Food Security Policies in Maritime Southeast Asia

This 2010 report examines food security in Indonesia, arguing that the country's focus on food self-sufficiency (Swasembada Pangan) has neglected the critical issue of food access. While national food supplies were adequate during the 2007/08 global food crisis, poor infrastructure and low incomes led to severe food insecurity in remote regions, particularly in East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, and the Special Region of Yogyakarta. The report recommends shifting policy toward improving food access, investing in transportation infrastructure, and promoting food diversification.

• Food insecurity in Indonesia is primarily a problem of access rather than availability. While domestic food supplies may be sufficient, poor people are often unable to afford nutritious food, a situation exacerbated by poor transportation infrastructure that increases food prices in remote areas.
• The Indonesian government has historically prioritized a rigid food self-sufficiency approach, known as the Swasembada Pangan initiative, which focuses on domestic production but neglects the dimension of food access for the poor.
• The 2007/08 global food crisis caused significant price volatility in Indonesia, particularly for palm oil, which rose from USD 574/ton at the end of 2007 to USD 1,263/ton in 2008. This led producers to export crude palm oil directly, reducing domestic cooking oil stocks.
• Regional food insecurity is most acute in eastern Indonesia. In East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), 38.67 percent of villages (923 out of 2,387) were recorded as food insecure, with the province classified as chronically food insecure since 2005.
• In the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY), food insecurity is linked to poverty, population growth outpacing food production, and the aftermath of a major earthquake in 2006. Gunung Kidul regency has been identified as the most food insecure regency in Indonesia, with 77 villages experiencing extreme food insecurity.
• West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) remains food insecure despite having a surplus of rice production. The province struggles with low food quality and diversity, with consumption dominated by carbohydrates, and some districts remain isolated from key infrastructure.
• The Indonesian government has implemented several pro-poor policies to improve food access, including Conditional Direct Aid Cash, Rice for the Poor, and the Food Self-sufficient Villages Program (launched in 2006), but these are often viewed as providing only short-term assistance.
• The agricultural sector's share of Indonesia's GDP declined from 18.06 percent in 1998 to 14.40 percent in 2008, reflecting a shift toward secondary and tertiary sectors.
• In East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), there is a shifting consumption trend from corn, the traditional staple, to rice, which is now associated with prestige. This shift, combined with protracted drought (contributing 54 percent of food insecurity), has undermined local food security.
• Indonesia is a major global agricultural player, ranked as the 8th main agricultural exporter in 2008 with USD 32.86 billion in exports, and the 14th largest importer with USD 13.31 billion in imports.

APA

Salim, Z. (2010). Food Security Policies in Maritime Southeast Asia. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/food_security_policies_indonesia.pdf

Chicago

Salim, Zamroni. Food Security Policies in Maritime Southeast Asia. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2010. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/food_security_policies_indonesia.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Salim |first1=Zamroni |title=Food Security Policies in Maritime Southeast Asia |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=June 2010 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/food_security_policies_indonesia.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{salim2010food, author = {Salim, Zamroni}, title = {{Food Security Policies in Maritime Southeast Asia}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2010}, month = jun, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/food_security_policies_indonesia.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }