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View all search resultsLack of protection for rice fields leads to deficit in 23 provinces
Twenty-three provinces in Indonesia suffer from a rice field deficit while only 14 provinces enjoy a surplus.
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Farmers plant rice in a field on June 28, 2024, in Lambaro, Aceh Besar regency, Aceh. Currently, 23 provinces in Indonesia suffer from a rice field deficit while only 14 provinces enjoy a surplus. (AFP/Chaideer Mahyuddin)
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bout two-thirds of Indonesian provinces suffer from rice field deficit caused by land conversion because some 3 million hectares of rice fields are not formally protected.
“Although we already have Law No. 41/2009 on Sustainable Farming Land, its implementation in the regions is still weak,” Baba Barus, an agriculture professor at IPB University, said in a press release on Wednesday ahead of the World Food Day, which is observed every Oct. 16.
“Many regional bylaws were made without clear spatial maps so there is no effective land protection.”
Baba, who is also chairman of IPB’s Center for Regional Systems Analysis, Planning and Development (CrestPent), said that 23 provinces suffer from a rice field deficit while only 14 provinces enjoy a surplus.
He added that the issue is not only about availability but also distribution and access. Indonesia does not lack rice, but there are still challenges in distribution and purchasing power.
Baba said that it is important to have a consistent policy to protect rice fields and to ensure fair transitions for farmers. He also said we need to consider water, productivity and farmers’ dependence on land.
Land conversion is not only a technical issue. Without serious commitment from the regional administrations, the public and all stakeholders, the threat of a food crisis will be imminent.
