Drought impacts agriculture in Garut and Bogor

Drought conditions are severely impacting agricultural production in parts of West Java, Indonesia. In the Cibatu district of Garut, corn farmers in Wanakerta and Kertajaya villages report significant losses as crops die due to water shortages. Farmers noted that corn kernels have shrunken, leaving harvests barely sufficient for family consumption. The situation is exacerbated by malfunctioning irrigation systems, specifically the Cicapar 4 channel, which has not been normalized despite previous proposals. Additionally, local residents are facing a clean water crisis, forcing them to prioritize domestic needs over agricultural irrigation.

In the Jonggol area of Bogor Regency, the drought has forced farmers to change their traditional planting patterns. In the Galang and Ridogalih regions, rice farmers are shifting to red bean cultivation or turning to livestock herding because the paddy fields have dried up. The lack of water has significantly reduced daily agricultural activity, as many farmers can no longer maintain their fields and must seek alternative livelihoods to cope with the dry season.