The Role Of Local Institution Towards Alleviation Of Household Poverty In T’eba Village Tanpah District Timor Tengah Utara Regency East Nusa Tenggara Province

Abstract

It should be realized that local institutions that develop in rural areas are also a legacy of their ancestor that have been integrated in the lives of the communities. However, the research about this topic is rare. The questions of this research are; (1) Why the local institutions are not effectively used by the poor? (2) To what extent, the government, private sectors and communities alleviate the poverty issues in the household village? This research aims to find the fit model of local institution that poor households should engage and become a model for household development in rural areas. Empirical data from this study were collected using ethnographic methods that attempt to reveal phenomena based on what is known, believed, and felt. The data were analyzed by descriptive and interpretative techniques. Therefore, the entire series of analysis in this study used functional structural analysis techniques. Here, the researchers aimed to explore the experiences of poor households in T'eba Village, to interpret and deal with their living conditions. To meet the daily needs of households, there had been a shift from agricultural production to non-agricultural production. The impact of this shift was a decrease in an agricultural production, including maize production, and a lack of village communities encroaching on forests. However, their efforts only increase their income for daily needs, and had not been able to bring rural households out of poverty. The quality of human resources of village government officials and poor rural households in general, needed to be considered and improved in order to make targeted and market-oriented programs. The institutions could promote an effective role in alleviating poverty in rural households and not the other way around. Local institutions formed from within the community itself. In this local institution, emotional closeness had also been formed among its members and every instruction from the power holder becomes a mandate that should be implemented. The strength of local institutions had not been identified yet as the basis for the development forces that had been mobilized. Thus, the institution was neglected in the process of poverty alleviation in rural areas.