Transforming the Food System
The food system approach is a new way to understand the interrelation among variables and factors that shape the outcome of food security. A future food system must be more comprehensive and sustainable, covering production, processing, distribution, trade, and food consumption. Transforming the food system is urgently required, in order to achieve food security and environmental health outcomes in general. The outcome of the food system approach is food security, which includes the dimensions of food availability, access and utilization. In a vision of sustainability, the food system also yields outcomes in the form of: (1) social welfare, which includes employment, income levels, human capital, social capital, political capital and (2) environmental health, which includes ecosystem stock-flows, ecosystem services, natural capital etc. (FIGURE-5)
In the context of the G20 presidency, Indonesia is committed to implementing a sustainable and resilient food system (SRFS). SRFS is a transformational strategy to improve food security and nutrition, to be able to contribute to a healthy and balanced diet. SRFS is also highly compatible with poverty alleviation, sustainable natural resource management, ecosystem conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation. A food production system, with the use of chemical fertilizers, excessive pesticides and the conversion of natural forests into a super-intensive agricultural system is frankly not sustainable.
Read: INDONESIA’S LOOMING FOOD CRISIS: Can the overregulated agro sector withstand the threat?
The next strategy is the development of a sustainable food system from the land to the table, from upstream to downstream – one that is capable of producing food and other agricultural products, without deforestation or a dissertation on habitat conversion. Sustainable food systems and land use will be able to restore degraded land and revert land back to nature and ecosystems that result in additional productivity. Such transformation strategies are interconnected, so the solution also needs to be developed in an integrated manner.
Policy recommendations
The strategy for anticipating the global food crisis needs to be developed by refocusing the Indonesian food policy from end-to-end. First, increasing food and agricultural productivity, through: lower use of chemical inputs and empowerment of small farmers. The steps to increase productivity are not only relevant for staple foods such as rice, corn and vegetable oil, but also high-value horticulture.
Second, promoting technological change in agriculture, including modern biotechnology and even genetically modified organisms (GMOs). However, not many parties or policy makers are ready to adopt and develop genetically engineered products (GM) for the food-agriculture system, due to excessive concerns.
Third, improving soil health to support a resilient and sustainable food system (SRFS) strategy, for example through the development of organic agriculture, the combination and balance of the use of organic fertilizers, etc. Transformation of the food system is urgently needed to contribute to anticipating and mitigating strategies in facing an authentic food crisis.
Fourth, cash social transfer (BLT): social assistance programs such as the Family Hope Program (PKH), non-cash food assistance (BPNT), and others need to be implemented effectively, from urban to remote rural areas.
Fifth, more detailed intervention measures for specific food commodities, such as (a) incentives for farmers to improve the quality of domestic premium rice; (b) increasing maize productivity upstream, and integration with the animal feed industry; (c) improvement of high-quality soybean production and ease of soybean import procedures; (d) the allocation of food-energy is more balanced in the palm oil industry; (e) restructuring of the sugar cane base industry and integrated management of the sugar industry; (f) utilization of domestic cattle and meat sources from other countries – ones that are free of foot and mouth disease (FMD).
Sixth, mentoring and empowering farmers in precision agriculture, digitizing food value chains, ABGC quadruple helix cooperation (academics, business, government, and civil society), innovation ecosystems and the integration of more inclusive research and development (R&D) strategies. (Prof. Dr. Bustanul Arifin)