Teuku Umar University (UTU), through a community service team, introduced an innovative technology called Amphibious Floating Rice Aquaponics (APA Amfibi). This breakthrough is specially designed as an adaptive solution for people living in flood-prone areas, ensuring that food cultivation activities continue even when the land is inundated with water.
This collaborative project involves lecturers from UTU's Aquaculture Study Program and the Faculty of Agriculture at Iskandar Muda University. The implementation of this technology was carried out directly in the field for the "Bersatu Teguh" Fish Cultivator Group (Pokdakan), as a tangible effort to maintain farmers' economic stability during the rainy season.
The head of the community service team, Dini Islama, S.Kel., M.Si., explained that this system relies on environmentally friendly farming concepts. By integrating fish and rice cultivation on floating rafts, organic waste from leftover feed and fish feces is utilized as natural nutrients for rice plants, while simultaneously helping to maintain optimal pond water quality.
"APA Amfibi technology not only functions as flood impact mitigation, but also opens up new economic opportunities for cultivator families. With this system, the risk of crop loss can be significantly reduced," Dini said on Monday (7/13/2026).
The head of Pokdakan Bersatu Teguh, Ida Suriana, expressed optimism regarding the presence of this system. She stated that floods have been a serious threat to the sustainability of their farming activities, but with floating growing media, food security and household income are now better guaranteed.
This program received funding support from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia for Fiscal Year 2026. Moving forward, the service team is committed to providing ongoing assistance and technical evaluation to map out the potential for replicating this system in other areas of West Aceh Regency as a strategic step for climate change adaptation.
