BATUTEGI FOREST, Indonesia — Like millions of small farmers across Indonesia, Sri Atmiatun’s family has shouldered higher fertilizer prices, cost-of-living hikes, and increasingly extreme weather in recent years. The river basin in Batutegi Forest, near the southern coast of Sumatra’s Lampung province, ran almost dry after a months-long drought across much of Indonesia, which was exacerbated by El Niño and positive Indian Ocean Dipole climate patterns. Chemical fertilizer prices have retreated from all-time highs recorded in 2022, but potash and other fertilizers remained expensive through 2023 by historical standards, compounding pressures for farmers in low- and middle-income countries. Generations of farmers around Batutegi here have grown coffee. However, Batutegi farmers say they’ve recorded declining yields as the quality of the soil here has deteriorated. In response to these pressures, Sri Atmiatun and other farmers in Batutegi have repurposed farm waste to lessen their reliance on expensive chemicals and, hopefully, to boost yields. “The last time we made organic fertilizer we produced around 2 tons,” Sri told Mongabay Indonesia, as she handled a clutch of bottles containing the community’s latest batch. The river basin in Batutegi Forest ran almost dry after a months-long drought, which was exacerbated by El Niño and positive Indian Ocean Dipole climate patterns. Image by Themmy Doaly/Mongabay Indonesia. Batutegi farmers say they’ve recorded declining yields as the quality of the soil here has deteriorated. Image by Themmy Doaly/Mongabay Indonesia. From the ground up Every day here in Batutegi, dozens of farmworkers like Sri make the journey from…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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