Farmers hope their soils as fertile as before tsunami

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.