Yayuk Yuliati, Riyanti Isaskar
Most of the north coast areas in East Java known as Pantura (Pantai Utara), especially north Gresik and north Lamongan, are very arid and have no sufficient technical irrigation in almost all of the farming areas. Despite their location which is across Bengawan Solo River, most villages in this area cannot utilize the river water using gravitation system because of the hilly nature of the villages with elevation higher than the river. The dry land agriculture system in this area does not have stability like irrigation-based agriculture system and it affected the rapidly growing population badly. In order to repair the damaged environment and increase the society's welfare, in addition to technical innovation, enhancement of social capital is prominent considering that social capital building is an important community asset. This research aims to analyze (1) the social capital and other livelihood resources/assets of Surah and Surowiti villagers and (2) the livelihood strategies preferred by the villagers to keep their life sustainable. The research was conducted in Serah and Surowiti villages in Gresik Regency. The primary data were collected using in-depth interviews, Focus Group Discussion (FGD), and observation techniques; the secondary data were collected using documentation. The findings reveals that livelihood assets conditions, i.e., natural, human, social, physical, and financial resources were not sustainable in the targeted villages. Also, most villagers prefer to adopt exploiting social family network (remittances) and accumulation strategy as their livelihood strategies. © Penerbit UMT.
Agriculture Faculty, Brawijaya University, Jalan Vetetan, Malang, Jawa Timur, 65145, Indonesia
