CIREBON, Indonesia, May 12 (Xinhua) -- In the flat, sunbaked landscapes of Cirebon, a port city on Indonesia's Java island, life is not measured by the ticking of a clock, but by the rhythm of the sun, the wind and the sea.
For generations, families like those of Ipin and Raihan have harvested salt from shallow ponds along the northern coast. Their livelihood relies on a simple yet grueling alchemy: using intense sunlight to evaporate seawater into crystalline mounds. It is a schedule mostly dictated by nature, leaving little room for human intervention.
In recent years, however, that reliable rhythm has become increasingly unpredictable. Declining yields are testing the resilience of local farmers, whose livelihood depends on the fickle cooperation of weather and tide.
"Last year's harvest was not that big," said Ipin, 38, a farmer in Rawaurip village. "It was the wet dry season -- rain when we needed sun."
Timing is crucial. Salt production requires long, uninterrupted dry days. A single downpour can wash away weeks of labor, local farmers told Xinhua.
Beyond the rain, rising tidal waters now pose a growing threat to these low-lying fields.
"The tidal floods are even worse than rain," said Raihan, 39, who returned from Jakarta in 2015 to farm full-time. "When it comes in, we have to start all over again."
And thus, local farmers have been forced to diversify. During the wet months when salt production is impossible, Raihan grows vegetables, chili and corn to supplement his income.
"We have to be versatile," he said. "Nature decides our schedule, so we have to adapt."
Adding to the climate pressure is a sharp rise in operational costs.
The price of essential plastic sheeting, a one-time-use material for the final evaporation stage, has jumped from 2.2 million rupiah (about 125 U.S. dollars) to 3 million rupiah per batch.
With margins thinning, even the smallest fluctuation in weather or market prices can push these family-run operations to the brink.
While the 2026 dry season is expected to stretch longer than usual according to government forecasts, the local salt farmers meet this change with an unshaken resolve.
"Every year has its challenges," said Ipin, surveying his evaporation boxes as they begin to glint in the early morning light. "But salt is our life, and we will harvest it, come rain or tide." ■
