Jakarta, 16 Mei – Indonesia for Humanity (IKa), Terasmitra, and Indonesia Berseru launch Funding for Food Self-Sufficiency, a movement that aims to support communities to build a self-sufficient food production system.
Latifah Hendarti, keynote speaker from the Detara Foundation and GEF SG National Management Board Panitia Pengarah Nasional GEF SG, said that this movement aims to build collaboration that can support and respond to the challenges of meeting diverse and nutritious local food security needs which are increasingly difficult to access. It will also respond to the Indonesia’s potential food crisis.
“This movement is focused on establishing a community food system that is stronger, acknowledges the role of farmers in villages, including community initiative to provide agricultural produce self-sufficiently and facilitating a community of technical support,” said Latifah.
The launch of this movement included a discussion on the theme, “Solidarity for Food Self-Sufficiency,” with speakers including: Ukke Kosasih (Indonesia for Humanity, food security activist), Tejo Wahyu Jatmiko (Indonesia Berseru, food sovereignty activist) and Slamet (representative from Terasmitra partner, the Brenjok Organic Farming Community) and moderated by Annisa Hertami (actor in the film “Empu” – Indonesia’s Citra Award nominee).
Tejo Wahyu Jatmiko explained that talking about the impact of Covid-19 on the food crisis is an urgent matter, though few are yet aware of this.
“The Indonesian government is late in responding to the threat of a food crisis during the pandemic. The government has only just given its attention and taken action following the WHO’s announcement that the pandemic will also impact on the food crisis,” said Tejo.
The response is very late in comparison to other countries, bearing in mind that there is a relationship between dependency between states and the food produce that is consumed by the people. This relationship can be seen from people’s consumption which is influenced by the global food supply chain and so they have become used to eating imported fruit, bread and meat.
“It is thus important that we in Indonesia build a community food system, a system from, by and for the local community. The focus should be on involving local communities and not damaging the environment as well as cementing community relations” Tejo added.
This issue was underlined by Slamet from the Brenjok Organic Farming Community. He said that building a community food system was key to promoting village level self-sufficiency in the management of sustainable business based on the principles of social enterprise.
“Building a community food system is not difficult if the people are made aware of the important of growing food. In the village, we have a lot of land that can be used to grow produce, moreover we can begin by planting in our own backyards,” said Slamet
As well as encouraging the people to grow produce, Slamet also emphasized the important of protecting the environment and agricultural produce by not using chemical inputs that have the potential to impact negatively on soil fertility and the produce itself. So the community food system should be made sustainable by taking care of the environment.
“Together with my family I moved to Cisarua from Bintaro in order to campaign on behalf of food security which begins at family level,” said Ukke Kosasih. When they first moved, the land that Ukke and her family occupied only grew two types of vegetables, but after four years they now have over a thousand different types of produce and the land has become a place of learning from people from the city, Jakarta in particular.
The discussion was closed by the moderator, Annisa Hertami, who said that the issue of food is related to the support of the people and the support of the government. It is hoped that this movement will broaden and that much can be done by every community group.
“During the pandemic what people need is hope, and a food self-sufficiency movement provides new hope that will enable us to avoid a food crisis,” said Annisa in closing the event.