Indonesia stops clearing forest for new rice land

Indonesia has halted a programme to clear millions of hectares of forest for rice cultivation. The government said the halt follows the achievement of rice self-sufficiency. It plans instead to raise yields on existing farmland. The method named is improved agricultural methods.

The land that was to be cleared is described as millions of hectares of forest. The crop is rice. The new emphasis is existing farmland rather than new forest land. Self-sufficiency in rice is the condition cited for the halt.

The programme being stopped is a clearing programme. The replacement approach is higher yields where rice is already grown. Improved agricultural methods are the means named. Indonesia is the country.

Forest and food policy meet in the decision. Clearing is the practice being halted. Yield improvement is the practice being preferred. Rice self-sufficiency is the stated milestone.

The scale of the halted clearing is given as millions of hectares. No narrower hectare total was part of this notice. The notice does name the crop and the shift to existing land. It presents the decision as already taken.

The recorded food-policy change is the halt. The recorded reason is rice self-sufficiency. The recorded alternative is better yields on existing farmland. The recorded environmental stake is forest that will not be cleared under that programme.