Indonesia’s Early Rice Success Offers Hope for Millions of Acres of Forest
Indonesia has reached its rice self-sufficiency goal roughly three years ahead of schedule. That achievement has brought another welcome development: officials say they no longer need to clear forest to expand rice cultivation.
At a sustainability forum in Jakarta in early October, climate and energy envoy Hashim Djojohadikusumo said 4.4 million acres previously earmarked for rice plantations would remain untouched. Speaking on behalf of the Agriculture Ministry, he said the government “sees no further need to expand rice cultivation in so-called forest areas.”
The shift could spare vast stretches of rainforest, swamps and peatlands, including areas targeted in Kalimantan and South Papua. Its full implications are not yet clear, but officials have agreed that future agricultural expansion for food or bioethanol should use land already converted to productive use rather than clear more forest.
“We have over [28 million acres] of degraded land that can be used for this,” said Mari Elka Pangestu, deputy chair of the National Economic Council.
The rice goal had been expected to take until at least 2029. Incentives, improved crop varieties and fertilizer subsidies helped Indonesia reach it sooner, creating an opportunity to reconsider plans that had drawn strong opposition from environmental advocates, local activists and Indigenous groups.
The stakes are especially high in South Papua, where proposed rice and sugarcane estates threatened swamp and peatland ecosystems that store substantial amounts of carbon. Around 90,000 acres of these landscapes have already been converted to plantations since 2024, according to satellite data cited by Mighty Earth.
Mighty Earth CEO Glenn Hurowitz called the change “a globally significant decision for people, nature and climate”. His organization says it will monitor what happens next and work with communities in Papua to address damage already done.
For now, the announcement offers a hopeful possibility: Indonesia can build on its agricultural success while giving millions of acres of valuable habitat a better chance to remain intact.
