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Land without farmers: Invest in agriculture
The growing preference for fresh, healthy food has contributed to the growth in agritech startups.
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A farmer partner of TaniFund tends tomato plants at a farm in Bogor, West Java. (Coutesy of TaniHub)
T
he growing preference for fresh, healthy food has contributed to the growth in agritech startups. The government has also invested in empowering farmers, who provide the fresh produce startups distribute to consumers.
However, Indonesia reportedly lost 5.1 million farmers between 2003 and 2013, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS).
“The trend is expected to continue in the next few years. At this rate, Indonesia would lose all its farmers by 2063,” wrote The Jakarta Post.
The demanding and laborious work, as well as the perception that the incomes of farmers are small, are among the reasons why the professionhas become less and less appealing for many, not to mention the high costs of production, climate change andlow levels of investment.
The National Labor Force Survey revealed that only 23 percent of Indonesia’s 14.2 million people aged between 15 and 24 worked in the agriculture, forestry and fishery sectors in 2019, as reported by the Post.
The declining number of farmers, shrinking farmland and the possibility of a future without farmers is highly concerning, as agriculture has long been a major contributor to Indonesia’s economy. Even more concerning is that lower food production could lead to skyrocketing food prices, swelling imports, increasing consumption of ultra-processed food or even extreme hunger, in a worst-case scenario.
JakPost Up Close webinar on the importance of investing in agriculture
An upcoming webinar inThe Jakarta Post’s series JakPost Up Close aims to underscore the importance of investing in agriculture by discussing the challenges faced by the sector,exploring success storiesand shedding light on future possibilities.
With the theme “Land without farmers: Invest in agriculture”, the webinar seeks to provide insights that can inform decision making among key stakeholders and communities toboost the agriculture sector.
The webinar will be held in partnership with peer-to-peer lending platform TaniFund –part of tech-based agriculture company TaniHub Group, which is celebrating its 4thanniversary –and will feature the following experts and key stakeholders:
Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo, or the secretary-general/relevant directorgeneral if the minister is not available at the last minute
Representative of the Financial Services Authority (OJK)
Nyoman Yogi, International Finance Corporation (IFC) operations officer for access to finance in Indonesia
Pamitra Wineka, TaniHub Group president and cofounder
Henry Saragih, chairman, Indonesian Farmers Union
Felippa Ann Amanta, head of research, Center for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS)
The agriculture minister will speak on the role and importance of investment in agriculture and the government’s efforts to attract investment into the sector.
The OJK representative will talk about the role of financial technology (fintech) in improving financial inclusion among farmers.
As a financial expert, Nyoman Yogi will speak about the opportunities and challenges going forward in investing and developing the agriculture sector. He will also discuss what policies are needed to support investment and financing to ensure food security and sustainability.
Pamitra Wineka will highlight the innovations that TaniHub has launched tohelp solve the challenges faced byfarmers, and what the company will do to ensure the profession does not die. He will also stress the importance of collaboration over competition by elaborating on how individuals and institutions can participate in bringing about change in Indonesia’s agriculture sectorwith TaniFund, whichhas the stated mission of growing together with lenders and borrowers.
Amplifying thevoices of farmers, Henry Saragih will share the stories of agriculture workers, casting a light on the regeneration crisis and its underlying causes. He will also explain how the pandemic has affected farmers, and provide recommendations on how we can help farmers.
To encourage investment in agriculture, Felippa Ann Amanta will present studies on private sector involvement and investments in agriculture, and discuss CIPS’ recommendations to overcome the roadblocks that have hampered investment.
The JakPost Up Close webinar will provide a forum for researchers, private sector employees and executives, public sector staff and high-ranking officials, university students and the international community to explore the challenges and opportunities associated with agricultural investment.
Streamed live via Zoom, the webinar will be conducted in English on Tuesday, Sept. 2 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
