A Small Drop of Hope for the Dry Ground: Introducing Drip Irrigation to Rote Island, Indonesia, to Convince Fishermen to Farm during the Dry Season for an Alternative Livelihood

Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com learnt from the Macasan and the Buginese, who stop by in the island on their trip to fish in the Southern seas, that fishing can make much easier money than farming in dry lands. Nevertheless, most of them remain among the poorest in the island. In fact, most of income coming from fishing goes to the boss who owns the boat and equipment, and most importantly, lends them money in time of need. This short review article provides an overview of the Rotenese involvement in fishing, including in fishing in IndonesiaAustralia trans-boundary waters, in connection with their dry land agriculture and lontar tapping tradition. Based this overview, we introduce drip irrigation to help women farming as a source of additional income while their husbands go fishing.