Farmers hope their soils as fertile as before tsunami

Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

It has only been a few days since Umar Ismail and his wife Rukaiyah returned to work in their rice paddy, with their four- year-old daughter Lidia sometimes tagging along.

Umar owns a plot of land in Lampisang, Peukan Bada, Aceh Besar regency, one of the areas worst-hit by the Dec. 26 tsunami.

"I hope the soil will be fertile again despite being affected by the tsunami," Umar told The Jakarta Post.

Umar cannot afford to pay other workers to cultivate his rice so he tills his land with help of his wife.

When the tsunami swept through Aceh, Umar's family had just days left before they were to begin harvesting their only source of income. When he returned to his fields after the waves his crops were ruined.

Now after 10 months, Umar has began cultivating his paddy again, along with other residents in Lampisang.

"People have been in the fields for the past two weeks," said a farmer, Radhiah, 55.

With the assistance from a non-governmental organization through the cash-for-work program, residents have cleared away the debris and rubbish soiling the area and replanted new batches of rice.

A local NGO, the Mercy Corps, provided assistance with rice seedlings and fertilizer, and gave each family operational costs worth Rp 1.5 million (US$150.00) during the first rice planting attempt in Lampisang after the tsunami. They also plowed residents' rice fields by tractor for free.

The tsunami ravaged as many as 57,000 hectares of rice fields, including Umar's. Only a small number have been restored so far, with most are still contaminated by high levels of salinity and iron from the tsunami.

"The seedlings provided by Mercy are somewhat different to those that we usually grow. Hopefully, they will be suitable with the soil conditions here," Umar said.

The paddys in Lampisang are of the rain-dependent type, yielding once a year. Umar's field usually yields three tons of unhusked rice during each harvest.

"Hopefully, this year's harvest can be successful. But the main thing is that we have to make an effort," he said.