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Indonesians need better nutrition — farmers can help
Indonesians consume fewer fruits and vegetables than any other country in ASEAN save Cambodia. In fact, Indonesia has the second highest stunting rate in ASEAN (Lao PDR has the highest).
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Children play in a park near the West Flood Canal in Petamburan, Central Jakarta, on Sept. 14, 2016. (JP/P.J.LEO)
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ndonesians consume fewer fruits and vegetables than any other country in ASEAN save Cambodia. And for the bottom 70 percent of the population it is even worse — they spend only half as much on fruits and vegetables and just one-third as much on meat, fish and dairy, when compared to the top 30 percent.
These micronutrient-rich foods are essential for physical and cognitive development — people should not live on rice alone. The low consumption of fruits and vegetables by so many Indonesians is one major reason for the high prevalence of stunting among children below the age of five (in both urban and rural areas).
In fact, Indonesia has the second highest stunting rate in ASEAN (Lao PDR has the highest). The bottom line is adults who were stunted as children earn 20 percent less than adults who were not, putting a brake on economic growth and preventing the country from reaching its full potential.
All told, malnutrition costs Indonesia more than US$ 5 billion annually due to lost productivity.
In order to solve this problem and meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets on poverty and hunger eradication, Indonesia needs to build a competitive and diversified agricultural sector that promotes farmer livelihood and improved nutrition for all Indonesians.
For example, Indonesians should be eating more fruits and vegetables, but the country does not want to become too reliant on imports. At the same time, these foods must be affordable, so it will be essential to improve productivity and probably also expand the area devoted to these crops (which has not increased for the past few years).
One option might be to encourage more cultivation during the dry season on Java, where soils are fertile, climate is favorable and population density is high, by providing better seeds and using information and communication technologies to disseminate knowledge to farmers.
