April and May are the traditional harvest season for rice in Indonesia. As the rainy season starts to abate, farmers take to their field daily, scaring away scavenging birds and protecting the final few weeks of grain ripening.
But in recent years, things have not gone according to plan. Late-starting wet seasons have delayed sowing. Farmers have sometimes tried five times to get their crop in the ground, costing them labour, seeds and fertiliser. Rainy days and non-rainy days are alternating without a clear pattern. This year, the rain kept going. Very frequent and sometimes very intense, it rained until the end of June. Some paddy fields were flooded, and in several cases crops failed.
In Indonesia, climate change is only just emerging as a serious concern. In some cases, it's seen simply as an environmental issue - the responsibility only of environmental agencies, but greater attention should be given by other related agencies and departments. They could incorporate climate change issues on their programs at any governmental level. Agricultural and rural development programmes could develop appropriate strategies for adapting to and mitigating the worst impacts of climate change.
