(Orang Asli) in Peninsular Malaysia During Periods of Food Insecurity
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Public Health Nutrition: 21(15), 2819–2830 doi:10.1017/S136898001800160X Qualitative study on identification of common coping strategies practised by Indigenous Peoples (Orang Asli) in Peninsular Malaysia during periods of food insecurity Leh Shii Law, Sulaiman Norhasmah*, Wan Ying Gan and Mohd Taib Mohd Nasir Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia Submitted 10 August 2017: Final revision received 4 May 2018: Accepted 23 May 2018: First published online 6 July 2018 Abstract Objective: To examine the types of coping strategies practised by Indigenous women or Orang Asli (OA) in Peninsular Malaysia during times of food shortage and to determine the level of severity for food insecurity that will trigger each specific coping strategy. Design: A qualitative case study was conducted. Pertinent information about each type of coping strategy was gathered by in-depth interviews. To gauge the level of severity for each of the coping strategies, focus group discussions (FGD) were held. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis. Setting: OA villages in the states of Kelantan, Pahang, Perak and Selangor, Malaysia. Subjects: Sixty-one OA women from three ethnic groups (Senoi, Proto-Malay and Negrito) for in-depth interviews and nineteen OA women from the Proto-Malay ethnic group for three FGD. Results: The findings identified twenty-nine different coping strategies and these were divided into two main themes: food consumption (sub-themes of food consumption included dietary changes, diversification of food sources, decreasing the number of people and rationing) and financial management (sub-themes of financial management included increasing household income, reducing expenses for schooling children and reducing expenses on daily necessities). Three levels of Keywords severity were derived: less severe, severe and very severe. Food insecurity Conclusions: This information would enable local authorities or non- Coping strategies governmental organisations to more precisely target and plan interventions to Orang Asli better aid the OA communities needing assistance in the areas of food sources and Severity weighting financial management. Frequency The estimated number of Indigenous Peoples is approxi- peoples, in accordance with their own cultural mately 370 million. The presence of Indigenous Peoples patterns, social institutions and legal system.’ has been reported in over ninety countries and they Indigenous Peoples in Malaysia are known as ‘Orang represent about 5 % of the total world population(1). The Asli’ (OA), which is defined as ‘First People’ in the Malay most cited working definition of Indigenous Peoples is(2): language(3). Data obtained directly from the Department ‘Indigenous communities, peoples and nations are of Orang Asli Development (JAKOA) showed that the total those which, having a historical continuity with pre- population of OA in Malaysia reached 178 197 in 2013. invasion and pre-colonial societies that developed The OA population can be found throughout Peninsular on their territories, consider themselves distinct from Malaysia (as shown in Fig. 1(4)). The Indigenous popula- other sectors of the societies now prevailing on those tion in Malaysia is divided into three main ethnic groups: territories, or parts of them. They form at present Senoi, Proto-Malay and Negrito. Each ethnic group is then non-dominant sectors of society and are determined further divided into six more sub-ethnic groups, totalling to preserve, develop and transmit to future genera- eighteen sub-ethnic groups (Table 1). tions their ancestral territories, and their ethnic Despite the fact that the population of Indigenous identity, as the basis of their continued existence as Peoples appears to be small, the population represents *Corresponding author: Email [email protected] © The Authors 2018 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. 25 Sep 2021 at 20:30:45, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use. 2820 LS Law et al. Perlis Kedah Kelantan Pulau Pinang Terengganu Perak Pahang Selangor Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur Negeri Sembilan Melaka Johor Fig. 1 Distribution of the Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia in 2000; each dot represents 100 persons(4) almost 10 % of the world’s poor in global terms(5). Because instances where they had run out of food and had been of this fact, the food security status among Indigenous unable to afford to buy food between the years 2012 and Peoples worldwide has been identified as one of the 2013. In a similar vein, another 13·0 % of the non-remote nutritional issues that causes the greatest concern. In and 23·0 % of the remote Indigenous Peoples also ran out Canada, data derived from various sources showed that of food, however, did not suffer starvation during this the recorded prevalence rate of food insecurity was 70·2% same period(7). In Malaysia, the prevalence rate of food in Nunavut Inuit households, 43·0 % in Inuvialuit Inuit insecurity among the OA in Selangor State exceeded households and 44·2 % in Nunatsiavut Inuit households(6). 80·0%(8,9). From previous reports and studies, it has been In addition, in Australia, about 9·0 % of the non-remote determined that the OA are a marginalised group with and 10·0 % of the remote Indigenous Peoples experienced high poverty rate and low access to water, electricity, Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. 25 Sep 2021 at 20:30:45, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use. Food insecurity among the OA in Malaysia 2821 Table 1 Sub-ethnic groups of the Orang Asli in Malaysia(4) were seen to share similar types of living environments. These villages had to be located in peri-urban areas and Sub-ethnic groups of Orang Asli connected by proper roads to nearby towns. They also Senoi Proto-Malay Negrito had to be surrounded by forests. A total of nine villages Che Wong Kuala Kensiu (three for each ethnic group) were selected from Gua Mahmeri Kanaq Kensiu Musang district, Kelantan State (Senoi dominant); Rompin Jahut Seletar Lanoh district, Pahang State (Proto-Malay dominant); and Gerik Semoq Beri Jakun Jahai Semai Semelai Mendriq district, Perak State (Negrito dominant). In each village, all Temiar Temuan Bateq eligible villagers were invited to participate in the study. Permission for conducting data collection in the OA villages was obtained from JAKOA. Ethical clearance was health-care services and children’s education(10). The diet obtained from the Ethics Committee for Research Invol- of the OA was reported to lack variety(11). Because of ving Human Subjects (JKEUPM) of Universiti Putra these factors, development programmes for the OA are Malaysia (reference number FPSK(EXP15)P004). actively being continued under the eleventh Malaysia Plan – (12) 2016 2020 . Participants fi ‘ Coping strategies are de ned by Maxwell as fall back The participants in the study consisted of sixty-one OA fi mechanisms to deal with the short-term insuf ciency of women from the three different ethnic groups outlined in ’(13) fi food . There are three main purposes de ned as rea- the preceding subsection. The inclusion criteria were sons for practising coping strategies and these include determined as being a mother who was of childbearing increasing food production, increasing the ability to boost age (defined as aged between 20 and 49 years) who also household income through new activities and seeking had at least one child and was additionally from hardcore (14) aid from relevant authorities . The present paper has poor households (this factor was identified from the name used in-depth interview techniques to garner more lists of food basket recipients from JAKOA)(16). Poverty in knowledge with regard to food insecurity issues among Malaysia is assessed by the Poverty Line Income in which the OA. The study has explored the most common coping a household has a monthly income that is less than strategies practised by the OA in Peninsular Malaysia Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) 520(17). Hardcore poor families which arise when these households and individuals do not were a priority because they were viewed as being more have enough food at home. Furthermore, focus group vulnerable to household food insecurity(18). The sample discussions (FGD) have been conducted to determine the size for the study was determined using the saturation level of severity for food insecurity that will trigger each concept. The saturation of data occurs when it is noted fi fi speci c coping strategy. The identi cation of each type of that no more new information has emerged during the coping strategy and the associated level of severity is progression of the interview process(19). Verbal and writ- important because this information might thus potentially ten informed consent was obtained from participants. be used as an indicator that can assist the prediction of the occurrence of household food insecurity among the OA in Measures the future. In-depth interviews An in-depth interview approach was used to gather Materials and methods information from the participants. The use of in-depth interviews was selected as the method, instead of the Study location planned FGD (as recommended by Maxwell and Cald- The study locations were selected through purposive well)(20). It was felt that in-depth interviews would work sampling based on the name lists of food basket recipients better and derive more information due to the reluctance (food baskets are a food aid programme from JAKOA of the OA to express themselves while in the presence of which is targeted at the hardcore poor OA households in others and it was considered that this would be particu- Malaysia)(15). The coverage of the food aid programme larly true where matters of personal hardship were con- encompassed all the OA registered under JAKOA. Based cerned. The interview sessions were conducted in the on the information from the name lists, the administrative Malay language utilising local OA as translators because regions of JAKOA were divided into three parts: Senoi- these translators were linguistically capable in both Malay dominant, Proto-Malay-dominant and Negrito-dominant and the native OA language.