LAND MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE IN NORTH COASTAL PLAIN OF BALI 1 - I WAYAN BUDIASA; MADE MEGA (SOCA: Jurnal Sosial Ekonomi Pertanian, 2007)
ABSTRAK Sistem pertanaman intensif bisa mengarah pada trade-off antara manfaat ekonomi dalam jangka pendek dan kerusakan lingkungan seperti degradasi kesuburan tanah dalam jangka panjang. Oleh karena itu, pengelolaan lahan sebagai salah satu komponen pengelolaan teknologi pertanian diperlukan dalam sistem pertanian berkelanjutan. Penelitian di TMB-59, Desa Tembok, daerah pesisir Bali bagian utara dilakukan secara purposif dengan pertimbangan bahwa petani di TMB-59 menyelenggarakan sistem usahatani campuran berbasiskan irigasi air tanah. Analisis difokuskan pada kesesuaian lahan, kesuburan tanah, pendugaan erosi dan pengelolaan nutrisi tanah. Temuan penelitian ini adalah: (1) status kesuburan lahan usahatani di TMB-59 tergolong rendah sehingga hanya memiliki kesesuaian marginal untuk tanaman jagung, ubi kayu, kacang tanah, ubi jalar, melon, cabai, pisang, jambu mete, kelapa, dan lontar, serta cukup sesuai untuk tanaman mangga, pepaya, dan rumput sebagai pakan ternak; (2) Tingkat erosi tanah di TMB-59 tergolong sangat ringan dan jauh lebih kecil daripada tingkat erosi yang diperbolehkan sehingga tidak diperlukan tindakan konservasi di daerah tersebut; dan (3) kebutuhan pupuk kandang untuk berbagai tanaman di TMB-59 sekitar 342 ton per tahun tetapi baru tersedia sekitar 202,74 ton dari populasi sapi, babi, kambing dan ayam di daerah tersebut. Berdasarkan temuan tersebut, direkomendasikan bahwa (1) perlu penambahan bahan organik yang cukup untuk meningkatkan status kesuburan tanah dan produktivitas lahan, (2) walaupun tidak perlu tindakan konservasi, pemeliharaan tanah diperlukan untuk mengantisipasi erosi tanah yang lebih tinggi, dan (3) petani di TMB-59 disarankan tetap melaksanakan usahatani campuran dengan meningkatkan jumlah ternak untuk memenuhi kebutuhan pupuk kandang yang lebih tinggi dari berbagai jenis tanaman yang diusahakan. Kata kunci: Kesesuaian Lahan, Kesuburan Tanah, Erosi, dan Pertanian Beranjutan ABSTRACT Intensive cropping system with their technology such as the one in the project area will lead to trade-off between economic benefits in the short run and environmental damages, especially soil fertility degradation in the long run. As environmental degradation increases, agriculture will eventually become unsustainable; therefore, land management as a component of agricultural technology management is required in sustainable agricultural system. A research in TMB-59, Tembok village, north coastal plain of Bali, is conducted purposively with a reason that farmers in which have done groundwater irrigation-based mixed farming system. The analysis is focused on the land suitability, soil fertility, soil loss prediction, soil nutrient management. The research finding is: (1) the farmland in TMB-59 is actually classifiable as poor fertile soil, its only marginal suitable for for maize, cassava, groundnuts, sweet potato, melon, chili, banana, cashew, cacao, coconut, and Palmyra palm and suitable enough for mango, papaya, and fodder grasses; (2) the soil erosion level in TMB-59 is categorized as very light and less than soil loss tolerance in the area; (3) crops animal- manure requirement is approximately 342 tons per year but the available stock is only 202.74 tons generated by cattle, pig, goat and chicken. Therefore, it can be recommended that: (1) it needs organic matter application in middle to high levels to improve the soil fertility status and land productivity; (2) it needs land maintaining such as addition of organic matter to protect soil against erosion to some extent; and (3) the farmers in TMB-59 should continuously carry out mixed-farming practices and increase livestock population based on the crop manure requirement and greenery and crops by-product availability. Key words: Land Suitability, Soil Fertility, Erosion, and Sustainable Agriculture.