Author: Andi Nurlela
Bantilang Village , East Luwu, there are pepper plantations that are the pulse of the community’s economic life. Pepper is not only a trading commodity, but also the pulse that drives work, social relations, and gender roles in farmer households. Behind the production of this commodity, there is a unique dynamic division of labor between men and women. One couple who represents this dynamic is Mr. Ammang and his wife, Mrs. Mami.
Mr. Ammang , now 48 years old, was born and raised in Bantilang Village from a family of respected community leaders. He is the next generation of the strong pepper farming tradition in this area. Currently, he manages more than 10 hectares of pepper plantations and also acts as a middleman who buys the harvest from other farmers in the village and surrounding hamlets.
Meanwhile, Ibu Mami comes from Morowali, Central Sulawesi. She is a woman from the indigenous tribe in the area and has settled in Bantilang after getting married. This combination of cultural backgrounds creates an interesting household dynamic: agricultural work is done in mutual cooperation, but with different spaces and responsibilities.
Men as Production Managers and Market Access
As the head of the household and the main farmer, Mr. Ammang is responsible for the entire pepper production process in the garden—from planting, maintenance, to harvesting. With a fairly large garden area, he does not work alone. Farm laborers from the village or extended family usually help, and Mr. Ammang is the coordinator in this collective work.
In addition to his role as a farmer, he also works as a middleman. He buys pepper from other farmers, weighs, sorts, and resells it to the market in large quantities. This role places him in a strategic position in the local agricultural supply chain. He must have a network, market price information, and negotiation skills. The social capital he has had since childhood, as the son of a community figure, makes his position in the community quite strong and respected.
Women as Guardians of Quality and Social Relations
Behind the success of pepper production and transactions, there is the work of Ibu Mami who plays an important role in maintaining the quality and social relations of their family. She is responsible for the drying process of the harvested pepper—an important stage that determines the quality of the seeds before they are sold. This process requires patience and punctuality, especially in the rainy season.
Ibu Mami also manages the process of weighing the pepper that the community brings to their homes. She is the first person that small farmers meet when they want to sell their harvest to Pak Ammang . In this interaction, Ibu Mami must demonstrate honesty and friendliness that builds trust. She also carries out an informal function as a “mouthpiece” between their household and the surrounding community.
Ibu Mami’s work is inseparable from other domestic work. In between drying and weighing pepper, she also cooks, takes care of the house, and takes care of her 2 children who are still in elementary school, her other 2 children are in a Makassar Islamic boarding school. In one day, her role can move between the economic and domestic spheres without a clear break. This is a form of double work for rural women that is often not formally recorded but supports the household economy in real terms.
Divided Work, Interwoven Roles
Although it appears that men and women have different divisions of work space, their roles are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. Pak Ammang cannot carry out his role as a middleman without the help of Ibu Mami at home. Likewise, Ibu Mami will not be able to manage the house if there are no agricultural products coming in from the garden. This division of labor does not occur in a hierarchical form , but as a form of efficiency and agreement that develops naturally between them.
In many cases, the work of women like Ibu Mami is often not visible in agricultural statistics or in administrative records. The names listed as land owners or business actors are usually only men. In fact, it is women’s work that often determines the sustainability of family farming businesses, especially in post-harvest matters and social relations.
Cultural Dynamics and Adaptation Strategies
The fact that Ibu Mami comes from a different region and tribe than her husband is an important note in sociological analysis. In the midst of a homogeneous society, Ibu Mami’s success in building social networks and gaining the trust of the community shows the existence of a fairly fluid social inclusion space. The cultural adaptation that she does not only occurs in her domestic life, but also in the social and economic roles that she plays.
This cultural crossover actually strengthens their partnership as a couple. Ibu Mami brings new habits, different perspectives, and social approaches that enrich their relationship with the environment. In a rural society that is beginning to open up to migrants and inter-ethnic marriages, this story is a positive example of how work and solidarity can grow across identities.
Recognition of Women’s Work
One of the biggest challenges in the context of the division of labor for farmers is the lack of recognition of the role of women. In many government programs, agricultural training is more often targeted at men, even though much of the technical work in the post-harvest stage is actually done by women. Likewise, with access to cooperative training, financial literacy , and economic empowerment, women like Ibu Mami are often outside the reach of formal policies.
In fact, strengthening women’s capacity in this sector can have a double impact: improving the quality of agricultural products while strengthening the household economy. Involving women in village deliberation forums, agricultural training, and harvest management is not just a matter of gender equity, but a practical strategy in rural development.
The story of Mr. Ammang and Mrs. Mami in Bantilang shows that agricultural work is not just men’s work. It is a collective work that is divided symbolically, but interwoven substantially. From the garden to the yard, from the harvest to the transaction, from hard work to trust—all are the result of collaboration that supports more than just the household, but also the entire village community.
