The food estate development program has once again come under scrutiny. Some parties have labeled it a failed program, claiming it negatively impacts the environment.
According to agricultural expert Professor Subejo from UGM, establishing food estates as a precaution against the threat of global food crises is a good idea. However, unfortunately, the program’s design was not mature enough, and its implementation seemed rushed.
“This program gained momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic as a quick response to the global food crisis,” he explained.
“Because of that, it was somewhat rushed in its execution when, in reality, the program’s design and all its supporting aspects were not yet sufficiently prepared, and everything seemed half-baked.”
Professor Subejo clarified that food estates, often known as corporate farming, are synonymous with large-scale agricultural land management, spanning thousands of hectares, to produce specific food commodities with good management, resulting in uniform and quality products.
The management of these lands can be entrusted to corporations entirely or with the involvement of the local community.
Besides management, another crucial aspect of the food estate program is the availability of various supporting components, from the upstream to downstream, ranging from capital providers and production facilities to buyers.
The professor notes that these components have not been well-prepared in the existing food estate.
“In practice, it’s not ready yet. The areas are opened up, but the participants are not ready. Opening up land might be possible, but its continuity is crucial,” he added.
“Let’s not forget the valuable lesson we learned in the 1990s when we opened up a million hectares of land in Kuala Kapuas, Central Kalimantan. Transmigrants were brought in and tried to grow rice, but it didn’t work because part of the land was acidic and peat, which isn’t suitable for rice.”
He stated that efforts to boost food production can be done without opening up new land. This might be ineffective if done in areas with suboptimal land quality and not supported by available human resources, markets, and other supportive aspects.
He also admitted that the development of agricultural land outside Java often faces the obstacle of land suitability. Different characteristics of farmers can also present their challenges.
“For example, in Central Kalimantan, most people are swidden farmers, so if they’re forced to engage in intensive farming like in Java, they’re not ready,” he explained.
He proposed alternative methods, such as converting dry land into paddy fields with small-scale irrigation development and building embankments or optimizing existing land management with various innovations and appropriate agricultural technologies to generate higher value-added production.
In small villages, using village funds to support agricultural infrastructure is promising.
Agricultural land management can be done through farmer cooperatives, farmer groups, village-owned enterprises (BUMDES), or other institutions.
To enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of land management, he stated that not all farmers in the village need to be directly involved in land cultivation.
Some could engage in rural industries and services, derivative activities from agriculture, such as food processing, village tourism management, and more.
“They still work in the village, but not all manage the fields. Through farmer cooperatives or BUMDES, a profit-sharing system can be established, allowing them to benefit from their agricultural land. This is more effective than having everyone work in the fields,” he explained.
He added that if farmers find it difficult to manage land independently, they can collaborate with companies with good management and become off-takers of their agricultural products.
Farmers can continue to work according to their habits with supervision from the corporation, thus ensuring standardization, good governance, and market guarantees.
“If that can be achieved, it might be relatively ideal,” Professor Subejo concluded.
Author: Gloria
Photo: Freepik.com