{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1737449,
        "msgid": "struggles-of-salt-farmers-in-cirebon-facing-climate-change-1778684024",
        "date": "2026-05-13 18:46:34",
        "title": "Struggles of Salt Farmers in Cirebon Facing Climate Change",
        "author": "",
        "source": "ANTARA_ID",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Agriculture",
        "summary": "Salt farmers in Cirebon, West Java, are grappling with unpredictable weather patterns and rising sea levels due to climate change, which have led to reduced harvests and the need to restart production after heavy rains or tidal floods. To cope, farmers like Ipin and Raihan are diversifying into vegetable and crop cultivation during rainy seasons, while facing escalating operational costs that threaten their livelihoods. Despite forecasts of a longer dry season in 2026, these resilient communities remain committed to their traditional salt-making practices, underscoring the broader impacts of environmental shifts on Indonesia's agricultural sectors.",
        "content": "<p>In the flat, sun-baked expanses of Cirebon, a port city in West Java\nprovince, life is measured not by the ticking of clocks, but by the\nrhythms of the sun, wind, and sea. For generations, families like those\nof Ipin and Raihan have harvested salt from shallow ponds along the\nnorthern coast. Their livelihoods depend on a simple yet laborious\nprocess: using the intense sunlight to evaporate seawater into mounds of\ncrystals. The schedule is largely dictated by nature, leaving little\nroom for human intervention. However, in recent years, this\nonce-reliable rhythm has become increasingly unpredictable. Declining\nyields are testing the resilience of local farmers, whose incomes rely\non the cooperation of weather and fluctuating tides. \u201cLast year\u2019s\nharvest wasn\u2019t very large,\u201d said Ipin (38), a farmer in Rawaurip\nVillage. At that time, there was a wet dry season, with rain falling\nwhen we needed the sun. Time is a crucial factor. Salt production\nrequires long, dry days without interruption. A single heavy downpour\ncan wash away weeks of work, local farmers told Xinhua. In addition to\nrain, rising tides now pose an even greater threat to the ponds in these\nlow-lying areas. Tidal flooding is even worse than rain, said Raihan\n(39), who returned from Jakarta in 2015 to farm full-time. \u201cWhen the\ntidal flood comes, we have to start everything from scratch again,\u201d he\nsaid. As a result, local farmers have been forced to diversify their\nbusinesses. During the rainy season when salt production is impossible,\nRaihan plants vegetables, chillies, and maize to supplement his income.\n\u201cWe have to be versatile. Nature dictates our schedule, so we must\nadapt,\u201d he said. Climate pressures are also exacerbated by surges in\noperational costs. The price of plastic sheets, essential disposable\nmaterials for the final evaporation stage, has jumped from Rp2.2 million\nto Rp3 million per batch. With increasingly thin margins, even the\nslightest fluctuation in weather or market prices can push these family\nbusinesses to the brink of bankruptcy. Although the 2026 dry season is\nexpected to last longer than usual according to government forecasts,\nlocal salt farmers face these changes with unwavering determination.\n\u201cEvery year has its challenges,\u201d said Ipin, gazing at his evaporation\nplots beginning to shimmer in the dawn light. \u201cBut salt is our life, and\nwe will continue to harvest it, no matter what happens, whether rain\nfalls or tides rise,\u201d he said.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/struggles-of-salt-farmers-in-cirebon-facing-climate-change-1778684024",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}