The main street of Plumbungan village, Central Java, suddenly changed its function. Usually the road serves to connect Pati and Purwodadi regencies, but now it had become a place to dry tons of rice straw. Hundreds of farmers spread out rice stalks that were wet from soaking in muddy water for two weeks.

Parinah, a 65-year-old farmer from Pati, had deployed five of his relatives to the harvest. The owner of 1.5 hectares of rice fields moved earl