Abstract
Food security has been an issue of endless discussions given its sensitive nature of being associated with the wellbeing of individuals. Pursuant to Article 33 of the Indonesian Constitution, the Indonesian Government, in principle, have the legal capacity to utilize to the greatest extent the nation’s natural resources for the sake of the welfare of Indonesian citizens through regulating and issuing relevant policies. As regards food security, Indonesian policies, in general, have been more focused on programs that aim to promote self-sufficiency in food production in order to achieve food security, as stated in Law No. 18 of 2012 regarding Food. The Law provides that importing food products can only be conducted if production by local producers is insufficient for the consumption needs of Indonesian citizens. Thus, this article will discuss further the national and international implications as a result of the government’s continuous perception that food security problems can be resolved with self-sufficiency in food production. The question is whether this policy has managed to reach its intended goal, namely ensuring Indonesian citizens the availability and access to nutritious food? Finally, this article will offer two solutions that are deemed to be more effective and efficient than the notion of food self-sufficiency in achieving the food security policy objective.
Highlights
Indonesia is one of the world’s most biologically and culturally rich countries
While Indonesia scores high for rice consumption per capita, it still relies on rice imports from Vietnam and Thailand to secure its domestic supply
This widely accepted definition highlights four elements of food security: availability, access, utilization and stability.5. These terms can be defined as follows: food availability is the amount of food that exists in sufficient quantities on a consistent basis; food access is defined as having sufficient resources for acquiring appropriate food for a nutritious diet; food utilization is through adequate diet, clean water, sanitation and health care; and stability is being food secure, 1 Indonesia-Investment, “Agricultural Sector of Indonesia”, http://www.indonesia-investments.com/ culture/economy/general-economic-outline/agriculture/item378, accessed on 20 April 2015
Summary
Indonesia is one of the world’s most biologically and culturally rich countries. The Indonesian government has placed self-sufficiency for certain agricultural products as its major political agenda. This policy applies to the main staple foods for Indonesian people such as rice, soybeans, corn and sugar. This paper aims to evaluate the Indonesian government’s self-sufficiency policy on agricultural products. This paper begins with the definition of food security and the nexus between food security and self-sufficiency. It elaborates on Indonesian agricultural policy from Independence to present day. This paper seeks to explore international trade and poverty alleviation as a means to promote food security
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
