Persistent Poverty Amid Rural Infrastructure Development in Timor Island, Indonesia: Enhancing Livelihood Analysis on Rural Development

Abstract

This paper examines the impacts of rural infrastructure development on the livelihood of peasant communities in the Bena Irrigation Area in South Amanuban District, Timor, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Statistic data indicated that despite significant agricultural infrastructure developments, the local people's welfare remains less developed, and poverty persists. Based on the Pentagon assets of livelihood approach, this paper analyses how politics and power, the broader structure of the society and globalization, and dynamics of livelihood change and shift in the future have shaped the livelihood of the people of Bena. This research found that the development of natural, social, and human assets has yet to be sufficiently supported by political structure and power relation to having maximum advantages, is still vulnerable to impacts of globalization, and lacks clear pathways to anticipate future shifts in rural livelihood. This paper argues that rural livelihood analysis in Timor should involve notions of politics and power, impacts of globalization and anticipation of future shifts and changes in rural livelihood.