Determining strategies for water, energy, and food-related sectors in local economic development

Abstract

Water, energy, and food (WEF) related sectors are important to support people’s life in a region. Resource evaluation is one of the stages in resource management to ensure that the existence of those sectors is provided sustainably. The assessment of the agglomeration level and growth of each sector in economic development can give better insights for local stakeholders either government bodies or private firms to improve sustainable management of these sectors. The objectives of this paper are to portray the agglomeration level and recent growth of WEF related sectors in local regions in Indonesia, and to determine possible sustainable development strategies. The location quotient (LQ) and competitive position (CP) analysis methods are employed in this regard. By analysing Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) between 2000 and 2015, basic and non-basic sectors have been determined. Results show that the general characteristics of WEF related sectors in this region can be distinguished clearly based on its main economic development focus. Results show recent growth in WEF sectors locally, from which possible strategies for future sustainable development are formulated that could be considered in the evaluation and planning process. This approach can be expected to assist local government and stakeholders in undertaking preliminary evaluation, in particular the availability of WEF resources, ensuring that development meets local and national sustainable development targets.