Perspective Chapter: How Important is Urban Farming in Indonesia to Support Food Sovereignty?

Abstract

Urban farming is a simple concept yet significantly impacts food security and food sovereignty for urban households. Indonesian context defined urban farming as cultivation practices, including food crops, vegetables, fruits, herbs, medicinal and ornamental plants, with some combination of fishes and poultry in urban areas, namely home yard, office yard, school garden, communal garden, and many more. This chapter aims to discuss five main topics related to the urban farming movement in Indonesia: (1) The dynamic of yard utilization and food provision policy; (2) The importance of urban farming in society; (3) Community perception and involvement in urban farming; (4) The impact of the pandemic on household food security and food supply chains; (5) Government strategy to sustain participatory urban farming. The sustainability of urban farming still requires government assistance and intervention, and private involvement through corporate social responsibility. The government must support infrastructure both in terms of policy and physical implementation to facilitate the establishment of a network of business partnerships between producer farmers and various market actors in a market chain to step up the era of urban farming industrialization.