Authors:
Paul Adryani Moento, Samel W. Ririhena, Inez Cara Alexander Phoek

Addresses:
Department of Public Administration Science, Musamus University, Merauke, Papua Selatan, Indonesia. Faculty of Business and Accountancy, Saint Theresa School of Economics, Merauke, South Papua, Indonesia.

Abstract:

This study examines the relationship between political power and government policy in shaping the trajectory of sustainable agriculture in South Papua, Indonesia, while evaluating the extent to which current policies support or hinder the implementation of sustainability principles. Employing a qualitative case study with a descriptive-analytical approach, the research draws on semi-structured interviews with farmers, indigenous leaders, government officials, legislators, and civil society representatives, complemented by field observations and analysis of policy documents. Data were systematically processed using thematic coding and content analysis, aided by NVivo software. Findings reveal four interrelated themes: (1) the dominance of national political–economic agendas in local agricultural governance through large-scale food estate and bioethanol projects; (2) a policy–practice gap, as national sustainability discourses often contrast with input-intensive implementation; (3) the resilience of indigenous agroecological practices such as crop diversification, shifting cultivation, and organic fertilization, which offer ecologically adaptive alternatives; and (4) structural barriers including weak infrastructure, limited technical capacity, bureaucratic fragmentation, and unresolved indigenous land tenure rights. The study concludes that sustainable agricultural development in South Papua requires policy reorientation toward bottom-up participation, recognition of customary land rights, capacity-building for smallholders, and integration of indigenous agroecological systems into national strategies.

Keywords: Political Power; Sustainable Agriculture; Indigenous Agroecology; Public Policy; Food Estate Policy; South Papua; Hinder Sustainability Principles; Political–Economic; Structural Barriers.

Received on: 06/10/2024, Revised on: 02/01/2025, Accepted on: 25/02/2025, Published on: 12/06/2025

DOI: 10.69888/FTSSSL.2025.000493

FMDB Transactions on Sustainable Social Sciences Letters , 2025 Vol. 3 No. 2, Pages: 90-99

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