems. Because those landraces, utilization of plants, and cultivation of the agroecosystems are predominantly planted with mixed plants. annual and perennial plants, their vegetation structure is similar to that of the forest vegetation. As a result, they also have various ecological functions, including hydrological MATERIALS AND METHODS function, protection of soil from erosion, provision of wildlife habitats, and conservation of local plant genetic or Study area gene pool. This study was carried out in the Village of Cisoka. The rice fields of the Cisoka Village can be divided into This area is situated in the Sub-district of Cikijing, the two types, namely the irrigated rice field system and the District of Majalengka, the Province of West Java, rain-fed rice field. The irrigated rice fields are Indonesia (Figure 1). predominantly cultivated with rice two or three times in a On the basis of the agricultural land use systems, the year, while the rain-fed rice fields are commonly planted Village of Cisoka has several agroecosystem types, namely with rice only one or two times a year. In dry season, the the home garden (pekarangan), garden (kebun) and mixed rain-fed rice fields are traditionally cultivated with non-rice garden (kebun campuran), talun, and rice fields (cf. crops, such as corn, onion, and sweet potatoes. Iskandar and Iskandar 2011). Home garden is the land On the basis of tradition, the plants of the Araceae surrounding the house commonly planted with mixed family, such as talas, have been planted by the people of annual and perennial crops, having various functions, Cisokan, in different agroecosystems, including namely providing staple foods, traditional medicines, homegarden, garden, mixed garden, and rain-fed rice spices, vegetables, fruits, and ritual materials and adding fields, particularly in dry season. aesthetic views. Like home garden, mixed garden is Figure 1. Location of research in the Village of Cisoka, the Sub-district of Cikijing, the District of Majalengka, West Java, Indonesia 642 BIODIVERSITAS 19 (2): 640-651, March 2018 Procedures Where, This study used both qualitative and quantitative Nt = number of samples (respondents) methods, but the qualitative one was used more than the Nt = total population quantitative one (Creswell 2009). The qualitative method P = largest possible proportion (0.50) was emic based on ethnobiological approach, mainly used Z = normal variable value (1.96) to assess local knowledge of the Cisoka community of d = error (0.1) various plant species and varieties (landraces) of Araceae. The quantitative method was applied to assess the Respondents were determined by profession, namely as percentage of the community who predominantly cultivated farmers or garden owners. On the basis of the formula, the plants of Araceae and used these plants for various from the total population (N) of 130 households of farmers, purposes. The qualitative data were mainly collected by 55 households were selected. various means, including observation, semi-structured or in-depth interview, and participant observation, while the quantitative data were collected by the structured interview (cf. Martin 1995; Cunningham 2001; Newing et al. 2011). = 55.23 ≈ 55 Observation and participant observation Observation