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.
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 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
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
Information Sheet 2
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.
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
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.
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