Indonesia Rice Irrigation System: Time for Innovation

Abstract

Indonesia is likely to face a water crisis due to mismanagement of water resources, inefficient water systems, and weak institutions and regulatory organizations. In 2020, most of the fresh water in Indonesia was used for irrigation (74%) to support the agricultural sector, which occupies 30% of the total land area in Indonesia. Of all agricultural commodities, rice is one of the major and essential commodities, as it is the basic staple food for almost every Indonesian. However, in 2018, the Ministry of Public Works and Housing (MoPWH) reported that 46% of Indonesian irrigation infrastructure is moderately to heavily damaged. Looking at how irrigation can be very crucial to the welfare of Indonesian population, this study conducted an extensive literature review of the historical, current, and future management of irrigated rice production systems in Indonesia. This study has clearly shown that the irrigation systems in Indonesia have existed for thousands of years and, thus, there is a close relationship between irrigation and the socio-cultural life of the Indonesian population. Aside from how climate change influences water availability for irrigation, rice production with a constant water ponding system has been found to contribute to climate change, as it emits methane (CH4) and other greenhouse gases from agricultural fields of Indonesia. Therefore, the required modernization of irrigation systems in Indonesia needs to consider several factors, such as food demands for the increasing population and the impact of irrigated agriculture on global warming. Multi-stakeholders, such as the government, farmers, water user associations (WUA), and local research institutions, need to work together on the modernization of irrigation systems in Indonesia to meet the increasing food demands of the growing population and to minimize the impacts of agriculture on climate change.

Exploring the Relation between Farmer Group Membership and Agricultural Productivity: Evidence from Indonesian Rice Farming

“…However, as the Ministry of Public Works and Housing reported in 2018, around 46% of public irrigation infrastructure was heavily damaged. Given the probability of future freshwater scarcity, farmer groups' role is more critical in developing public water management, especially regarding irrigation infrastructure (Tirtalistyani, Murtiningrum, & Kanwar, 2022). Subsequently, there was not enough empirical evidence in this study on whether farmers practicing monoculture farming were more likely to join farmer groups since the variable of monoculture was not statistically significant at a 5% level of significance.…”

Carbon sink and greenhouse gas emission of dryland vegetation cover in tourism villages in Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

“…Despite the importance and direct benefits of paddy field features in the context of village tourism, the existence of this agricultural practice may pose a challenge within the context of GHG emissions. The establishment of agricultural practices, especially in particular dry lands, will require extensive irrigation practices, leading to high demands for water consumption and availability (Yu et al 2018;Tirtalistyani et al 2022). Then the increases in water demand and consumption, mainly to irrigate dryland paddy fields, will have consequences for increased GHG emissions.…”

Komunitas Serangga Arboreal pada Lahan Sawah Tadah Hujan di Kutai Kartanegara, Kalimantan Timur

“…Sawah tadah hujan dikarakterisasi dengan sistem pengairannya yang hanya bersumber dari curah hujan sehingga penanaman padi umumnya dilakukan setahun sekali, yaitu pada musim penghujan, sehingga produksinya lebih rendah dibandingkan sawah irigasi (Jaramillo et al, 2020;Tirtalistyani et al, 2022). Walaupun demikian, sawah tadah hujan merupakan sumber penghasil beras kedua di Indonesia setelah sawah irigasi, dengan luas total sekitar 3,3 juta ha, sehingga produktivitas lahannya sangat mempengaruhi ketahanan pangan nasional (Mulyani et al, 2022).…”