Local Food Institution Empowerment in Lombok Barat District

Abstract

Local food in some ways is considered one of the biggest chances for farmers to give added value and achieve better opportunities in the market. People who produce, distribute, and consume food ought to control the mechanisms and policies for food production and distribution. Local food produces chances for inclusion, innovation, and participation among producers. Assistance from stakeholders might play a role in developing local food. As the strength of a region, is local food well controlled by producers in the area to guarantee that they possess the power to maintain the food system? This research aimed to find (1) institutions that control local food; (2) producers with authority to control local food existence; and (3) a model of empowerment for local food institutions. Research was undertaken in Lombok Barat District, Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia, with consideration of the potency of local food to support the economy in Lombok Barat, which has been recognized as a tourism area. A qualitative method was used in analyzing respondents’ opinions gathered by interviews and focus group discussions. The research results showed that the producer community was the institution that became the main source of producers’ growth; meanwhile other stakeholders took roles as supportive institutions to link producers to innovations and markets. The majority of producers were simply price takers of their products without making any efforts to innovate and improve their entrepreneurship spirit. The obtained empowerment model was an entrepreneurial producer-based approach, in which producers should retain their motivation to take opportunities for innovations and linkages.