The Tsunami’s greatest impact has been on rural coastal communities. Before the tsunami, the men, women, and children in these communities were highly dependent on coastal fisheries, agriculture, aquaculture and forest. But the natural resources supporting these livelihoods were already severely depleted due to unsustainable practices.

ICRAF - as the part of CGIAR Centre – plans for helping these community through recovering the ecological constraints and enhancement livelihood. In first step, ICRAF will conduct a survey to assess the impact of tsunami disaster on tree-crops survival and also to appraise the skills and awereness of local community and local government regarding to tree-crop selection and uses, tree nursery activities, tree system establishment and management, tree product production, and marketing linkages based on pre-tsunami disaster, current environment and opportunities. Implementing the survey, ICRAF will collaborates with local government and local-international NGOs who already existed in Aceh Barat district and Nagan Raya District.

The survey implemented during two weeks (May 15-28, 2005) at the site which were flooded during tsunami disaster.  There are three sub-districts covered the survey such as Johan  Pahlawan and Samatiga (Aceh Barat district), and Kuala (Nagan Raya district).  The PRA method and simple interview will used for appraising the perception of local community and local government regarding to tree- crop selection and uses, tree nursery activities, tree system establishment and management, tree product production and marketing linkages based on pre-tsunami disaster, current environment and opportunities.  To understand the marketing linkages opportunities, we interviewed market channels who leaved in Aceh Barat and Nagan Raya districts.  The ICRAF team also measured soil salinity concentrates with Rapid assessment method in under tree-crops stands after five months of tsunami disaster.

The survey have objectives are:

• To asses the impact of tsunami disaster on tree-crops survival differentiated by tree-crops species, landscape position, and soil salinity.
• To appraise the skill and awareness of local community and local government regarding to tree-crop selection and uses, tree nursery activities, tree system establishment and management, tree product production, and marketing linkages on pre-tsunami disaster, current environment and opportunities.
• To recover the ecological constraint through availability of extension programs and planting material.

FAO (2005) mentioned that landfarming degraded (annual crops and horticulture) was caused by tsunami disaster achieved 61,816 Ha (included wet-land and dry-land).   Landfarming degraded in western-part of NAD (45,755 Ha) was more in serious condition compare to eastern-part of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam-NAD (16,061 Ha).  In eastern-part, there are 50% of 16,061 Ha was light degraded and 50% was medium degraded.  In western-part, 10% (4,575.5 Ha) of 45,755 Ha was light degraded, 20% (9,151) was medium degraded, 60% (27,453 Ha) was serious degraded, and 10% (5,575 Ha) was flooded by water.

In general, there are five of landuses types in Aceh Barat and Nagan Raya districts, such as: Rubber Peat Swamp System (tree density highest, almost monoculture, extractive-traditional management, commercial orientation, and tree condition in post-tsunami is defoliated and resprouted), Home Garden (mix farming included annual crop-fruits-timber, extractive-traditional management, subsisten and commercial orientation, fruits trees condition in post-tsunami is defoliated and resprouted.  In some cases, we found mangga, jambu bol, durian and cacao are dead in coastal area), Oil palm plantation (traditional-intensive management, commercial orientation,  and trees condition in post-tsunami is not affected) and Rambutan plantation (intensive management, commercial orientation, and trees condition in post-tsunami is dead).

	Mr. Daminik (extension field staff from Agriculture Department, Aceh Barat) and The Survey Team measured salinity concentrate in the soil sediment.  After five months of tsunami disaster, salinity  concentrate becoming lowest (< 0.7 mS/cm or average 0.24 mS/cm).  Rainfall intensity, drainage density, flooded time-period influenced salinity concentrate in the soil sediment.
The Team also discussed with Mr Rizal (extension field staff from Agriculture Department, Aceh Barat) about fruits nursery development in pre-tsunami disaster.  In 1995, Mr. Rizal developed of fruits nursery focus on rambutan binjai and durian (monthong, simas, cane, citokong).  In 2000 – 2002, He has limited access to manage his nursery because conflict situation between GAM-TNI military.

Regarding on market products,  the trader from Meulaboh sold their product such as cacao, rubber, pala, pinang to Medan.  In post-tsunami, Meulaboh infrastructure materials are provided from Medan 

In regular meeting agenda (UNDP as a host meeting), the team shared information related on assessment activities to other institution. It is not only NGOs, the local governments and farmers have hopes in order that ICRAF team will be back again and ICRAF can contribute for agroforestry recovery after tsunami disaster.  

For more information contact: 
Gerhard Manurung (g.manurung@cgiar.org) and Ery Nugraha (e.nugraha@cgiar.org).

For further details please visit:
http://www.worldagroforestry.org/sea/W-New/aceh.asp