The Agrocomplex Faculty of UGM, consisting of Faculty of Agriculture, Agricultural Technology, Animal Sciences, Forestry, and Veterinary Sciences have launched Food Soverereignty movement for Nusantara (GKPN) on Wednesday (16/10) in the Auditorium of Faculty of Agriculture UGM. The event and also a workshop are attended by Rector of UGM, Prof. Dr. Pratikno, M.Soc.Sc, Dean of Faculty of Agriculture, Dr. Jamhari, Dean of Agricultural Technology, Prof. Dr. Lilik Sutiarso, Dean of Animal Sciences, Prof. Dr. Ali Agus, Dean of Forestry, Dr. Satyawan Pudyatmoko, and Dean of Veterinary Sciences, Dr. drh. Djoko Prastowo.
Dr. Jamhari representing other deans affirmed that the emergence of the food sovereignty forum stemmed from the concerns of the poor socio-economic condition in Indonesia, particularly, the ongoing agricultural involution.
“We hope that the movement would be able to bring the national development back to the right track,” said Jamhari.
Jamhari illustrated that 46 percent of Indonesians are farmers. Ironically, as a fertile agrarian country, Indonesia cannot be food self-supplying country and even suffers from food crisis. Some Indonesian food even depends on imports whose price is rising unncontrollably.
“We even import cassava and salt while we’re an agrarian and maritime country,” he said.
Currently, Indonesia’s dependence on imported food products is 100% for wheat, 60% for beans, 70% for milk, 54% for sugar, and 30% for beef.
According to Jamhari, this crisis is due to the mistake made in food policy, which based on food security concept.
“It has to be no longer food security but food sovereignty as food security does not regulate how food is produced or where it is from. This is the weak point in the national food security concept,” said Jamhari.
Rector Prof. Dr. Pratikno supports the forum. UGM as a university of democracy has to give real contributions to the food crisis. Many state crises such as economic and political crises started from food crisis.
“It is ironic that we are now suffering from dependency on foreign food sources, but it is as if we had no problems with our food condition,” said Pratikno.