Peatland Management for Sustainable Agriculture

Utilization of peatlands for agriculture in Indonesia has a long history. It was started from success of indigenous peoples who initially looked to peatland as a resource to produce traditional food crops, fruits, and spices and eventually large-scale operations such as lucrative palm oil plantations. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions issues, however, motivated the government to limit peatland utilization, which turned out to be a primary source of emissions. The benefits of peatland for agriculture are closely related to the properties and characteristics of the soil, water, and GHG emissions. These factors should be considered when determining policy and peatland utilization for agriculture. To achieve a productive and sustainable land, peatland management should be implemented and integrated with effective water management, soil amelioration, and fertilization.