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The economic slowdown due to Covid-19 hits hard in many countries. In Indonesia, the economic growth rate for the first quarter of 2020 is only 2.97%. Simulations estimated the number of unemployed people would rise between 3.5 to 8.5 million, depends on the rate of economic growth. Yet the news often mentioned that these social aids had not reached its targets even in the city's neighborhood. The situation is more uncertain for the rural area. Limited information is available about the pandemic situation in Indonesian rural life. The general assumption prevails that rural life dynamic is different from the urban that results in a lower infection rate. Naturally, the government focuses on the pandemic response in cities. However, in reality, the taken measures also affect rural livelihood, especially farmers who have a very vital role in addressing the challenge that we face now: preventing food crisis.

Sustainable utilization of peatland is required for balancing production and conservation efforts. On peatland, one of the main components to examine sustainability is understanding the carbon balance. This research was conducted in Pulau Burung, Riau, Indonesia, which has a long history of peatland utilization for agriculture. The sets of utilized data included historical data of water management on peatland represented by water table and subsidence rate, next to carbon density of peat soil. The results showed the function of integrated water resource management made the yearly average water table depth is 48 and 49 cm in 2018 and 2019, respectively. The range water table is between 31cm to 72 cm due to season variability and crop requirement. Consequently, the rate of annual subsidence is averaging at 1.7 cm with cumulative subsidence in 32 yr is 54.1 cm. Since the water never drained since the establishment, the subsidence rate of the first five years is averaging only at 3.3 cm yr–1. Low subsidence rates minimize annual carbon loss during the peatland utilization around (30 to 200) Mg CO2 ha–1 yr–1. In 32 yr, the water management in peatland utilization in Pulau Burung has prevented 2 000 Mg CO2 ha–1 to 4 925 Mg CO2 ha–1 loss compared to other cultivated areas in peatland. Further, this paper discusses the practice that resulted in low emission of coconut agriculture in Pulau Burung as one of sustainability dimensions, which support the other sustainability aspects, that is the thriving local livelihood.

This article will firstly discuss conditions of land that can be defined as suboptimal. The simplest way to identify it is when the land produces less than maximal crop yield. The “suboptimal land” term was started to be widely used to describe the typical character of land with low productivity, reduced economic return, and/or severe limitations for agricultural use. In this context, the usage of the “land” is broader than just soil or terrain layer. These include the atmosphere, geology, hydrology, soil, and the whole living things on it, including human activities such as drainage, terracing, and irrigation.

COVID-19 seems to have a more significant impact on food accessibility and availability as it indicates decreasing food stock and rising food price. If the pandemic continues to deteriorate, it will also hamper people’s food utilization and stability. Essentially, COVID-19 hinders our food system from all directions. The effect of COVID-19 on food security is mainly the impact of preventive measurement implemented by the governments. To have a clear view of the situation, this paper examines the matter from downstream and upstream courses.