The former Mega Rice Project aimed to convert one million hectares of peat and lowland in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia into a major rice production area but instead has had serious environmental and social impacts. This Master Plan – a joint initiative of the Government of Indonesia and the Government of the Netherlands – has been completed at the request of the Governor of Central Kalimantan and provides strategic guidance and technical analysis for the rehabilitation and revitalization of this area.
Rehabilitating and Revitalising the EMRP Area
In 2007, the Government of Indonesia launched a five-year program to rehabilitate and revitalize the 1.4 million hectares of degraded peat and lowland that was the location of the former Mega Rice Project. Since this project was halted in 1999, a series of studies have been made that highlighted the need to respond with action on the ground.
In March 2007, the President of Indonesia, Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, issued Presidential Instruction Number 2 of 2007 that targets the conservation and rehabilitation of 1.1 million hectares with the remainder being used for sustainable agriculture. On announcing the program, the President stated:
“We want to rehabilitate and conserve a large part of the peat and land area and restore its condition. By doing this, we can prevent further degradation of the environment and restore the ecosystem. The second objective is to develop and optimize local agriculture in the remaining part of the area. Central Kalimantan is one of the provinces prone to forest fires. From year to year, it has been a source of the haze in our country. We really hope that this will decrease significantly as well as the other major problem of flooding. It is hoped that employment and agriculture can reduce poverty in the area. And, importantly, carbon dioxide emissions from Central Kalimantan will be reduce so that our atmosphere is more protected from global warming and climate change.”
This ambitious goal requires a new approach to peat and lowland management in Indonesia and assistance is being provided by the Government of the Netherlands for the development of a Master Plan for the rehabilitation and revitalization of the Ex-Mega Rice Project (EMRP) area.
This website presents details of the Master Plan for the Rehabilitation and Revitalisation of the EMRP area that has been produced with a grant from the Directorate General for International Cooperation (DGIS) of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.