STRATEGI PETANI DALAM MENGHADAPI KEKURANGAN AIR: STUDI KASUS DI DAERAH IRIGASI WANIR, KECAMATAN CIPARAY, KAB. BANDUNG

ABSTRAKKetersediaan air irigasi sangat penting dalam pertanian.Namun, sifat dan jumlah pasokan air yangtak terduga, ketika musim kemarau air sulit untuk didapat dan dapat mengancam pertumbuhan,terkadang di musim hujan jumlah air melebihi batas hingga menimbulkan banjir dan menghancurkantanaman padi. Untuk itu diperlukan berbagai strategi untuk menyiasati dan menjamin ketersediaanair guna mempertahankan produktifitas pertanian. Penelitian ini bermaksud menggambarkanbagaimana petani di Dusun Leles Desa Mekarsari Kecamatan Ciparay Kabupaten Bandungbekerjasama dalam menjamin ketersediaan air irigasi.Penelitian dilakukan dengan menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan pemaparan deskriptif yangbertujuan menggambarkan bagaimana petani-petani di Dusun Leles Desa Mekarsari KecamatanCiparay Kabupaten Bandung membuat strategi-strategi dalam mengelola irigasi. Hasil yang didapat,Petani mengembangkan organisasi irigasi untuk meneglola air irigasi melalu Mitra Cai. Petanibekerjasama melakukan nganir cai, dan pompanisasi. Selain itu juga petani mengaktifkanhubungan-hubungan kekerabatan untuk mendapatkan akses pada air irigasi.Kata kunci: irigasi, strategi petani, mitra caiABSTRACTThe availability and access to water is very vital to agriculture. However, both of these are oftenunpredictable in some parts of Indonesia, especially in locations which has ‘bowl’ geographicalcharacteristic such as Ciparay District, Bandung Regency, West Java. This is due to lack ofinfrastructure and water management system. During the drought, the water is so scarce whileduring rainy season, the water overflows. This condition poses threats to surrounding farmlands.Therefore, a proper water management system is needed. This paper aims to identify how dofarmers in Mekarsari Village, Ciparay work together in assuring the availability and their access towater. The study was a qualitative study which was designed to provide in-depth information inorder to describe the phenomenon. The results show that there is a self-organized organization,which was formed by farmers to arrange the water usage in the region. The farmers are bound tomitra cai organization, organizing themselves to do nganir cai (looking for water sources) anddistribute the water. Aside of that, the farmers also enhance collegial relationships in the process,reducing the risks of social dispute.Keywords: irrigation, farmers’ strategy, mitra cai