Scientists Warn Indonesia's Rice Megaproject Faces Failure (science.org) 10
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's ambitious plan to create 1 million hectares of new rice farms in eastern Merauke Regency faces strong criticism from scientists who have warned it will fail due to unsuitable soils and climate. Military "food brigades" are currently guarding bulldozers clearing swampy forests in Indonesian New Guinea for the project, which aims to boost food self-sufficiency for the nation's 281 million people.
Soil scientists warn that Merauke's conditions could lead to acidic soils unable to support economically viable rice farming, potentially resulting in abandoned fields vulnerable to wildfires. "Farmers will get no profit at all," said Dwi Andreas, a soil scientist at Bogor Agricultural University who tested 12 rice varieties in similar soils with poor results.
The initiative mirrors past failed megaprojects, including a 1990s attempt to convert 1 million hectares of Borneo peatlands to rice paddies and a 2020 onion and potato farming expansion in North Sumatra that saw 90% of fields abandoned. A previous 2010 attempt to expand rice farming in Merauke also failed, destroying forests that Indigenous Papuans relied on and increasing childhood malnutrition, according to anthropologist Laksmi Adriani.
Soil scientists warn that Merauke's conditions could lead to acidic soils unable to support economically viable rice farming, potentially resulting in abandoned fields vulnerable to wildfires. "Farmers will get no profit at all," said Dwi Andreas, a soil scientist at Bogor Agricultural University who tested 12 rice varieties in similar soils with poor results.
The initiative mirrors past failed megaprojects, including a 1990s attempt to convert 1 million hectares of Borneo peatlands to rice paddies and a 2020 onion and potato farming expansion in North Sumatra that saw 90% of fields abandoned. A previous 2010 attempt to expand rice farming in Merauke also failed, destroying forests that Indigenous Papuans relied on and increasing childhood malnutrition, according to anthropologist Laksmi Adriani.
Outdoor farming is stupid (Score:4, Insightful)
Indoor farming is the way to do this. Use solar powered LED grow lights. No pesticides. Any insects who dare wander into any grow layer via the ventilation system or entrance passageway get zapped with a laser. The crop yield will be insanely high per acre once the tech matures.
Re: (Score:2)
Maga farming! (Score:1)
It sounds good to idiots. Let's force it on everybody, damn the consequences!
Encourage population to eat jellyfish (Score:1)
Due to over-fishing, jellyfish are filling the niche left open from vertebrate fishing, so they are plentiful and many species edible.
Will they use Brawndo? (Score:3)
Don't plants crave it?
Want self-sufficiency? (Score:2, Troll)
Then work to reduce your population. 281 million for a country the size and natural conditions of Indonesia is insane and is an ecological disaster by itself.
Same for Bangladesh, Nigeria and many, many other countries.
Re: (Score:2)
Then work to reduce your population. 281 million for a country the size and natural conditions of Indonesia is insane and is an ecological disaster by itself.
In terms of population density, Indonesia ranks 84th in the world. In fact its population density is just over half that of the UK (150 people / km^2 as opposed to 286 people / km^2), and considerably less than, for example, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Israel, Singapore...
In fact, given the nature of the country, it's probably more capable of feeding itself, a la bounty of the sea, than many others. And, I strongly suspect, very few people posting here are in any position to criticise Indonesia or Indone
Another result of "Transmigrasi" (Score:2)
This is part of Indonesia's population relocation program "Transmigrasi". It is funded by the UN. The only thing it has been successful at is ethnic strife resulting in bloodbaths.
Oh the Joy! (Score:2)
The joys anti-science presidents and they sycophants keep giving are unending!