Flood that happened on December 23, 2006 was kind of Tsunami for the people who were living in Simpang Jernih Sub District. The flood was not only happening in down stream, but also up stream which is 300 meters high from sea level. According to its topography, villages located in Simpang Jernih should not be flooded, but the fact was all villages there were flooded. This happened because Tamiang River flow was blocked by logs which brought away by the flood. The accumulation of flood caused the flow ran up back to upstream and flooded the villages there. This moment seemed took away people´s euphoria of freedom after Helisinki peace accord which was signed on August 15, 2005.
Main problem of people during and post flood was food unavailability. During the flood, people were isolated since the main transportation was only water transportation.
Batu Sumbang is a village part of Simpang Jernih Sub District in East Aceh. Most people were living from logging while rice as main food should be provided from outside. This condition was remained worst post flood. People could only count on rice subsidy they had got until they could go back to log. That condition was very challeging for SHEEP in terms of community organizing.
Sarli is an ex-combatant of Aceh Free Movement (GAM) who has finally been aware about his village condition after lot of direct interaction with SHEEP´s staff who were doing live in and organizing people there. He was challenged to fullfill main need of rice. Rice was not a new thing for him, but planting rice was a thing that he had never thought in his life.
After long interaction with SHEEP´s staff on integrated farming and inspired by the film about SRI (System Rice Intensification), he decided to plan rice on the 0,5 from 2 rante of land. He followed the instruction of SRI, which started by seeding for 12 days, then plan one seed/baby plant in one hole with its distance of 25 x 25 cm each, and unflooded irigation. People in his village and even his wife under estimated him by using that planting system. Sarli also only used organic compos. In the begining, the grow of SRI rice did not look different with other rice planted with old system (with 4-5 plants per hole). But, after about a month there was a big different. There were about 30 branches in each plant while other only have 15 branches. On the 90th day, when the color was turning to yellow or about a week before its harvest, SRI rice grew atleast 42 branches per hole with 402 rice beeds per branch, while the other grew 15 branches per hole with 100-200 rice beeds per branch. Compared with old system rice plant, SRI rice can grow 100% to 200% more. Total harvest he got was 10 can of rice where 1 can contained 12 kg of rice from 0,5 kg of seed. SRI rice was also not attacked by any insects.
People then admitted that Sarli´s harvest was spectacular. They had never found that much of rice beeds in one branch before. That result motivated other people to use SRI system for their next planting season.
The sound practice land of Sarli is one of the twelve sound practice lands which have been developed in SHEEP´s partner villages which adjusted with each village´s potention. (summarized from field monthly update of April´09).