Indigenous vegetables and household food security in a borderland community

Evidence from the Dayak Bidayuh of Entikong, Indonesia

Abstract

Indigenous vegetables play a critical yet under­documented role in household food security among borderland communities in Borneo. This study examines how Dayak Bidayuh households in Entikong, Indonesia, integrate wild and cultivated plant foods into daily diets, cultural practices, and adaptive livelihood strategies within a rapidly modernizing Indonesia–Malaysia border economy. These transformations have been accentuated by recent disruptions, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of commercial agriculture, and the proliferation of fast food and processed goods, which increasingly alter traditional foraging, cooking, and eating habits among younger generations.

Using a multi-site qualitative design supported by household interviews, participant observation, ambulatory foraging walks, and nutritional analysis, data were collected from 30 respondents across five villages reflecting varying degrees of market exposure and ecological access, as well as variation in gender related to age, occupation, or profes­sional roles that spoke to food heritage and pro­duction.

Findings reveal five interrelated dynamics: hybrid subsistence and cash-based dependency, dietary transitions linked to Malaysian border mar­kets, persistent cultural significance of indigenous dishes, erosion of ecological knowledge across gen­erations, and gendered constraints in food provi­sioning. Despite increasing reliance on commercial foods, dishes such as sayur rampai, ayam pansuh, and pekasam remain essential to cultural identity, eco­logical memory, and social cohesion. The resulting Bidayuh Food Heritage and Food System Model highlights how access to land, knowledge transmis­sion, ritual identity, and market dynamics collec­tively shape food security outcomes. Strengthening indigenous vegetables and cultural foodways offers a pathway for enhancing dietary diversity, cultural resilience, and locally grounded food sovereignty in borderland contexts.