El Niño Threatens Aceh Farmers, Customary Rules and Local Wisdom Tightened

The El Niño natural phenomenon is increasingly threatening rice farmers in the Aceh Province region. Thousands of hectares of rice crops during the ‘gadu’ (second planting season) are now experiencing a water crisis. In Pidie Regency, for example, hundreds of hectares of rice plants aged between two weeks and two months have begun to suffer from water shortages. Water sources such as the Tiro, Krueng Baro, and Krueng Reubee rivers have experienced significant depletion. The river water level, which previously reached halfway up the banks, now remains at only about 20 percent. Due to the low water level, it has become difficult to channel river water into tertiary irrigation networks for distribution to the rice fields. Observations indicate that some of the locations experiencing this water source crisis include parts of the rice fields in Pidie District, Indrajaya District, Peukan Baro, Padangtiji, and Delima District. Some of the soil in the growing paddy fields has dried out to the point where cracks are visible, while other parts of the field retain only residual moisture. “Some parts have already dried out and the soil is starting to crack with lightning holes. If it does not rain soon, there are concerns that the growth process and the formation of rice flowers will be disrupted,” said Abdullah, a farmer in Pidie District, on Wednesday (15/7). In the Jurong Village area, Indrajaya District, farmers have started using pump machines to draw water from drainage channels. They fear that if they do not immediately pump the water, the continuously receding water volume will disappear completely. A similar situation is faced by farmers in the Bambi Settlement, Peukan Baro District. Farmers are using water pump machines at several points in the channels where water is still flowing. Meanwhile, in several other locations in Lampoih Saka Village, Peukan Baro District, the regulation of water source distribution from the irrigation network has been tightened. During the daytime, water is channelled to the upstream rice fields, and when night falls until just before dawn, it is allocated only to farmers in the downstream areas. “We in the downstream part of the water channel are only allowed to share the water ration from night until morning. Those upstream utilise the daytime to obtain water,” said Tarmizi, a farmer in Peukan Baro District. Investigations reveal that these customary rules or local wisdom are regulated by the ‘kejruen blang’ (traditional farming figure). This practice has been passed down through generations. Anyone who violates these rules will be subject to a fine or social sanctions. This is done to mutually respect the rights of farmers and to maintain harmony among the community.