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Restoring agriculture and soils in Aceh after the 2004 tsunami

In December 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami caused extensive damage to 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 District Agricultural Extension Services in Aceh.

Industry & Investment NSW has worked 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 has involved the establishment of permanent sites in cooperation with farmers in 9 villages, both tsunami-affected and non-tsunami-affected, and research and extension collaboration with University Syiah Kuala, Acehnese NGOs and district agricultural programs. 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 supporting women farmers groups, developing a network for women in agriculture, research and demonstration 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 impact of the application of biochar commenced in Tamworth, NSW and in Aceh in 2009.

 

Aceh sites map

Map showing location of sites for ACIAR coastal farming systems project in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam

 

Current newsletter

Coastal Farming in Aceh - Newsletter, October 2010  1.19MB

Newsletter archive - Pertanian Pasca Tsunami

A quarterly newsletter focusing on agricultural recovery following the tsunami is available here:

  • Coastal Farming in Aceh February 2010 (PDF, 1.6 MB)
  • pptfeb08 (PDF, 1.6 MB)
  • pptsep07 (PDF, 2.4 MB)
  • pptmay07 (PDF, 2.3 MB)
  • pptjan07 (PDF, 794.1 KB)
  • REPORT FORUM II BIREUEN MARET 2011 (PDF, 1.2 MB)

Stories from Aceh

  • Farmer to farmer visits in Aceh
  • Cot Seulamat farmers overcome the challenge of tsunami sediments
  • EM38 facilitates salinity survey of coastal farmland in Java
  • Farming again after years of conflict and neglect
  • Aceh crops finally flourish following the 2004 tsunami’s impact on the landscape
  • Student projects prepare a new generation of researchers
  • Immediate benefits for women farmers in Aceh 

Other stories and publications

ACIAR Partners magazine

  • March-June 2009: Progress in restoring coastal agriculture
    http://aciar.gov.au/system/files/node/10942/PMg+Mar-Jun09+Part5.pdf
  • March-June 2008: Ibu Supriyani - Organic farming pioneer in Aceh
    http://aciar.gov.au/system/files/node/8925/Ibu_Supriyani.pdf 

Soil biology booklet for Aceh available

The former NSW DPI (now part of Industry & Investment NSW) 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 farmer's guide to life in the soil' is available in Bahasa Indonesian and English, and can be downloaded as a PDF file here - see the links below.

Hard copies produced on water-resistant paper have been distributed to extension staff across the 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 DPI's 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

Agriculture in Aceh after the tsunami - project brochure | Peranian di Aceh pasca tsunami - proyek brosur  561kb

BPTP NAD and Industry & Investment NSW are working together to produce a quarterly newsletter focusing on agricultural recovery following the tsunami in Indonesia and other affected countries. The newsletter, Pertanian Pasca Tsunami, is in both Indonesian and English.

Information sheets

Two information sheets are also available in both Indonesian and English.

Information Sheet 1 

Rapid assessment of soil salinity in tsunami-affected areas. Experiences from Nanggore Aceh Darussalam province, Indonesia.  349kb

Pengkajian salinitas tanah secara cepat di daerah yang terkena dampak tsunami. Pengalaman di provinsi Nanggore Aceh Darussalam.  349kb

Information Sheet 2

Reducing impacts of salinity on crops growing in tsunami-affected areas in Nangorre Aceh Darussalam Province, Indonesia.  350kb

Mengatasi pengaruh salinitas terhadap pertumbuhan tanaman di lahan yang terkena dampak tsunami di provinsi Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, Indonesia.  350kb

Aceh Women in Agriculture

Development of a Women in Agriculture Network in Aceh /
Membangun aringan wanita tani dalam pembangunan pertanian di Aceh

In July 2011 representatives of NGOs, local agencies, extension staff and women farmers met in Bireuen to consider the formation of a Women in Agriculture network in Aceh. This report summarises the activities and discussion of the 65 participants at this two day workshop.

  • Report Workshop Membangun Jaringan - Juli 2011 1.3MB
  • Women in Aceh - workshop final report - July 2011 484kb

Kelompok Wanita Tani (KWT) /
Women's Farming Groups Program Needs Analysis

The ACIAR project supports Women's Farming Groups or Kelompok Wanita Tani (KWT).

Having worked in Aceh since July 2010, AYAD volunteer Anna Strempel has prepared an analysis of the future needs of the KWT program (available above in English and Bahasa Indonesia).

Aceh Women in Agriculture Forum March 2011 /
Forum Wanita Tani Dalam Pertanian di Aceh

Please read this report prepared by forum coordinator Nazariah (in Indonesian).
Sebuah laporan tentang forum Tani Wanita di Bireuen, Maret 2011, disiapkan oleh Nazariah.

  • Report Forum II, Bireuen, Maret 2011 1.16MB

KWT - Posters of the Women's Farming Groups in Aceh

A collection of posters from the recent Women in Agriculture Forum are now available in English and Indonesian:

  • Poster collection from KWT forum Bireuen March 2011  4.68MB - English and
  • Koleksi poster dari forum KWT Bireuen Maret 2011  4.45MB - Bahasa Indonesian.

The posters show some of the groups involved in the KWT program and include social, economic, health, capacity building and food security impacts.

To obtain a high resolution copy of these posters please email Gavin Tinning.

Video

  • Women lead the way in Aceh's agricultural recovery (www.youtube.com)

International Workshop on Post Tsunami Soil Management

July 2008 at Cisarua, Java 

The Indonesian Soil Research Institute (ISRI) and the former NSW 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.

Pengelolaan tanah untuk membangun kembali pertanian pada daerah terkena dampak tsunami di propinsi Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam

Soil management for rebuilding agriculture in tsunami-affected areas in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province

Contact

Dr Peter Slavich
Centre Director
Wollongbar Agricultural Institute
Industry & Investment NSW
1243 Bruxner Highway
Wollongbar NSW 2477
Australia
 
Phone: +61 (0)2 6626 1200
E-mail: wollongbar.office@dpi.nsw.gov.au

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