Farming with Peatlands: Reflection from Indragiri Hilir

In the Indragiri Hilir Regency, often referred to as Inhil, farming has long been more than a livelihood. It is a way of life. For generations, communities here have relied on agriculture, even though nearly 90 percent of the land is peat, an ecosystem widely known for being challenging to cultivate. Peat soil is formed from layers of ancient plant material that have accumulated over thousands of years in waterlogged areas and have not fully decomposed. This makes peat soils consistently moist and generally less fertile for conventional farming. Yet rather than turning away from these conditions, communities in Inhil have continued to adapt, learning how to live and farm in close relationship with peat landscapes.

Cultivating peat requires more careful and intensive management than most other soil types. One key aspect is regulating the water level so the soil is not overly saturated. In practice, however, the most common approach has been to drain peatlands completely to make them cultivable. This method can significantly increase the risk of fires and trigger the release of large amounts of stored carbon, posing environmental consequences, especially in the context of today’s climate crisis.

This brings us to a crucial question: how can communities in Inhil sustain their livelihoods while also safeguarding the ecosystems that support them?

Local agricultural activity and peatland conservation are not mutually exclusive. When approached responsibly, they can move forward together. Research conducted by Tay Juhana Foundation, or TJF, highlights two key considerations.

First, peat characteristics matter. Peatlands with a depth of less than three meters tend to present lower environmental risks for cultivation. The composition of the peat is also important. Areas where the peat has partially to fully decomposed and sits atop a clay layer are generally more suitable for farming. While deeper peat can sometimes be cultivated under specific conditions, these areas carry higher ecological risks and are better prioritized for conservation.

Second, water management is essential. Peat behaves much like a giant sponge. It absorbs and retains water easily, remaining wet for long periods, but can also dry out quickly in the absence of rainfall. For farming purposes, peat needs to be slightly drier, but not completely drained. Total drainage not only stresses crops by reducing available moisture, it also increases environmental vulnerability. The more sustainable approach is careful water regulation, ensuring the soil is neither too wet nor too dry.

In Pulau Burung, this principle has been put into practice through a canal network known as Water Management Trinity (WMT). Here, canals are not designed to drain the land entirely, but to regulate groundwater levels through a system of water gates. Water can be stored during dry seasons and safely released to rivers or the sea during periods of heavy rain. TJF's research indicates that peat subsidence in plantation areas under this system can be minimized to below two centimeters per year. By comparison, peat subsidence in other common agricultural areas typically ranges between 2.4 to 7.4 centimeters per year.

In addition, and contrary to common assumptions, certain food crops have been introduced in some areas as part of efforts to rehabilitate degraded peatlands. TJF's findings show that rice is among the initial alternatives. This approach has also been implemented by Badan Restorasi Gambut dan Mangrove, or BRGM, in Papua, where peat restoration initiatives include planting rice and sago as part of ecosystem recovery efforts.

By aligning farming practices more closely with ecological conditions, peat-based agricultural livelihoods can continue in a way that strengthens both community resilience and local food security. Importantly, these efforts are not driven by outside intervention alone, but also by farmers in Indragiri Hilir who are actively adapting, blending local wisdom with evolving environmental realities.

Keep up with TJF's latest insights on sustainable peatland agriculture, particularly in Indragiri Hilir, on Instagram and LinkedIn.