Expert says farmers must adapt to climate change

Farmers must have strategies and adaptations such as accelerating planting, implementing climate-smart farming, using dry planting fertility and so on.

Jakarta (ANTARA) - IPB University climatology expert Prof Rizaldi Boer said farmers must adapt to the climate change currently occurring, whether through technology or observation.

“Farmers must have strategies and adaptations such as accelerating planting, implementing climate-smart farming, using dry planting fertility and so on,” said Prof Rizaldi Boer when contacted in Jakarta on Thursday.

According to him, existing data shows that the current El Niño will also have an impact on the 2026-2027 planting season, which is predicted to be delayed because the start of the rainy season has shifted.

In addition to the first planting period, Prof Boer said the second planting season will most likely shift compared to previous years.

For this reason, he urged and appealed to farmers to adapt to current climate conditions through accelerated planting, selection of rice seeds, and climate observation.

“I have already said that there will be a delay in the start of the rainy season and this will have an impact on the first and second planting seasons later,” he said.

He recommended that the government must anticipate climate shifts so that the food security currently in good shape can be maintained going forward.

The government, he added, also needs to play a role and support facilities and infrastructure for farmers, one of which is by facilitating climate index-based insurance.

“This is an approach that can protect farmers financially and against shared drought risk. It can also encourage the adoption of technology that is more adaptive to the climate,” he added.