Lesson learned from the development of sustainable rice farming in peatland

Future food production is expected to meet the capacity in providing food for 9.7 billion people in the world by 2050. As the population rises, the demand for rice cropping areas in Indonesia will double to approximately 16.5 million ha by 2040. Deploying arable land intensification alone would hardly fill the gap. In Indonesia, around 140,000 – 187,000 hectares of agriculture areas have been lost due to residential or industrial purposes every year, especially in Java Island. This research attempted to explore the viable farming method to improve rice production in peatland which has the potential to be cultivated as arable land. Three main issues hindered the development of rice growth: acidic soil and water, irrigation, and rice variety adaptation. Despite these constraints, the experiments in Pulau Burung District, Indragiri Hilir Regency, Riau using rice varieties Mekongga, IR 64, and Cilamaya Muncul managed to yield an average up to 4-ton/ha of rice grain. This number is close to the Indonesian average productivity of 5-ton/ha. In practice, the experiments leverage on an integrated water resource management and the selected ameliorant. The yield range in peatland is often limited by productivity factors such as pest, fertilizer, water, next to the cost of providing ameliorant. By further developing the practice, sustainable rice farming can contribute in securing staple food production.