Water management for increase rice production in the tidal swampland of Kalimantan, Indonesia: Constraints, limitedness and opportunities

Abstract

Water management is a key factor in the development of swampland for agriculture, especially rice. Naturally, swampland is affected by water tide from the sea or river during spring and neap tide. Micro water management greatly influences the success of farming in swampland. The functions of micro water management: improvement of land quality, leaching out of ions and toxic compounds, controlling of certain weeds and pests, plant growth and yield, and mitigating of climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. There are many factors influence the increasing rice production in swampland through improved water management. For example, the implementation of a one-way water flow system or a dam overflow system is restricted by tide strength, canal dimensions, and construction and operational of water gate. Support of water supply network infrastructure is important and influences land productivity and cropping intensity. In poor swamp irrigation areas (SIA), most farmers can only plant once a year (Cropping Index, CI=100) with productivity 2-3 t ha-1. But in a good SIA, the yield reaches 6-7 t ha-1 and 2-3 planting times a year (CI 180-200). The implementation of water management in agriculture in swampland also requires the participation of farmers and solid institutional of water administrator. This paper is a review of several research results on the implementation of water management in tidal swampland that have been carried out by Indonesian Swampland Agricultural Research Institute (ISARI). This paper will address the constraints, limitations and opportunities of water management including an effort to mitigate and adapt to climate change through water management in tidal swampland of Kalimantan, Indonesia.