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The seasons in the priests’ community are changing. Normally the wet and dry seasons are clearly distinct. The wet season is between November and March, and the dry from April to October.

But communities have observed more rainfall in the wet times and less in the dry, and now the seasons seems to merge into each other. This year the rainy season was short, causing drought, crop failure, and food shortages

Father Simon says: "Climate uncertainty is really causing us problems. The villagers work hard to prepare the land for the vegetables, they plan everything, and then the rain does not come. They ask me what’s happening to the weather and I don’t know what to tell them."

Like most low-lying coastal nations, Indonesia is at risk from rising sea-levels. Indonesia’s Environment Minister, Rachmet Witoelkar, in January 2007 warned that his country – comprised of 17,000 islands with millions depend on fishing and farming – could lose 2,000 of its islands by 2030 due to rising sea levels. Thousands of productive coastal areas will have to look for other livelihoods.

Indonesia has experienced many climate anomalies in the last few years. In 2002 and 2003 the rainy seasons were late, so farmers planted late. In 2006 and 2007, the rainy and dry seasons were so unpredictable that farmers did not know when to commence planting. This resulted in failing harvests and caused a drastic drop in income, widespread hunger and malnutrition, especially among children.

There are 39.05 million people living in poverty,in Indonesia, of which 80 per cent live in rural areas. They depend on agriculture: a sector vulnerable to climate shock such as flood, drought and longer dry seasons.

Country climate reference: Working Paper 3: Current & Future Rainfall Variability in Indonesia, January 2004. Boer, R & Faqin, A

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Mother and Daughter, Bonibais village, West Timor. Photo: Tom Greenwood

A spirit altar and traditional thatched house, Bonibais village. Photo: Tom Greenwood

Female participants in the Oxfam’s Farmer’s Field project, Bonibais village. Photo: Tom Greenwood

A man performing a traditional welcome dance, Bonibais village Photo: Tom Greenwood

Female participants in the Oxfam’s Farmer’s Field project, Bonibais village. Photo: Tom Greenwood

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