Natural Disasters in Sumatra Signal Increasing Agrarian Conflict

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - Floods and landslides in Sumatra are closely linked to the agrarian conflicts that have been occurring in the region. The conflicts, triggered by land clearing by companies, have also contributed to the reduction of forest cover. Several civil society organizations are urging for the resolution of agrarian conflicts.

Floods and landslides struck three provinces on the island of Sumatra, namely Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, at the end of November 2025. As of Wednesday (3/12/2025) afternoon, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported that 770 residents had died and 463 people were reported missing in the disaster.

"The floods that have devastated these three provinces are an emergency signal regarding the increasingly severe agrarian and ecological crisis," said the Head of the Campaign and Knowledge Management Department of the Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA), Benny Wijaya, on Wednesday. The agrarian crisis refers to conflicts over land use and control.

According to him, land control by corporations in the plantation and mining sectors not only triggers agrarian conflicts but also diminishes the function of upstream areas as water absorbers. As a result, during extreme weather, these areas can no longer retain water, leading to floods and landslides.

The close relationship between disasters in Sumatra and agrarian conflicts is also evident from the high number of agrarian cases in the region. "Two out of three provinces currently experiencing flooding are provinces with the highest incidence of agrarian conflicts in Indonesia in 2024, namely North Sumatra and West Sumatra," said Benny.

KPA recorded at least 32 agrarian conflict eruptions throughout 2024 in North Sumatra. The majority occurred due to palm oil plantation operations, with 11 cases. The subsequent cases were related to land acquisition for infrastructure projects as well as forestry and mining plantation operations.

In West Sumatra, throughout 2024, there have been at least 12 outbreaks of agrarian conflict, with 10 of these conflicts arising from plantation company operations. According to the Year-End Report 2024 from KPA, over the past 10 years, there have been at least 3,234 outbreaks of agrarian conflict covering an area of 7.4 million hectares.

A total of 1.8 million families have been affected by the conflict. Half of the incidents of this conflict, or 1,733 cases, occurred due to plantation company operations (1,242 cases), mining concessions (253 cases), and Industrial Timber Plantations (238 cases).

The Executive Director of the Community Initiative Study and Development Group (KSPPM), Rocky Pasaribu, stated that his team has analyzed changes in forest cover in South Tapanuli and Central Tapanuli in North Sumatra during the period of 1990-2024. The results indicate a decline in natural forest cover.

In South Tapanuli, over the last three decades, the region has lost 46,640 hectares of natural forest. The largest loss occurred during the period of 1990-2000, amounting to 26,223 hectares, and continued from 2000-2010 with a loss of 10,672 hectares. This data aligns with the expansion of other land uses from 1990 to 2024.

This ecological disaster should serve as a momentum for the Indonesian government to promptly resolve the agrarian crisis before ecological disasters occur in various regions.

"During that time, there was an addition of oil palm plantations covering an area of 42,034 hectares, an expansion of eucalyptus plantations by 1,107 hectares, and the identification of 298 mining holes," said Rocky. A similar condition, he stated, was also found in Central Tapanuli. From 1990 to 2024, this region has lost approximately 16,137 hectares of natural forest.

"This ecological disaster should serve as a momentum for the Indonesian government to promptly resolve the agrarian crisis, before ecological disasters occur in various regions," said Rocky. Therefore, a policy change is necessary to prevent disasters, rather than merely acting as a "firefighter" when disasters occur.

Several civil society organizations are urging the government to evaluate and impose a moratorium on concession permits that have monopolized forests in Indonesia. This call comes from KPA, KSPPM, and the Indonesian People's Struggle Agency (BPRPI).

The Women of the People Waiting (PARAP), the Indonesian Bamboo Cluster Foundation (YRBI) in Aceh, the North Aceh Farmers' Union (SETIA), and the People's Organization Union (SPR) also called for similar actions. They urged the restoration of indigenous community areas that have been damaged due to land clearing.

Furthermore, they urged for a thorough investigation and decisive action against all state officials and corporations that have seized community land, customary territories, and forest areas. This situation has led to an agrarian and ecological crisis. They also advocated for land management to be entrusted to the citizens.

"We also demand that the government immediately implement agrarian reform as an effort for the recognition and restoration of the indigenous people's territories," said Benny. Lastly, his party urged the Special Committee for the Resolution of Agrarian Conflicts to start working promptly and for the establishment of the Agrarian Reform Implementation Agency.