In the first part of this series, we introduced the characteristic of suboptimal land and its distribution in Indonesia. This type of land needs a technology application to improve the soil’s physical, chemical, and/or biological characteristics. Water management and irrigation systems play an essential part in ensuring the sustainability of agricultural practice. Many other technologies have been invented to make the idea viable, such as ameliorants, fertilizer, and cultivar that is adaptive to suboptimal conditions. However, based on economic perspective, the implementation of the technology is often costly. Ultimately, can suboptimal land become the alternative farmland to produce food with minimum environmental damage?
