Food sovereignty has become a key focus of the Indonesian government today. Various sectors within the government are collaborating to develop effective policies that support this national vision. In line with this issue, a team from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) in the Student Creativity Program for Social Humanities Research (PKM-RSH) seeks to contribute through a study on rice field fragmentation and the changing meaning of agricultural land in the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY), under the supervision of Dr. Aprillia Firmonasari, a lecturer at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB UGM).
Motivated by the growing threat to food sovereignty, the research team, comprising Muhammad Ahsan (Geography), Dian Rahmanisa (Agriculture), Arundina Wijaya (Agricultural Technology), Aqeela Izza Aulia (Social and Political Sciences), and Aiken Gimnastiar (Social and Political Sciences), examined the phenomenon of rice field conversion through the leapfrog pattern, namely scattered urban development that lacks structure and does not follow spatial planning.
Leapfrog development causes rice fields to become fragmented, diminishing their productivity and economic value.
“The long-term impact of rice field fragmentation will lead to a decline in rice production, which poses a threat to the food sovereignty of the Yogyakarta region,” said Muhammad Ahsan on Tuesday (Oct. 14).
The team found that over the past decade, rice field fragmentation has occurred massively on the urban outskirts, particularly in several sub-districts (kapanewon) in Sleman and Bantul Regencies. Ahsan identified Kapanewon Ngaglik, Sleman, as the area most affected by the leapfrog phenomenon.
“We calculated the land cover quantification in Yogyakarta’s suburban areas from 2015 to 2024 and discovered that Ngaglik experienced the highest rate of fragmentation over the past ten years,” Ahsan explained.
Although the Sustainable Food Agricultural Land Protection (PLP2B) policy has been implemented, its execution is considered suboptimal. According to Aiken Gimnastiar, there are still gaps in the process of designating rice fields as protected areas.
“The implementation of PLP2B is not yet optimal because the designation of protected rice fields often fails to accommodate landowners’ interests. This creates differences in values, meanings, and priorities between landowners and the government,” Gimnastiar stated.
Beyond analyzing the phenomenon of fragmentation or leapfrogging, the study also explores the evolving significance of agricultural land for communities, private entities, and the government amid the pressures of urban development.
“We hope that this research will not only contribute academically but also serve as a strategic reference for local governments in formulating more balanced land management policies,” he concluded.
Author: Ika Agustine
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya
Photographs: PKM-RSH team on rice field conversion