Chapter V LIFE IN FOUR SUNDANESE COMMUNITIES
5.1 The Study Population and Sample Survey 1 Population Statistics
The Bandung Regency lies in the province of West Java and covers a total area of 3,073,70 km2. Geographically, Bandung Regency is located between 6041’- 7019’ South Latitude and 107022’-10805’ East Longitude, and is approximately 16 km north of Bandung the capital of the province. According to the demographic report of the Central Bureau of Statistics of Bandung Regency (Badan Pusat Statistik Kabupaten Bandung 2005) the total population of Bandung Regency is 4,145,967 consisting of 2,087,556 males and 2,058,411 females. The Lembang sub-district has an area of 98,2654 km2 with a population of 132,806, composed of 65,783 males and 67,023 females, spread over sixteen villages (desa) (BPS Kabupaten Bandung 2005).
Gender and Age Composition
The distribution of gender over the total population of Lembang sub-district is 65,783 males (49.53%) and 67,023 females or (50.47%). The age composition of the total population of the sub-district of Lembang is revealed as pre-productive age 25.74% (0-14 years), productive age 58.12% (15-54 years) and non-productive age 16.14% (55 years and above).
Most of the population of Lembang sub-district has completed formal education as far as the end of primary level (finished primary school or SD). However, at the higher formal level of education, fewer members of the population have succeeded in finishing; a situation generally attributable to their economic circumstances.
The socio-demographic material has been obtained from official statistical sources and reports from the Central Bureau of Statistics, the National Social Economic Survey and the local office of the Lembang sub-district. The more specific data on relationships between knowledge, beliefs and practice of medicinal, aromatic and cosmetic (MAC) plants of the target group have been obtained by used of community-based and institution-based research. Community-based research was carried out using such techniques as observations, discussions and household interviews based on pre-coded questionnaires. While, the institution-based research relied on secondary data from local statistics and reports obtained at local institutions
and organisations. The results are mixed following the stages of the survey, as the study is built around complementary qualitative and quantitative surveys. The qualitative study is based on participant observation during repeated visits to the communities, combined with the conducting of open-ended interviews with informants, and discussions with arisan groups in different villages.
This blending of approach resulted in categories of surveys which have been used to collect the diverse categories of data but which also take account of the conceptual model of analysis. The categories of data include socio-demographic data of the four communities (base-line survey); data on communication behaviour of medicinal plants knowledge and practice as reported by respondents of the sample (survey on the communication on MAC plant knowledge and practice); background data of respondents, categories into predisposing, socio-demographic and enabling factors, perceived factors and intervening factors (household survey); data concerning the knowledge, belief and perceptions of the respondents, categorised into predisposing, psycho-social factors (awareness of MAC plants survey); and data regarding the various local institutions and organisations (institutional survey).
Map 5.1 Geographical locations of the four selected communities in the research area of Lembang sub-district.
(Source: Lembang sub-district office 2005)
On the basis of the qualitative information collected on the different characteristics of the respondents in the fieldwork area of Lembang sub-district, a simple random sample of the study population is carried out. To obtain a fairly equal base for comparison of the diverse data collected in the four communities, the sample strategy focused on a random selection of thirty households in each village. The partner of the household head who is also a member of
an arisan institution is the respondent of the survey. If there are no partners of the household head, the respondent selected is the woman in charge of the household. Accordingly, in the following sections, the four communities are described comparatively along the lines of the specific, model-related characteristics and factors including the predisposing socio- demographic and psycho-social factors (Blocks 1 and 2), the enabling socio-economic factors (Block 3), the perceived factors (Block 4) and the institutional factors (Block 5), contributing to the compilation of data on the various variables of the model.
From the collected qualitative data available about on a number of diverse characteristics of the respondents living in various areas in Lembang, it is decided to take a stratified random sample of the study population of the area. After the division of the entire population into sub-populations on the basis of the criterion of location, it is stratified into urban, semi-urban, semi-rural and rural communities, the elements for the sample are then chosen at random from the strata to secure optimal representation of the sample.
The geographical location of the four selected communities of the quantitative surveys in Lembang is shown on Map 5.1. Besides cartographical information, general data and a description is provided of each village, as it is situated in the wider context of its village groups in respectively rural, semi-rural, semi-urban and urban settings
Table 5.1 Distribution of total number of household heads (N= 11,772) and number of household members (N= 45,063), according to the 4 selected communities.
Village Household heads Household Members
N % N % Cibogo 2,916 24,8 9,280 20,6 Gudangkahuri pan 3,214 27,3 12,109 26,9 Jayagiri 4,038 34,3 16,539 36,7 Kayuambon 1,604 13,6 7,135 15,8 Total 11,772 100,0 45,063 100,0
Source: Household survey (2005).
Table 5.1 indicates that the lowest number of household heads is recorded in desa
Kayuambon (N= 1,604), followed in rank order by desa Cibogo (N=2,916) and desa
Gudangkahuripan (N=3,214), while the highest number is found in desa Jayagiri (N=4,038), bringing the total number of household heads to almost 12,000 (N=11,772). This means that there are almost 12,000 housewives who are regarded as arisan members and who are therefore the target population of this survey. This also shows that the average household consists of four members. As is explained above, the sample strategy focuses on a random selection of thirty households in each village.
Almost all the inhabitants in the four selected communities are Sundanese and are adherents of Islam. The soil in the study area is fertile though most farmers here owned very small farmland of approximately 0.25 ha, in which they cultivated with mainly fruit trees and flowers. In fact they have earned this area an outstanding reputation for its horticultural produce.
Several types of rural organisations are found in the four selected villages. A number of these organisations have been established by the government, among them the Pemberdayaan Kesejahteraan Keluarga (PKK) (Family Welfare Empowerment), the youth organisation (karang taruna) and the village unit co-operatives (Koperasi Unit Desa or KUD).
Among the initiatives taken by the villagers themselves, the arisan or the rotating credit association, the pengajian (the Quran study group) and the pencak silat organisation (a kind
of martial art) are the most popular. Besides concentrating on these more specific forms of organisation, some general information is provided about other relevant characteristics of the village, such as the modern village administration and Garden for Medicine for the Family (Taman Obat Keluarga or TOGA).