Land use change from marginal peaty rice fields to other land uses in Air Hitam irrigation area, Bengkulu, Indonesia

Abstract

Land use changes cause uncertain conditions for rice production and food security in Indonesia as well as in Bengkulu. The land use changes on infertile peaty soils from paddy cultivation to oil palm plantation and other land uses treat rice production sustainability. The purposes of this research was to show land use conversion from rice field to other land functions in Air Hitam irrigation area, Bengkulu. This study was done from July to November 2021 at Air Hitam rice fields in Central Bengkulu Regency, Bengkulu Province. The existing land use in three periods was analyzed using satellite imagery with appropriate resolutions and multitemporal time comprising Landsat 5 TM (Thematic Mapper), Landsat 7 ETM+ (Enhanced Thematic Mapper + and Landsat 8 OLI (Operational Land Imager) taken out 2000, 2010 and 2020 released by United States Geological Survey (USGS). The dominant land uses at the Air Hitam area in year of 2000 were mostly rice fields covering about 71.84%, and the rice fields in year of 2010 decrease to 53.63%. The rice fields conversion still continuous, and in 2020 the rice fields dropped to 47.65% while oil palm plantation covers about 38.74% of the area. In the last two decades the oil palm plantation cultivated by small scale farmers sharp increase, in contrast, rice fields at this area were huge loss. The rice field loss of 292.27 ha at the Air Hitam irrigation area threat rice production in Bengkulu.