FAO to focus on providing relief aid in coastal areas

FAO to focus on providing relief aid in coastal areas

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
announced on Tuesday that it would focus on resuscitating the
livelihoods and socioeconomic activities of fishermen affected by
the recent devastating tsunami in Aceh.

Within two weeks, the agency will distribute tools to repair
boats, fishing gear and traps, as well as provide assistance for
redesigning vessels to be more adaptive to the situation, FAO
director general Jacques Diouf said.

"We believe (coastal rehabilitation) should be a priority in
the area. We're focusing on human beings, so that they can go
back to their world, get out of this tragedy and have
employment," he told a media conference in Jakarta.

Diouf said it was essential to provide financial assistance to
poor families and small-scale fishermen who rely on daily catches
of fish for consumption and sale, to ensure household security of
coastal families.

The Dec. 26 earthquake and subsequent tsunami, which killed
nearly 115,00 people in Aceh and North Sumatra, badly affected
some 30,000 hectares of coastal areas. Farm animals were killed
and crops washed away or ruined by saltwater floods.

Diouf said at least 17 percent of fishing infrastructure was
affected, such as ice facilities, fish landing ports, fishing
gear and storage.

The coast's agriculture was also severely damaged or destroyed
by seawater intrusion on crop land, such as paddy fields.

Many water reservoirs and wells could no longer be used
because of contamination, while irrigation canals and drainage
facilities were ruined too.

Seawater needs to be drained from agricultural land and the
land tested for suitability to agriculture. Irrigation facilities
should also be repaired and the quality of other agricultural
water sources need to be analyzed.

"The saltwater directly impacted paddy fields. Crops cannot
grow because of the increasing level of salinity. We have to deal
with saltwater as soon as possible by pumping it out," said
Diouf.

Fortunately, he added, the soil in Aceh is damp. "As long as
the soil is wet, it's fine and it will fasten the rehabilitation.
When soil is dry, there is a chemical reaction that is difficult
to revert. So, it's good that we have the rainy season now."

Once the rainy season ends, however, problems will rise.

Diouf said financial and other assistance should soon be
provided to small-scale farmers in order to start production and
the possible diversification of agricultural activities.

The FAO will distribute fertilizer, seed, small livestock,
animal feed and vaccines to restore the livelihoods of farmers in
the affected coastal agricultural areas, he added.

Diouf said the United Nations had appealed for some US$26.5
million from member states, for a six-month program to help
finance agricultural and fishery emergency projects in the
tsunami-affected countries.

An appeal has been made for several billion dollars for the
long term or five-year program to rebuild the farming and fishing
sectors, he said.

"The difficulties are the fact that everything is destroyed
and disorganized. Many experts and human resources have gone,"
Diouf said.

However, he said, Indonesia was doing a tremendous job in
terms of coordination and mechanism in relief efforts. "The
international solidarity has been amazing, not just for funding
and material, but also in terms of people who are going there to
help and work."