Role of Women in Sustaining Indigenous Food Security: An Insight from the Iban Community in Sri Aman, Sarawak

Regina Garai, Abdullah and Wong, Swee Kiong and Neilson Ilan, Mersat (2025) Role of Women in Sustaining Indigenous Food Security: An Insight from the Iban Community in Sri Aman, Sarawak. In: THE 14 INTERNATIONAL MALAYSIAN TH STUDIES CONFERENCE (MSC14), 12-13 August 2025, Waterfront Hotel, Kuching.

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Abstract

This paper examines the crucial role of Iban women in ensuring food security within rural Sarawak, Malaysia, with a focus on their contribution to the sustenance of household and community food systems. Traditionally, Iban women have always play crucial roles in household food security, particularly through their activities in agricultural practices, food foraging, and the processing and preservation of indigenous food resources. While often framed through cultural or anthropological perspectives, their labour and knowledge systems are central to the socio-economic resilience in rural communities. This study delves into how their knowledge of native crops, seed-bank traditions, and adaptive strategies have been significant in maintaining food security, particularly in the face of environmental and economic challenges. These practices, though rooted in tradition, are dynamic and continually adapted in response to environmental uncertainty, economic pressures, and shifting social expectations. Additionally, the intergenerational transfer of knowledge and its role in overcoming contemporary issues such as climate change, land-use changes, and modernization is explored. These knowledge exchanges, often carried out through everyday practices and communal labour, reinforce both cultural continuity and environmental awareness. Drawing on in-depth interviews and participatory observations conducted with Iban women in Sri Aman, Sarawak, the study offers a comprehensive perspective on their resilience and adaptability. Although current national policies such as the National Agrofood Policy and Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 highlight inclusivity and rural development, there remains limited attention to the informal yet critical contributions of indigenous women in these frameworks. Ultimately, it emphasises the vital role of Iban women in sustaining indigenous food security, not only preserving cultural heritage but also contributing to the broader framework of rural development and food sovereignty in rural areas.

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