The Subsistence Agriculture Knowledge of the Arfak Community in the Arfak Mountains, District of West Papua, Indonesia

The subsistence agriculture knowledge system is sourced from local knowledge that has been practiced and developed by farming communities for a long time. This study aims to explain the subsistence agriculture knowledge system practices in the Arfak community in Anggi District, Arfak Mountains Regency, West Papua Province. The practice of subsistence agriculture carried out by the Arfak community is based on local wisdom igya ser hanjob, a valuable stock of knowledge that has not been widely studied and utilized. This study uses a qualitative approach to elicit this knowledge. The data was collected through in-depth interviews, observations, and focus group discussions, from 65 informants in 13 villages. Five informants from each village were chosen purposively and using the snowball technique. The results showed that the subsistence agriculture knowledge system in the Arfak community was based on local knowledge igya ser hanjob or mastogow hanjob, which means "standing up to guard the boundaries." This local knowledge is believed and becomes a way of life that serves as a standard for decision-making and behavior in carrying out shifting cultivation, including determining the location, planting season, planting material processing, planting, and harvesting. The local knowledge igya ser hanjob includes the arrangement of space, time, and the division of labor that are interrelated in activities utilizing nature. The forest area is used as a place for farming. Farming is carried out in the Susti area, which is the clan area fenced off from the existing garden plots. The results of this study can be used by academics and practitioners in enriching technical knowledge of agriculture in accordance with local conditions to support sustainable agriculture