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Murdijati Gardjito: Local food produce and wisdom
Murdijati Gardjito
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Murdijati Gardjito. Simon Sudarman
A feeling of distress overwhelmed Murdijati Gardjito when the professor was requested to provide direction and guidance at a seminar for the community of East Belitung, Belitung Island, off the east coast of South Sumatra, where most of its people are farmers with vast agricultural lands.
'What's most distressing is the food problem there, as 95 percent of East Belitung regency is dependent on other regions. In fact, if everything is managed properly, based on local wisdom, I'm convinced the regency will have a food surplus, and so will the country, with no more rice imports,' said Murdijati Gardjito.
The food technologist from Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Yogyakarta who has been engaged in the empowerment of local produce since the 1990s, indicated that without the support of all parties and especially the government, the endeavor would not progress.
According to Murdijati, the dream of becoming independent and self-sufficient in terms of providing food for the nation would be a lost cause, due to the behavior and attitude of the nation, particularly the government, which puts local food on the sidelines.
'Our country is illogical. Despite an abundance of land and fertile soil in the Nusantara [Indonesian Archipelago], even rice has to be imported. If we put local wisdom to the fore, Indonesia would not be in this ridiculous situation,' noted the woman born in Yogyakarta on March 21, 1942, with deep concern.
For Murdijati, who became UGM's professor of agricultural technology in 2007, imitating the lifestyle of the nation's forebears, who were in tune with nature, doesn't mean a regression in behavior and mind-set. She believes that their harmony with nature should be emulated so that food will never pose a problem.
The mother of two and grandmother of four who also studied in the US and the Philippines pointed out that Indonesian people in the 19th century still utilized local wisdom, thus making them free from any food constraints. She therefore signaled the necessity to take into account the importance of villages, through their traditional methods, to help food self-sufficiency to be realized.
'So it's the responsibility of regency administrations to manage regional potential through traditional regional aspects. Sadly, it doesn't happen when they're preoccupied with winning Adipura awards for cleanliness, instead of prioritizing on the quest for food supply independence based on local wisdom,' criticized the member of the Tourism Expert Council for Culinary Affairs in Jakarta.
It means that the government should manage and empower regional food potential and all local characteristics in a wise and smart manner. In her view, Indonesia has huge potential for food self-sufficiency, due to its extensive
agricultural areas.
The woman who has written over 26 books on the preservation, management and empowerment of local produce made it clear that the existing law and presidential decree on local food self-sufficiency were not enough. The government should demonstrate its sense of responsibility by getting fully involved in managing farmers' activities and procuring the facilities needed.
'What I'm campaigning for now is a cultural breakthrough to make empowerment come from the practice and cultural roots of local residents,' emphasized the member of the Indonesian Food Technologists Association (PATPI).
Since the government does not favor local wisdom, there will continue to be an influx of imported goods including food. For the executive of Yayasan Pendidikan Widya Tani (Farmers' Training Foundation) since 1983, the fact implies that the government fails to educate people to give prominence to local produce, so they can achieve self-sufficiency and public welfare.
'Actually, the development of local produce will provide different food variants, taking the form of quality and modern products,' assured Murdijati, currently living in Kemetiran Kidul, Yogyakarta.
The winner of the Nusantara Culinary Preservation Award 2012 from the Governor of Yogyakarta, stressed the need to side with local produce to promote distinctive regional elements.
For the creation of such variants in the local diet, she has written a book about this subject, about the dietary variants of local produce for royal circles, so that they give an impression of modern, quality and nutritious alternatives.
'The government focuses on a limited variety of local produce such as sweet potatoes and cassava. There are actually many kinds of local produce like suweg [elephant foot yam], sukun [breadfruit], gourds to name a few,' said the member of the Indonesian Biochemistry Association.
Local eating habits are best seen in dishes such as tumpeng [rice cone and dishes] as an expression of Indonesian society's wisdom of equilibrium of life, involving the relations between men and nature, fellow humans, and God.
'Unsurprisingly, Westerners and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization [FAO] have also described tumpeng, which comes in 17 types, as highly philosophical. From tumpeng we can learn many things to achieve welfare in a humane and nature-friendly way,' said the woman, a retiree who since 1963 remained an active lecturer at UGM, Yogyakarta.
