Restoring agriculture and soils in Aceh after the 2004 tsunami
In December 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami caused damage to more than 60,000ha of agricultural land in Aceh province in Indonesia.
Indonesian agricultural research and extension agencies have been helping farmers to restore food production in tsunami-affected areas. These agencies include the Indonesian Soils Research Institute (ISRI), Indonesian Institute for Rice Research (IIRR), BPTP Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (BPTP NAD) and the Provincial and District Agricultural Extension Services in Aceh.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) is working with the agencies as part of a cluster of projects funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) to address the problems caused to agriculture and fisheries by the tsunami in Aceh.
Ongoing work in Aceh aims to improve the livelihoods of farmers in the coastal farming areas of Aceh Besar, Pidie, Pidie Jaya, Bireuen and Aceh Barat. The project involves training for extension staff in these districts, field activities to support farmers and collaboration with Universities, NGOs and district agricultural programs, and support the aims of initiatives such as Aceh Green. It is hoped that training and collaboration across a range of groups will have a long term impact on alleviating poverty in the Province of Aceh.
Key project activities include support for women farmers, field activities for a range of crops in the coastal farming system, capacity building for extension services and investigating the effects of soil amendments on nutrients and carbon storage in soils. Experimental work examining the application of biochar to enhance nitrogen availability will commence in Tamworth, NSW and in Aceh in 2009.
Soil biology booklet for Aceh now available
NSW DPI has produced a booklet on soil biology for field extension staff and farmers in Aceh, Indonesia. The booklet is based on consultation with farmers and field extension staff over a number of workshops in Aceh.
'Working with our friends in the soil A farmers guide to life in the soil' is available in Bahasa Indonesia and English, and can be downloaded as a pdf file here.
Hard copies produced on water resistant paper have been distributed to extension staff across the Acehnese districts of Aceh Besar, Pidie, Pidie Jaya, Bireuen and Aceh Barat.
NSW DPI Soil biology booklet 
5.8MB
NSW DPI Buklet biologi tanah 5.9MB
NSW DPI telah menyusun sebuah buklet tentang biologi tanah bagi petugas penyuluhan lapang dan petani di Aceh, Indonesia. Buklet ini disusun berdasarkan konsultasi selama lokakarya dan rapat kerja antara para petani dan petugas penyuluhan pertanian lapang di Aceh.
'Bekerjasama dengan organisme tanah: teman-teman kita di dalam tanah Panduan untuk petani mengenai kehidupan organisme tanah' tersedia dalam bahasa Inggris dan Indonesia, dan bisa di download sebagai berkas (file) pdf di sini.
Kopian buklet ini yang dicetak menggunakan kertas tahan air telah didistribusikan ke petugas penyuluhan di Kabupaten Aceh Besar, Pidie, Pidie Jaya, Bireuen dan Aceh Barat.
A practical guide to restoring agriculture after a tsunami
- Download the full report or a chapter of the report
This guide is a collection of the experience of work rehabilitating soils and agriculture in Aceh and other areas of Asia affected by the 2004 tsunami. Currently only available in English, it is designed to assist government agencies and NGOs who may face a similar disaster in the future. The guide is also relevant for dealing with the effects of seawater inundation of coastal areas.
A summary of field trials in Nangroe Aceh Darusalaam 2005 - 2008
A summary of field trials in Nangroe Aceh Darusalaam 2005 - 2008 3MB
NSW DPIs work in Aceh in collaboration with Acehnese agricultural extension agencies and farmers is presented here in the form of short summaries of each trial or demonstration. The crops presented include rice, soybean, and peanut, as well as salinity surveys using EM38, on a range of soil types in Aceh Barat, Pidie and Bireuen. The collection is presented in English and Bahasa Indonesia.
Aceh project brochure | Aceh proyek brosur
BPTP NAD and NSW DPI are working together to produce a quarterly newsletter focussing on agricultural recovery following the tsunami in Indonesia and other affected countries. The newsletter "Pertanian Pasca Tsunami" is in both Indonesian and English.
Pertanian Pasca Tsunami
A quarterly newsletter focussing on agricutural recovery following the tsunami is available here
Information sheets
Two Information Sheets are also available in both Indonesian and English.
Information Sheet 1
Information Sheet 2
International Workshop on Post Tsunami Soil Management (July 2008 at Cisarua, Java)
The Indonesian Soil Research Institute (ISRI) and New South Wales Department of Primary Industries jointly organised a workshop to present lessons learned and experience in the recovery of agriculture and livelihoods after the 2004 tsunami. This workshop was held in Cisarua, Java in July 2008 with participants from across Asia. Proceedings of the workshop 6.63MB are available.
Forum on rehabilitation of tsunami affected land in Aceh (August 2007 at Saree, near Banda Aceh)
A communication forum on rehabilitation of tsunami affected land in Aceh was held in August 2007 at Saree, near Banda Aceh. The forum, part of ACIAR project activities in Aceh, was attended by 66 participants from various organisations including institutes, agricultural departments, local NGOs as well as farmers. The objective of the forum was to provide up to date information to researchers, government and non-government organizations, and all other parties involved in the rehabilitation of tsunami affected land. The presentations and posters are mainly in Bahasa Indonesian.
Soil management workshop
In January 2007 extension workers from district and provincial agriculture services and non-government organisations, attended a two day workshop on agricultural soils and the problems encountered following the tsunami. The workshop proceedings contain summaries of all the presentations, a summary of discussion sessions and feedback from attendees in both Indonesian and English.
Contact
Dr Peter Slavich
Centre Director
NSW Department of Primary Industries
Wollongbar Agricultural Institute
1243 Bruxner Highway
Wollongbar,
New South Wales 2477
Australia
Phone: +61 (0)2 6626 1200
E-mail: wollongbar.office@dpi.nsw.gov.au