Community and Task Force Collaborate to Restore 1,323 Hectares or 88% of Rice Fields in Solok

The rice paddies in Jorong Batu Palano, Nagari Salayo, Kubung District, Solok Regency, were green again on Monday morning, 25 May 2026. In some plots, rice had turned yellow and was being harvested by locals.

Six months earlier, the area was covered in sand, mud, and tree trunks following flash floods that struck three provinces in Sumatra in late November 2025. Irrigation systems were damaged, water flow was irregular, and some farmers feared prolonged loss of the planting season.

However, Solok acted swiftly. Within months, the rice fields were being cultivated again. Farmers resumed planting, with some even enjoying their first harvest since late April.

Data from the Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction Acceleration Task Force (Satgas PRR) for Sumatra noted Solok Regency as the fastest in rice field rehabilitation progress in West Sumatra. By mid-May 2026, approximately 1,323 hectares had been restored, equivalent to 88% of the target for affected fields.

The acceleration was driven by coordination between Satgas PRR and local government, agricultural extension workers, farmer groups, and community initiative to quickly restore their land.

This spirit aligns with Satgas PRR head Tito Karnavian’s emphasis on the urgency of restoring rice fields for local economic recovery. “This is urgent; therefore, funding is provided by ministries and agencies,” Tito said. “These lands must regain productivity so communities can resume farming and the local economy can restart.”

For Salayo’s residents, rehabilitating rice fields is more than just repairing agricultural land. They raced against time to prevent the planting season from being lost too long. When rice fields stop producing, family economies inevitably stall. Thus, residents chose to restore their land as quickly as possible.

The rehabilitated rice fields in Jorong Batu Palano, Nagari Salayo, Kubung District, Solok Regency, West Sumatra, were harvested on Monday, 25 May 2026. The land, previously buried under sand due to a mudslide in late 2025, has resumed productivity thanks to community and local government cooperation.

Melati, 45, a farmer from the Sejuk dan Damai Farmer Group, acknowledged this. “We didn’t want the fields buried for too long. After the disaster, repairs began immediately, even while seeking our own funds,” she said.

She pointed to an area previously covered in thick sand. Now part of the rice was harvested. “Since groundbreaking in January, it was harvested four months later,” she added.

Melati is part of the Sejuk dan Damai Farmer Group, which has 27 members. They rehabilitated 35 hectares of rice fields. Melati’s land was classified as lightly damaged.

Satgas PRR deployed excavators at various points to clear mud and sand deposits. Residents then cooperated to level the soil, repair bunds, and restore normal water flow. “We couldn’t rely solely on excavators. Residents also worked,” Melati said.

The collected sand was sold to fund independent rehabilitation efforts. “While the fields were unusable, we dug out sand from the land. Some could be sold,” she explained.

Community involvement was key to Solok’s rapid rehabilitation. After heavy machinery removed large deposits, farmers continued manual work almost daily for weeks.

In addition to machinery assistance, the central government provided IDR 4.5 million per hectare for lightly damaged fields. Farmers used this for machinery and land preparation costs. There was also an additional IDR 900,000 per hectare for land processing.

According to Melati, government aid arrived relatively quickly. The disaster occurred in late November 2025, with aid starting in mid-January 2026. “The government’s attention was swift. Residents also responded quickly because the local economy depends on farming,” she said.

The swift response allowed some land to be replanted within a month. Farmers began planting again in early February 2026, with the first harvest two months later.

For Salayo’s residents, the first harvest signalled the revival of their rice fields. Solok’s farmers’ rapid recovery efforts now serve as an example of how community and government collaboration can accelerate agricultural restoration in disaster-affected areas.

According to Satgas PRR data, total affected rice fields in Solok Regency reached 2,205 hectares. Of these, 1,247 hectares were lightly damaged and over 700 hectares severely damaged. By mid-May 2026, approximately 1,323 hectares had resumed cultivation.