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Indonesian farmers harness tech to shield crops from El Nino’s wrath

Technology, with precise, localised instructions, is helping small-scale farmers tackle productivity loss during the dry season

 Elisa Valenta
Published Tue, May 14, 2024 · 12:53 PM
    • Adimas Muhammad Wibisana is exploring an innovative approach to slash expenses and boost labour efficiency to grow hydroponic cantaloupe melons.
    • Adimas Muhammad Wibisana is exploring an innovative approach to slash expenses and boost labour efficiency to grow hydroponic cantaloupe melons. PHOTO: ELISA VALENTA, BT

    [JAKARTA] As El Nino threatens to dry out Indonesia’s abundant harvest season, disrupting planting and diminishing yields, the country’s smallholder farmers have found a beacon of hope – they are arming themselves with the necessary tech tools to mitigate the drought’s impact.

    In Subang Regency, West Java, small-scale farmer Adimas Muhammad Wibisana has deployed Internet of Things technology on his 1.5-hectare farm to slash expenses and boost labour efficiency to grow hydroponic cantaloupe melons.

    The dry season, the 38 year-old lamented, significantly affects the fruit quality. They are smaller and the volumes are lower, owing to water scarcity, which can also diminish nutrients.

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