A civilized culture fundamentally teaches good things that become a compliance with norms. This compliance essentially regulates the behavior patterns of its society in nurturing daily life and social interactions. A well-ordered life leads to the emergence of empathy and mutual cooperation in achieving common goals.

Individuals constantly adapt to the environmental conditions in which they live. When each individual lives within a group, a collective idea emerges to face the same problems. The thinking process, grounded in a well-ordered life, mutual empathy, and cooperative living, fosters the understanding that any problems faced by the community can be addressed and managed. It is this collective awareness that gives rise to the Lodok Agricultural System, which is the right answer for adapting to life in society.

Learning Honesty and Fairness from Lodok Agriculture

The local wisdom present in indigenous communities consists of local ideas obtained from wise ancestors, which are good in value, embedded, and followed by its community members (Sartini, 2004 in Nery, 2022). The local wisdom found in the lives of people in Indonesia is one manifestation of the culture created by the ancestors of the Indonesian nation (Tanjung, Ardyanto & Fahmi, Muhammad, 2015 in Nery, 2022). According to Utina (2012 in Nery, 2022), local wisdom is the value system or way of life of local communities in interacting wisely with their living environment.

The lodok rice fields are a form of agricultural system produced from the local wisdom of a community or society in managing the environment to support their livelihoods. The lodok fields are spider-shaped rice paddies located in Meler Village, Ruteng District, Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province. People outside the Manggarai area refer to lodok fields as spider fields due to their resemblance to a spider's web (Nery, 2022).

The pattern of land division for rice fields by the ancestors of Manggarai is done centrally, where the zero point is located in the middle of the communal land to be divided. The pattern involves drawing long lines from the center point, referred to in the Manggarai language as lodok, to the outermost area known as cicing. The philosophy follows the shape of a spider's nest, where the small lodok part is in the center and gradually widens outward. The system of dividing lodok rice paddies is related to communal land ownership status, where traditionally communal land (tribe) is marked as a sign of communal rights (tribe) also related to the environment. The irrigation technique allows for a fair distribution of water (Udus et al., 2024).

The rice fields in Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, with infrequent rainfall, lead to land droughts throughout the year. This has become a shared problem and a challenge that must be solved. The good practices of the people in Manggarai have been preserved through generations, demonstrating how they practice honesty and fairness with open hearts, both in discussions and during execution.

Now, although the number of rice fields with the Lodok system is limited, the current and future generations are provided with real examples in the form of remnants that still exist. From these remaining remnants, they will always be reminded of the noble character of their ancestors. An example of behavior that may no longer be applicable in an agricultural system but can be practiced in other forms. The thinking process that realizes the Lodok Agricultural System can serve as a guide in solving common problems, as the ancestors have exemplified good practices.

Beautiful objects seen from the air may disappear or be damaged due to disasters, but the wisdom embedded in the minds of the Manggarai people can continue to reside and be passed down from generation to generation.

Happy Agricultural Krida Day

References

Udus, Godeliva Indryani. Hamza H. Wulakada. Arfita Rahmawati. 2024. The Geographic Dimension in the Land Division Pattern (Lodok) of Spider-Shaped Rice Fields in Meler Village, Ruteng District, Manggarai in the Geography Journal Volume 20 Number 2 December 2024. Geography Education Study Program, Nusa Cendana University, Kupang.

Nery, Ottovianus Diliano. 2022. Local Wisdom of Lodok Rice Fields (Spider Fields) in Manggarai Regency for Geography Learning. Thesis, Geography Education Study Program, Graduate School, Indonesia University of Education, Bandung.