Mbah Suhan's Strategy to Combat Rats Attacking 'Scrap Rice Paddies' in Gunungkidul

The ‘scrap’ rice paddies made from used gallons, tins, and buckets in the yard of Mbah Suhantara (82), a resident of Susukan II, Genjahan, Ponjong, Gunungkidul, are not free from pest attacks, especially rats. Here is Mbah Suhan’s strategy to protect his rice plants.

‘The challenge is not in collecting the gallons, because I also use used tins and buckets. For me, it is more about pest control,’ said the man familiarly called Suhan when met at his home on Tuesday (7/7/2026).

‘In my place, there are rat pests. These (several rice plants in gallons) were eaten by rats and eventually damaged. Just last night I tried to set up rat traps around the yard,’ he added.

Besides rat pest attacks, Suhan also revealed another challenge in managing the tiny rice paddies in his yard: irrigation.

‘Planting rice in gallons does not require watering every day, but the water volume must be large, because once it dries out, it must be watered again. But luckily, in my place, water is abundant,’ he said.

‘So planting rice using gallons in arid areas is very possible, as long as the water supply is secure. Now, if the water supply is not secure, one can harvest rainwater to avoid additional costs,’ he continued.

Suhantara explained that the initial idea to use used gallons as a medium for planting rice began when he harvested rice in the fields in 2025.

‘Then I brought the dry unhusked rice home and it turned out some was spilled on the ground. The spilled grain grew into rice seedlings,’ he said.

At that time, his rice plants were of the Inpari-24 variety. Subsequently, because he had these rice seedlings, Suhantara took several used tins and filled them with soil, fertiliser, and the rice seedlings.

‘I watered the tins containing the seedlings regularly, and they grew well. Because they grew well, I had another idea to enlarge the medium, since tins are small,’ he said.