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Lagging agricultural technology poses risks to Indonesia's food security
The widely adopted conventional agricultural system in Indonesia only enables a hectare of land to produce 5 tonnes of rice, while countries with more advanced technology can produce up to 15 tonnes with the same amount of land.
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Food for all: Various farming technologies are displayed on Feb. 7-10, 2020, during the Jakarta Food Security Summit, at the Jakarta Convention Center. A number of agritech start-ups have created on-the-ground solutions for farmers to increase food production. (JP/PJ Leo)
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ndonesian agriculture development has lagged for years as the country struggles to improve technology and human resources in the sector, with experts and farmers believing the condition will make it difficult to effectively safeguard the nation's food security.
AA Gede Agung Wedhatama, founder of the Bali-based Cool Young Farmers (PMK) community said that the widely adopted conventional agricultural system in Indonesia only enables a hectare of land to produce 5 tonnes of rice, while countries with more advanced technology can produce up to 15 tonnes with the same amount of land.
PMK began in 2019 in hopes of encouraging young people to get involved in technology-based organic horticulture.
“If we compare ourselves with other countries like Japan, the Netherlands and Australia, our agriculture technology development is around 20 years behind them, and we must catch up,” he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
Read also: Lack of young farmers jeopardizes food security, say experts
He went on to say that smart farming, smart irrigation systems, precision farming and artificial intelligence (AI) had effectively reduced the production costs in those countries, which could help improve profits and therefore the welfare of smallholders.
In Indonesia, however, farmers face steep production costs and low profitability.
