ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – More than 24 million hectares of Indonesia’s marginal coastal land are facing escalating threats from seawater intrusion, rising soil salinity, tidal flooding, and plastic pollution, raising alarms over food security, coastal livelihoods, and ecosystem resilience across the archipelago.
As climate change accelerates and coastal degradation intensifies, vast stretches of land once considered productive are becoming increasingly unsuitable for conventional agriculture.
This crisis has prompted an applied research response from Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), which recently received the Pertamina Foundation (PF) Science Award 2025 for its integrated coastal innovation.
Salt-Tolerant Rice Offers a Lifeline for Coastal Farmland
At the core of BRIN’s initiative is the development and adaptation of salt-tolerant rice varieties designed to thrive in high-salinity coastal soils affected by seawater intrusion and recurrent tidal flooding.
The research is led by Tri Martini, a researcher at BRIN’s Organization for Energy and Manufacturing Research (OREM), who emphasized that millions of hectares of coastal wetlands—especially around river deltas and densely populated shorelines—are at risk of long-term abandonment.
“Indonesia’s coastal land is under severe pressure from salinity, flooding, and pollution. By introducing salt-tolerant rice, we aim to restore agricultural productivity in areas once considered unviable,” Tri said quoted on January 13, 2026.
Marginal Coastal Land and Indonesia’s Food Security
Indonesia’s marginal coastal zones play a critical role in national food systems, yet they are among the most vulnerable landscapes to climate change. Repeated crop failures caused by saline soils have forced many coastal farmers to leave their land idle.
According to Vina Eka Aristya, a researcher at BRIN’s Research Center for Sustainable Industrial and Manufacturing Systems, the project integrates agricultural innovation with community-based partnerships involving researchers, private-sector actors, and coastal communities.
“This approach not only improves rice yields on saline land but also strengthens ecosystem resilience and boosts the economic value of coastal areas,” she said.
Plastic Waste Converted into Alternative Energy
In addition to soil salinity, coastal regions serve as final accumulation points for plastic waste from upstream areas. BRIN’s research incorporates multi-condenser pyrolysis technology to convert plastic waste into alternative fuel.
This fuel can power diesel engines for agricultural machinery and fishing boats, providing clean energy solutions while reducing marine and coastal pollution.
Budi Trisno Aji, a team member and pioneer of the Banjarnegara Waste Bank, highlighted the dual environmental and economic benefits of the technology.
Toward Sustainable and Competitive Coastal Economies
Nugroho Adi Sasongko, Head of BRIN’s Research Center for Sustainable Industrial and Manufacturing Systems, said the integration of salt-tolerant crops, waste-to-energy technology, and research downstreaming could transform Indonesia’s coastal margins into sustainable green production hubs.
“This innovation directly supports Indonesia’s food and energy security agenda and contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by strengthening coastal ecosystems and local economies,” he said.
As Indonesia grapples with rising sea levels and climate-driven land degradation, BRIN’s research underscores how science-based coastal adaptation can turn threatened land into a strategic asset for sustainable development. (AT Network)
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