Swampland can help boost rice output
Swampland can help boost rice output
By Kardono
JAKARTA (JP): The government's plan to convert 1.3 million
hectares of Central Kalimantan swampland into rice fields (The
Jakarta Post, Nov. 29) reveals the potential of such land.
The plan, if materialized, would yield about 4 tons of rice
per hectare and it is hoped that Indonesia will again become self
sufficient in rice.
Swampland and rice fields have much in common. Both are a type
of wetland, which generally form transition zones between
terrestrial land forms and water bodies. Wetlands are also able
to support plant life and aquatic systems.
Because of their position, wetlands are usually the recipient
or nutrients from runoff water and erosion. High productivity and
low decomposition rates result in one of the most common
characteristics of wetlands -- the accumulation of organic
matter.
A wetland should have three main components: the dominance of
water, the presence of wet soil and the ability to support
suitable vegetation.
Wetlands, which include swamps, marshes and bogs, are found on
every continent except Antarctica and in every climate from the
tropics to the tundra. An estimated 6 percent of the earth's land
surface is wetland. Wetlands are found in arid regions in the
form of salt flats; in humid, cool regions as bogs; and along
temperate, subtropical and tropical coastlines in the form of
salt marshes and mangrove swamps.
Wetlands are among the most important ecosystems on earth. In
the great scheme of things, it was the swampy environment of the
Carboniferous Period that produced and preserved many of the
fossil fuels on which we now depend. Wetlands are also a valuable
source of chemical, biological and genetic materials.
Wetlands -- as the downstream receivers of waste from both
natural and human sources -- are sometimes described as "the
kidneys of the landscape" for the functions they perform in
hydrologic and chemical cycles. They have been found to cleanse
polluted waters, prevent floods, protect shorelines, and recharge
groundwater aquifers. Furthermore, and most important to some,
wetlands play major roles in the landscape by providing unique
habitats for a wide variety of flora and fauna.
Domestic wetlands such as rice paddies feed a large portion of
the world's population. Peat lands have been mined by several
countries as a source of energy. Mangrove wetlands are important
for timber, food and tannin in many countries. Salt marshes were
used for centuries for grazing, hay production and thatching for
roofs.
In the world, significant wetland conversion to other uses did
not occur until early in the industrial era, because agricultural
land was always available in that time, and it was easier to move
on than to develop such marginal land.
In Indonesia, it was not until about the last 20 years that
farmers and government began to turn their attention to the less
agriculturally desirable wetlands that always required extensive
drainage before they could be farmed. Although expensive to
prepare, many wetlands make productive agricultural lands for
several reasons. They are usually somewhat flat and lend
themselves to mechanized farming, especially for rice paddy
plant. Having formed under wet conditions, the soils usually have
higher organic matter content than the surrounding uplands. Also,
since wetlands usually occupy the lowest position in the
landscape, erosional material containing clays are usually
deposited in wetlands, adding to both the fertility and water
holding capacity of the soil.
Most wetland conversions to agriculture have reasonably been
successful. However, we need to be careful not to damage the
original environmental conditions. For example, when converting
coastal acid sulfate soils, such as the swamps in Central
Kalimantan, to agricultural fields, some attention must be given.
These are soils that have accumulated pyrites during their
formation. Oxidation of pyritic material occurred when these
areas were drained and resulted in extreme acidity, which might
make the area unusable.