CIREBON (Indonesia): Under a hazy morning sky, Indonesian rice farmer Teguh Basuki is racing to get ahead of his usual planting schedule in West Java as he battles the threat of a lengthy dry spell this year, worsened by prospects of a severe El Nino.
“Farming is about adapting and finding solutions — hopefully it works out,” the 51-year-old Teguh told Reuters as he worked in the paddies forming grids of green and gold.
As dry weather disrupts crop planting in Asia, Teguh is among thousands of farmers urged by the Indonesian government to change their usual routines to avert risks to food supplies in the world’s most populous region.
The El Nino weather pattern that is shaping to be stronger than usual could inflict still more damage across the sprawling archipelago, where rice is a staple for millions, relying on stable weather to maintain production.
In regions like Cirebon, where Teguh works his fields, seasonal cycles have long guided planting and harvests. But those rhythms are becoming less predictable as extreme weather patterns have intensified, he said.
“We live from farming, so we have to adapt,” he said, adding that he would not be deterred by the El Nino, widely expected to develop in the year’s second half into one of the strongest on record.
The phenomenon usually brings hot, dry weather to Asia and excessive rains to the Americas, but recent global climate change has worsened the devastation it wreaks on crops.
Indonesia’s dry season normally runs from May to August, but this year the weather agency predicts it will stretch longer than usual.