Bogor, W Java (Indonesia Window) – On September 28, 2018, an earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale rocked Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi province and caused a tsunami.

More than 2,000 people died, and at least 1,300 were missing. The total economic loss was estimated at 2.8 billion U.S. dollars.

The natural disaster affected 2.41 million people following the damage to the water supply and the irrigation system of Gumbasa which supplied water to the province’s capital city of Palu, and Sigi district.

In addition, agricultural plots of land disappeared as they were submerged by  waters.

As a result, some of the local people (80 percent) who worked as farmers lost their sources of income, especially those who live in Sigi.

Responding to the disaster and the impacts, Taiwan’s International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) immediately sent aid to them.

Together with the World Vision Indonesia, the humanitarian team helped people clear agricultural lands from debris caused by the earthquake.

The team also prepared damaged agricultural lands by restoring 100 hectares of the lands and helped dig 50 shallow irrigation wells in Lolu village, Sigi district.

The humanitarian mission provided agricultural materials and tools, such as machinery, seeds and fertilizers, as well as other technical assistance to the people.

The humanitarian works of Taiwan and the World Vision Indonesia have provided 507 job opportunities for 200 farmers in Lolu village.

Taiwan’s agricultural mission in Sigi has been made into a short film entitled 'Spicy Life' which can be watched via a link https://youtu.be/_xusErnwMJk

The 3-minute and 20-second film tells the story of Safriandi and his little family, who survived the Sigi earthquake and managed to get back up by planting chilies.

Safriandi is one of the beneficiaries of the ICDF and the World Vision Indonesia assistance.

They were taught how to grow chilies, how to deal with pests and methods of cultivating agricultural land properly, as well as how to market their agricultural products.

Now, Safriandi and the people in his village not only enjoy bountiful harvests from the agricultural lands they cultivate themselves, but also earn income from selling chilies in the markets.

Source: Taipei Economic and Trade Office (TETO)

Reporting by Indonesia Window