In 2024, Indonesia’s agricultural sector began the year with remarkable progress, marked by a historic rice stock surplus. Many have called this a revival of Indonesia’s farming industry, with the vision of becoming a global food barn no longer a distant dream but a tangible reality.
However, this achievement has recently been overshadowed by the unexpected phenomenon of a wet drought.
Typically, this period marks the dry season. Yet, from May to July, rainfall intensity has been unusually high, even causing flooding in some areas.
Dr. Bayu Dwi Apri Nugroho, an expert in agrometeorology, environmental science, and climate change from the Faculty of Agricultural Technology at Universitas Gadjah Mada (FTP UGM), emphasized the need for vigilance in responding to this situation.
The concern extends not only to the potential for hydrometeorological disasters, such as floods and landslides, but also to their implications for food security and stability.
“Referring to data from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the wet drought is predicted to continue for the next three months, lasting until October 2024,” said Dr. Nugroho at FTP UGM on Monday (Jul. 14).
According to Dr. Nugroho, the drought has already significantly affected farmers. Unlike previous years, when farmers could plant horticultural crops such as chilies and shallots in May and June, this year the heavy rainfall in May, June, and July has disrupted planting schedules.
Many farmers miscalculated, expecting the usual dry-season conditions in May and June, when rainfall typically decreases. Instead, persistent rains caused flooding in agricultural lands, resulting in crop failure or even total harvest loss (locally known as puso).
“Despite its negative impacts, the wet drought also has positive implications for agriculture. The increased rainfall benefits dry and rainfed areas by improving water availability, enabling farmers to cultivate crops. This is particularly advantageous in regions such as Papua and other parts of eastern Indonesia,” explained Dr. Nugroho.
Dr. Nugroho underscored the importance of preventive and anticipatory measures to address the wet drought.
One key step, he noted, is the need for detailed national weather forecasts down to the village or farmland level, particularly regarding climate anomalies such as La Niña.
Early predictions of La Niña are crucial for reducing losses and costs associated with hydrometeorological disasters.
“These forecasts support planning and management across various sectors, including water resources, energy, transportation, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, while helping to mitigate potential large-scale losses,” he stated.
Dr. Nugroho also emphasized the importance of ongoing public education on La Niña and other climate anomalies, particularly for farmers, which can be effectively delivered through agricultural extension workers.
He noted that agricultural insurance should now be made available to safeguard farmers against crop losses caused by La Niña or other climate anomalies.
“Equally important is ensuring the readiness of facilities and infrastructure to cope with La Niña, such as providing pumps for in-and-out water management in rice fields, rehabilitating tertiary and quaternary irrigation networks, and using flood-tolerant rice varieties such as Inpara 1–10, Inpari 29, Inpari 30, Ciherang, and others,” he said.
Author: Agung Nugroho
Post-editor: Anisa Nurliana
Photograph: Harian Jogja