In Indragiri Hilir, Riau, known as &quot;The Land of a Thousand Parit,&quot; the traditional canal system, or parit, is the lifeline of the community. More than just agricultural infrastructure, the parit embodies communal knowledge, intercultural cooperation, and an adaptive response to the tidal peatland environment. This system not only sustains agriculture but also serves as the primary access connecting villages and supporting livelihoods.However, this socio-ecological system, which has endured for generations, is now facing serious threats. This research brief delves into the multidimensional challenges confronting the parit, from environmental degradation, such as soil subsidence, flooding, and water contamination to the economic and social pressures weakening its communal governance.By tracing the history of the parit, its function as a community-based water management system, and its current condition, this research proposes a way forward. Recommended solutions include strengthening governance through deliberation (musyawarah), restoring ecological buffer zones like mangrove and nipah forests, and diversifying local economies to reduce farmer vulnerability. Understanding the parit not merely as infrastructure but as an integrated socio-ecological system is key to its revitalization and ensuring its sustainability amidst mounting challenges.

PARIT: THE FOUNDATIONS OF AGRICULTURAL LIFE IN INDRAGIRI HILIR

Proudly present to you our Annual Report 2024, capturing our journey in driving sustainable agricultural innovation. Under the theme “Contributions to Global Food Sustainability,” we remained committed throughout the year to maximizing the untapped potential of suboptimal lands, redefining them as “land for future food” as part of our mission to ensure food security for humanity.As we step into 2025, we are dedicated to scaling our impact by expanding research, fostering innovation, and strengthening partnerships to ensure that food security is not just a vision, but a reality for all.To our partners, stakeholders, and communities, thank you for being part of this journey. We hope this report not only provides valuable insights but also inspires collective action toward a more resilient and sustainable food future.

Annual Report 2024: Contributions to Global Food Sustainability

Masa depan pangan dunia menghadapi tantangan yang semakin kompleks, mulai dari perubahan iklim, berkurangnya lahan subur, hingga meningkatnya kebutuhan pangan akibat pertumbuhan populasi. Di tengah tantangan tersebut, lahan basah hadir sebagai harapan baru. Dengan luas mencapai jutaan hektar di Indonesia, lahan basah menyimpan potensi luar biasa untuk mendukung ketahanan pangan sekaligus menjaga keseimbangan ekosistem.Buku ini hadir untuk mengupas praktik-praktik pertanian berkelanjutan yang dilakukan di lahan basah, termasuk rawa dan gambut, sebagai solusi inovatif dalam mendukung ketahanan pangan nasional. Melalui kisah-kisah inspiratif dari petani lokal, buku ini tidak hanya memberikan panduan praktis, tetapi juga membuka wawasan tentang pentingnya lahan basah bagi masa depan pangan dan keberlanjutan lingkungan.

Buku Kisah Sukses Bertani di Lahan Basah

The study explores the role of social capital in promoting social sustainability within small-scale coconut plantations in Indragiri Hilir, Indonesia. Employing a qualitative approach, this preliminary research engaged 65 farmers and 15 middlemen through extensive in-depth interviews and group discussions. Spanning diverse rural landscapes across the coastal areas of Indragiri Hilir—including Pulau Burung, Kateman, Tanah Merah, Teluk Belengkong, Pelangiran, Tembilahan, Enok, Sungai Batang, and Reteh Districts, covering 15 villages—the study addresses specific challenges and opportunities for sustainable practices unique to each locality. Through a nuanced examination of bonding, bridging, and linking forms of social capital, the findings underscore the pivotal role of social capital in fostering social sustainability.This encompasses aspects such as agricultural finance, supply chain dynamics, agricultural regeneration, and sustainable land management, facilitated by knowledge exchange, resource sharing, and collective action. The research highlights that the relationships among farmers, characterized as “bonding social capital,” constitute the fundamental basis for coconut ecosystem sustainability. However, addressing more complex challenges and meeting advanced needs requires expanding relationships beyond homogeneous groups of farmers. Therefore, fostering connections among actors at different levels and scales, represented by “bridging and linking social capital,” becomes crucial because vertical connections serve as a conduit to enhance bonding capital through interactions with external stakeholders.Download the Full Paper <a href="https://www.bio-conferences.org/articles/bioconf/abs/2025/09/bioconf_icsard2024_02001/bioconf_icsard2024_02001.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>

Defining social sustainability through social capital in the small-scale coconut plantation ecosystem in Indragiri Hilir, Indonesia: A preliminary study

Di tengah pertumbuhan populasi dan perubahan iklim, dunia menghadapi tantangan besar untuk memenuhi kebutuhan pangan secara berkelanjutan. Pertanian intensif telah menguras kesuburan tanah, sementara cuaca ekstrem seringkali menghancurkan lahan yang tersedia.Kini, keberlanjutan pangan atau food sustainability menjadi kunci: bagaimana kita menyediakan pangan cukup tanpa mengorbankan masa depan? Dengan pendekatan inovatif seperti pemanfaatan lahan suboptimal dan pengurangan limbah pangan, kita bisa menjaga keseimbangan ekosistem sekaligus memenuhi kebutuhan pangan di masa depan. Ketahanan pangan bukan hanya soal ketersediaan, tetapi juga tentang mewariskan bumi yang sehat bagi generasi mendatang.Unduh majalah versi mobile <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XyQm86MqM6DXefoYI1W5WDEtaJV806LV/view" target="_blank" rel="noopener">di sini</a> untuk kemudahan membaca di ponselmu.

LAND &#038; LIFE | Edisi #1: Masih adakah lahan di masa depan?

Discover how coconut-based agroforestry and paludiculture systems are revolutionizing peatland management.
Our latest brief unveils this innovative approach&#8217;s potential to restore degraded peatlands and boost local economies. Learn how intercropping with crops like areca nut, cassava, and coffee can enhance soil health, increase biodiversity, and provide sustainable food sources. This powerful combination offers a promising pathway to address peatland regions&#8217; food insecurity and ecological challenges. Dive into the details and explore the possibilities of this transformative land-use practice.

Coconut-based Agroforestry-Paludiculture to Improve Peatlands Sustainability and Food Security

Conventionally, agriculture in peatland requires soil drainage to enable the crops to grow. This often results in being over-drained and makes it vulnerable to fires. The risk can be contained by applying water management trinity (WMT), which creates canals for water regulation and reservoirs instead of drainage. This study aimed to examine, elaborate, and validate the WMT effect and community involvement in minimizing fire risk in peatland.
We collected water table depth every two weeks from 1 April 2017 to 31 December 2020 in a coconut plantation under WMT and employed Focus Groups Discussions (FGD) in five villages in Pulau Burung District, Indragiri Hilir Regency, Riau. Our finding reveals that the main strength in lowering fire risk is people&#8217;s awareness in every village on the negative impact of land burning, along with the existence of WMT.
This article is published in IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science Volume 914 (2021)
Download the full article <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/914/1/012037" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>

Alleviating peatland fire risk using water management trinity and community involvement

Catastrophic forest and land fires have turned a global spotlight on tropical peatlands in Indonesia. The consequent reformulation of Indonesian land-use policy has been complicated by the existence of two apparently opposing objectives, namely conservation and development. In many regions of the country, peatland agriculture is one of the pillars of development, but its sustainability is questioned.
This article focuses on a coconut plantation managed by local stakeholders on peatland in Pulau Burung District (Riau Province) where excellent productivity has been achieved, promoting Indonesia as the world&#8217;s largest supplier of coconut. Quantitative and qualitative approaches are employed to examine the sustainability of this agricultural system over a period of 32 years; in terms of water management, land management and socioeconomic development.
This article is published in Mires and Peat Volume 27 (2021)
Download the full article <a href="http://mires-and-peat.net/pages/volumes/map27/map2730.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>

The potential role of coconut in improving the sustainability of agriculture on tropical peatland: A case study of 32 years’ practice in Pulau Burung District

In Demak Regency, abrasion and robs flood have adversely affected the farmers&#8217; aquaculture ponds since the past decades. The changing coastal environment and lack of knowledge to adapt in aquaculture management led to declining production that hampered the community&#8217;s resilience in the future. To help the farmers to thrive, an initiative called Coastal Field School (CFS) was implemented in 10 villages in Demak.
This paper discusses the CFS impact on the farmers&#8217; knowledge change using the indicators of farmers&#8217; program participation level, pre-test and post-test result to determine the knowledge improvement, aquaculture management technique, and productivity rate.
This article is published in IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci. 750, 2021

Empowering Fish-Farmer through Coastal Field School: Towards Sustainable Aquaculture Practice

Future food production is expected to meet the capacity in providing food for 9.7 billion people in the world by 2050. As the population rises, the demand for rice cropping areas in Indonesia will double to approximately 16.5 million ha by 2040. Deploying arable land intensification alone would hardly fill the gap. In Indonesia, around 140,000 – 187,000 hectares of agricultural areas have been lost due to residential or industrial purposes every year, especially in Java Island. This research attempted to explore the viable farming method to improve rice production in peatland which has the potential to be cultivated as arable land.
This article is published in IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci. 752, 2021

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