Prinsip Safety First dalam Ketahanan Usaha Tani atas Krisis Air Desa Jatisari Kabupaten Lumajang

Abstract

He water crisis caused by the natural disaster of Semeru's cold lava flood and anthropogenic pressure from sand mining activities has triggered ecological vulnerability that threatens the fundamental livelihoods of the agrarian community in Jatisari Village, Lumajang Regency. This shock directly threatens the subsistence margin of peasant households in maintaining their farming activities. This study aims to analyze the safety-first actions taken by peasants to maintain farming resilience amidst irrigation paralysis. This study utilized a qualitative method with a case study approach. Informants were selected using a purposive sampling technique, while data were gathered through observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation. Data trustworthiness was tested using source triangulation. The results indicate that safety-first actions, as a form of risk-averse behavior, are adopted multidimensionally by peasants. In the agricultural sector, peasants shifted their cropping patterns from rice to secondary crops (corn and chili) and engaged in partnerships to avoid the risk of maximum loss. In the consumption sector, they implemented an extreme tighter belt strategy. Economic resilience is also strengthened through non-agricultural livelihood diversification to secure a guaranteed daily cash flow, and the utilization of traditional social networks (kinship loans) based on the principle of reciprocity. This study confirms the validity of James C. Scott's Moral Economy of the Peasant theory, demonstrating that peasant rationality in crisis situations is driven by the fulfillment of subsistence ethics for family survival through farming activities rather than profit maximization.