Regeneration and regrowth in Aceh: 20 years on from the Indian Ocean Tsunami

Among the devastating impacts of the ocean tsunami that crashed over Indonesia’s coastal regions in 2004, causing the loss of 200,000 lives, was the loss of arable soil, a fundamental resource for the future of the region.

Soil was washed away, left permanently flooded or salt-affected, threatening the ability of many local communities dependent on agriculture to recover their livelihoods.  

The Aceh province in northern Sumatra was one of the regions most affected by the tsunami on 26 December 2004, which was triggered by a powerful underwater earthquake in the Indian Ocean.   

ACIAR was among the many organisations to support Indonesia’s recovery after the tsunami. It committed to a long-term involvement, co-funding multiple projects with the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI), now Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), to help restore agricultural productivity in Aceh Province. 

Over 20 years, ACIAR has invested more than A$3.3 million in research that has helped to rejuvenate damaged soils, adapt farming systems, improve farm productivity and rebuild livelihoods. 

It has also helped to build the long-term capacity of Indonesian agricultural researchers, extension workers and farmers to continue improving the productivity and sustainability of their farming systems. 

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Tsunami impacts on farmland  

The tsunami drastically changed land levels along Indonesia’s coastal provinces. With a wave of up to 30 metres hitting the coastline, large swathes of farmland were flooded with seawater. Some areas were left permanently flooded or disfigured with debris, sediment and saltwater, making the land infertile.   

Dr Prama Yufdy, a Senior Researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia, worked with ACIAR-supported projects and said activities were concentrated in Aceh because of the more extensive damage there. 

‘The best practice to manage high soil salinity is to drain the soil,’ said Dr Yufdy. ‘But this was impossible to do because of very large affected areas.’

The intrusion of salinity into these agricultural areas became a critical problem for smallholder farmers dependent on fertile soil for their crops. As farming is the main source of income for a large proportion of the Indonesian population, ameliorating this issue was central to the ongoing disaster response.

Partners with ACIAR included the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture, the Institute for Assessment of Agricultural Technology (Balai Pengkajian Teknologi Pertanian), and the Indonesian Research Institute for Soil Science.

To ensure research aligned with local needs, project activities were based on a ‘situational assessment’ of the specific locations. Dr Yufdy said these were developed through discussion and training involving researchers, farmers and extension workers.  

Working with women 

Working with ACIAR, Dr Malem McLeod, a soil scientist with the NSW DPRID, highlighted the kelompok wanita tani (KWT) women’s farming groups as a particularly successful initiative that grew organically from local efforts. 

‘In the immediate aftermath of the tsunami, we met a group of women, of all ages, who were coming together, gardening using a vacant village land. It was a kind of a healing forum to recover from the loss of people and livelihoods and share the challenges of recovery while growing food for family consumption,’ said Dr McLeod. ‘It was also a place for socialisation and information exchange.’  

The ACIAR-supported project tapped into this by facilitating the creation of around 30 women’s farming groups across the 4 regions of Aceh. Training was provided for local leaders and extension officers to help the women learn improved techniques for growing vegetables and engage with local business and government, leveraging the support from ACIAR.  

In Aceh farming families, the man in the family is the main income earner through growing food crops such as rice and legumes. ‘Although the women contribute significantly to the work on growing the crops, the results are managed by the husband and most women are financially dependent on men,’ explained Dr McLeod. 

By growing vegetables in groups, women were able to improve their household food security and generate their own income, which increased their confidence and independence.  

Dr Malem McLeod, soil scientist
NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

‘Some of the women’s group members became business-minded, even pre-selling their produce to wholesalers. The women also reported that working in the garden with the groups enhanced their physical health and wellbeing.’ 

Technical training was provided for 245 women and agricultural extension officers, with about 750 women in farmer groups collectively benefitting by A$297,000 a year.  

‘The women’s groups facilitated a shift from financial dependence to self-reliant entrepreneurship,’ said Dr McLeod.  

She noted that when new farming practices were introduced to men, they used it to improve their own food crop growing. But when new practices were shared with women, they brought them to the whole family and shared it with other women, effectively changing their whole community. ‘The information exchange and improvements became contagious,’ said Dr McLeod.