Landscape Management Strategy for Integrated Agricultural Tourism at Sulamu Sub District, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara.

Abstract

Rural area is a place to conserve any kind of natural resources. Variety kind of land uses (forest, crop, plantation, horticulture, farm, fishpond, and housing), agroforestry potency, natural beauty, and rural cultural landscape has potentially developed as agrotourism attraction. Thus, the local community may obtain economical, environmental, and social benefit to improve welfare (Arifin et al. 2009). Agritourism development in rural area can be made as tours that accentuated the local culture and expected to improve farmer income, maintain the culture of local wisdom that generally accordanced with the natural condition, and the educational facility (Nurisjah 2001). Because of that, the participation of the community in the agritourism development is important to be noticed. Government of Kupang regency determined local development plan for natural and cultural tourism in Kupang regency to increase local community economy by assessing some local tours that lies on the Sulamu Subdistrict area (Keputusan Bupati Daerah Tingkat II Kupang No. 26/1999). Sulamu subdistrict owns agriculture landscape with rice land, garden, fishery, and farm that has been visiting from outside tourist of Kupang eventhough it has not run its own agrotourism management system. How the characteristic of integrated agricultural landscape in Sulamu has analysed by using the classification from Mugnisjah (2007) that is characteristic of integrated agriculture in horizontal based on mixed farming, horizontal based on region, and vertical integrated agriculture. The research has three main objectives that include the following: (1) to analyze agricultural landscape characteristic, (2) to analyze the potency and problems of the area as an integrated agricultural tourism, and (3) to propose an agritourism management strategy. The research was held at Sulamu sub-district, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara. Seven villages observed namely Bipolo, Oeteta, Pariti, Pantai Beringin, Pitay, Sulamu, and Pantulan. This research was conducted from January to May 2013 that used three main aspect of analyses, which are (1) agritourism suitability zone, (2) carrying capacity, and (3) the characteristic, perception, and preference of the tourists. The analyses of suitability area used five analyses which are integrated agricultural landscape, environmental quality, tourism interest, tourism supporting elements, and local acceptance to define the agritourism suitability areas. Based on agrotourism suitability zone, Bipolo, Oeteta, and Pariti are high potency villages. Oeteta and Bipolo have integrated agricultural landscape character in horizontal like farming, husbandry, and fisheries based on mixed farming and region, and in vertical integrated agriculture. Pariti has an integrated agricultural landscape character in horizontal based on mixed farming and region. Sulamu and Pantai Beringin has moderate potency of integrated agricultural landscape character in horizontal and agrotourism support. Pantulan and Pitay have low potency of integrated agricultural landscape characteristic in horizontal and vertical as well as the low value tourism support. Sulamu districts has potencies like the attractiveness 7 of agricultural landscapes, agricultural activity of the community, highly carrying capacity aspects, and the land and sea accessibilities. While some of the obstacles that are community mindset and low ability of agricultural technology, unoptimized infrastructure, and the lack of agricultural tourism management system in the area. The result of SWOT analysis of highly potency villages showed that the area lied on second quadrant and recommended growth and build strategy to develop the landscape tourism management system of the three villages. Based on the rank strategy arrangement, some important strategies that include the following: (1) the arrangement of agritourism management system using the integrated agricultural landscape resources and agricultural activity in local community by considering the needs of the tourists; (2) training the capacity of local people to improve the agricultural technology and the local resource utilization, cooperate with department of agriculture and husbandry and all stakeholders related, according to the need of farmer; (3) socialization of gold mining rejection and the consequential loss of environmental damage; (4) law enforcement of prohibitance for fauna hunting, that conducted by Forestry Department and supported by society; (5) developing the mind frame of the local community about the important of forest and mangrove environmental services; (6) increasing the irrigation facility to support agricultural activity of the local community.