The improvement of dryland farming sustainable management in food-insecure areas in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Sustainable management of dryland farming plays an important role in food-insecure areas. Various agricultural policies and programs cannot be achieved without considering the sustainability of farm management. This article aims to analyze the sustainability of the management of dryland farming in food-insecure areas and the strategies to increase its sustainability. The study took a sample of the area on three large islands in the Province of East Nusa Tenggara (ENT), Indonesia. The samples of 240 farmers were taken by snowball sampling. Data were analyzed using the Multi Dimensional Scale (MDS) method. In this method, an ordination technique called Rapid Appraisal for Dryland Farming Management (RAP-DAFARM) was applied. The results of the study show that multidimensional management of dryland farming is less sustainable. To improve the sustain ability status of dryland farming management in the future, some strategies are implemented, including increasing the role of capital supporting institutions, grouped-farming management patterns, agricultural insurance programs, agricultural livestock waste utilization, and others.