Natural Disasters and Agrarian Conflict

The tsunami disaster that stroked Aceh in 2004 not only resulted in massive casualties and huge economic losses, has also resulted in massive horizontal agrarian conflicts. This article will discuss how the natural disaster causes symmetrical agrarian conflicts among inhabitants of neighborhoods. The question to be answered is how did the tsunami cause the agrarian conflicts among the people? How did such agrarian conflicts affect the reconstruction effort of after tsunami which is a series of disaster mitigation. This article uses a literature review consisting of research reports, scientific journal articles, and media reports on the impact of the 2004 Aceh tsunami. Study results suggest that the tsunami disaster resulted in the loss of boundaries of residents-controlled lands and this caused land disputes among neighbors that influences reconstruction efforts undertaken by governments and NGOs. However, local wisdom on conflict mitigation contributes to the settlement of land conflicts and this has contributed to post-tsunami reconstruction efforts in Aceh. With that this article contributes to the development of knowledge on disaster mitigation.