Food security is a state’s responsibility to ensure the survival of its people.
However, to date, scientific and political discourse on food security has largely focused on quantitative measurements of food production and distribution while neglecting other aspects, such as ecological sustainability and the rights of indigenous communities over their traditional farming practices.
As President Joko Widodo’s administration nears its end, the effectiveness of various national strategic development programs in agriculture, such as the Food Estate, has started to be questioned.
The Food Estate was established to boost food production and agricultural productivity. However, data show that large-scale land clearing in North Sumatra has ultimately been abandoned.
Around 80% of the land intended for strategic commodities like potatoes and shallots now lies idle due to a lack of budget support and insufficient technical planning.
A similar situation has occurred in Central Kalimantan. According to a Greenpeace report in 2022, the Food Estate program increased deforestation of peat forests and their biodiversity, sparking conflicts of interest.
The reliance on large-scale projects without considering local needs and the socio-environmental impacts is an issue worth discussing and finding solutions for.
Local farmers’ concerns have also grown with the new government’s planned free lunch program.
This initiative risks ignoring the role of local food and farmers and further strengthening the dominance of imported food.
Additionally, the involvement of the military or armed forces in managing food and agricultural projects raises concerns about whether this approach will support food sovereignty and farmers’ welfare.
In response to these concerns, the UGM Center for Rural and Regional Studies (PSPK UGM) held a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) themed ‘Uniting Farmers Across Generations: Consolidation for Sustainable Agriculture’ to commemorate Farmer’s Day 2024.
This event, aimed to explore cross-group and cross-generational collaboration to enrich the knowledge and practices surrounding sustainable agriculture, was held in person on Monday (Oct. 7) at PSPK UGM.
“Compared to other countries, even smaller ones like Vietnam, we have yet to resolve the issues faced by farmers and agriculture to achieve Indonesia’s sovereignty,” said Professor Bambang Hudayana, Head of PSPK UGM, when opening the FGD.
According to him, the conversion of agricultural land, the decline in the number of young farmers, fluctuating harvest prices, and climate change are further eroding farmers’ fortunes.
Hudayana noted that farmers are now forced to leave the agricultural sector but cannot become independent and prosperous workers, even though agriculture is the backbone of rural communities.
“All agricultural issues are always addressed with import solutions, while what we need is a more pro-farmer government,” Professor Hudayana added.
Furthermore, farming has become increasingly challenging as farmers are expected to produce sound output while obtaining inputs through competition, such as increasingly expensive fertilizers, limited capital and technology, and restricted marketing networks.
Fortunately, amidst a chaotic government, the professor observed many farmer movements that consistently fought for their rights.
“PSPK UGM may only be able to produce written works, but some of our work can lead to real initiatives for change,” Professor Hudayana emphasized.
Through this FGD, he hopes to foster bonds between farmers across generations, as many young people are concerned and starting to engage in agriculture.
He affirmed that PSPK UGM is ready to provide support in addressing the challenges of Indonesia’s food sovereignty and farmers’ welfare in the era of globalization.
The scope of the FGD includes drafting an agenda for sustainable agricultural advocacy, which involves mapping future agricultural challenges in Indonesia.
These challenges include the dominance of a development paradigm focused solely on economic growth, land ownership by a few elites, and environmental damage due to excessive agricultural input imports. This agricultural economy does not favor farmers.
The other challenges were the lack of human resource development in agriculture, minimal regeneration of farmers, and the need to overcome structured exploitation disguised as empowerment.
The FGD also involved agricultural groups such as Komunitas Pawukon, Sekolah Pagesangan, Sekolah Tani Muda (Sekti Muda), Perempuan Petani “Karisma,” Kebun Code, Wadon Wadas, and 22 other communities working to preserve agriculture.
The FGD concluded with the signing of a Joint Declaration for the 2024 National Farmer’s Day. This declaration also serves as a statement against the various injustices caused by agrarian capitalism, which often sacrifices farmers for government development.
Dr. AB Widyanta, a conflict resolution and peace-building expert at PSPK UGM who acted as the FGD moderator, stated that genuine agrarian reform must be carried out as a structural change to fight for a fair, sustainable agricultural sector that benefits farmers across generations.
“This collaboration is crucial to address challenges and realize a food system that supports farmers’ welfare and the sustainability of natural resources,” he concluded.
Author: Triya Andriyani
Photographer: Donnie
Post-editor: Afif