FARM LEVEL PROBLEMS IN IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE OF INDONESIA

Abstract

The December 2004 tsunami caused great devastation to a wide area, including agriculture land along the east and west coasts of the Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD)/Aceh province, Indonesia. Tsunami-damage agriculture land by can be classified into three groups: light, medium and heavy damage. From 2005-2006, rehabilitation of agriculture land was focused on light to medium damage land, with heavily damage land to be use rehabilitated later. Major problem encountered in the rehabilitation of agriculture land were thick sand/mud/silt deposit, farm level problem, highly salinity level, economic problem, high Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) values, blocked drainage, damaged irrigation channels and traumatised farmer. As . the rehabilitation and reconstruction process proceed, rice field have been gradually cultivated by fanner. Rice productivity in rehabilitated fields along the east coast, considered a lightly damaged area, has reached 5-6 ton, per hectare (average productivity in the area before tsunami was 4.5 ton per ha), meanwhile, productivity of rice in the western coast, considered heavily damage area, is 3-4 ton per ha. Successful cultivation of most of the damage agriculture land is due to strong effort and commitment for all stakeholders involved in the rehabilitation such as United Nations, NGO's, BRR and Local Government. Thus it can be concluded that tsunami 2004 in Indonesia- (Aceh province) was a curse to agriculture but with hard work of the farmers and support of the donor agencies and Indonesian government this has become boon to the farmer. This is expected to further improve when the irrigation system in the process of modernization become fully operational.