Indonesia's president, Joko Widodo, has requested the assistance of the military in planting rice due to a severe drought caused by the El NiΓ±o weather phenomenon. The prolonged dry weather has resulted in a decrease in rice production, leading to higher prices and a threat to food security in the country. President Widodo has urged army officers to take advantage of recent rainfall in some provinces and help with the planting effort. The cultivation of rice, which is usually carried out in October, has been delayed this year. The president posted a video on the presidential YouTube channel during a visit to central Java, encouraging the military to come forward and assist farmers with the sowing. The involvement of the armed forces in the past has helped Indonesia achieve food self-sufficiency, according to Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman. The recent agreement between the agriculture ministry and the Indonesian army includes military personnel helping in farming and using idle army-owned land for rice plantation, with seedlings and machinery supplied by the ministry.
Original news source: Indonesia asks military to help farmers plant rice (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Summary
Instructions: Have students read the article and then write a brief summary of the main points. Encourage them to include important details such as the cause of the drought, the impact on rice production, the president's request for military assistance, and the involvement of the armed forces in the past.
– Word Association
Instructions: Choose a key word from the article, such as "drought" or "rice production." Have students take turns saying a word or phrase that is related to the chosen key word. Encourage them to explain the connection between their word and the key word.
– Headline Creation
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, have students create a catchy headline for the article. They should try to capture the main idea of the article in just a few words. Afterward, have students share their headlines and discuss which ones they think are the most effective and why.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Select several key vocabulary words from the article, such as "El NiΓ±o" or "food security." Have students take turns drawing a picture to represent one of the words, while the rest of the class tries to guess what the word is. Encourage students to use their knowledge of the article to help them guess the words.
– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into two groups and assign one group the role of supporting the president's request for military assistance and the other group the role of opposing it. Have each group brainstorm and discuss the pros and cons of their assigned position. Then, have a debate where each group presents their arguments and tries to persuade the other group to change their position.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Indonesia's , Joko Widodo, has requested the assistance of the military in planting rice due to a drought by the El NiΓ±o weather phenomenon. The prolonged dry weather has resulted in a in rice production, leading to higher prices and a threat to food security in the country. Widodo has urged army officers to take advantage of rainfall in some and help with the planting . The cultivation of rice, which is usually carried out in October, has been delayed this year. The president posted a video on the presidential YouTube channel during a visit to central Java, the to come forward and assist farmers with the sowing. The of the armed forces in the past has helped achieve food self-sufficiency, according to Agriculture Minister Sulaiman. The recent agreement between the agriculture ministry and the army military personnel helping in farming and using idle army-owned land for rice plantation, with and machinery supplied by the ministry.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. How would you feel if you were a farmer in Indonesia and experiencing a severe drought?
2. Do you think it is a good idea for the military to assist with planting rice? Why or why not?
3. What is the El NiΓ±o weather phenomenon? Have you experienced it in your country?
4. How important is rice production for food security in Indonesia?
5. Do you think other countries should offer assistance to Indonesia during this drought? Why or why not?
6. What are some other ways that the government could help farmers during a drought?
7. Have you ever planted crops or worked on a farm? How was the experience?
8. How do you think the drought will affect the price of rice in Indonesia?
9. What are some potential long-term effects of a decrease in rice production?
10. How do you think the involvement of the military in farming could impact the relationship between the military and the civilian population?
11. What are some other ways that climate change can impact food security?
12. Do you think the government should be responsible for ensuring food security? Why or why not?
13. How do you think the recent rainfall will impact the planting effort in Indonesia?
14. What are some potential challenges that the military may face in assisting with rice planting?
15. Do you think it is important for countries to achieve food self-sufficiency? Why or why not?
Individual Activities
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π΅οΈ True or False Questions:
π Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
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