The issue of food sovereignty has been raised for a long time, long before the COVID-19 outbreak hit. Even since our food law recognizes the importance of food sovereignty and food security. Food sovereignty is not just about meeting food needs. But it also involves aspects of independence in providing seeds, freedom in choosing planting patterns, and confidence in consuming food that is in accordance with local culture.
Indigenous communities in Indonesia have a wealth of diverse traditional knowledge in managing their food systems. However, the long process of transition and marginalization has threatened the continuation of these practices. Access to land, including customary forests, is the main key in the food system of indigenous communities. However, this marginalization of access has given rise to various problems, including the inability of some indigenous communities to practice their own food systems.
“So if we return to food; agrarian factors, land factors, access to land are the main keys. Not only land for cultivation, but also customary forests are an important key in the food system of indigenous communities. We know that the marginalization of indigenous peoples with access to land and forests has experienced many problems from the start. "This is what causes some indigenous peoples to not be able to practice their own food system," explained Ahmad Arif, Kompas journalist, on chat 45th edition inclusive, Thursday 1 February 2024.
Arif explained that until now, indigenous communities still maintain their traditional food systems, one of which is the Boti indigenous community on Timor Island. Showing that they are able to fulfill their food needs independently in an environmentally friendly way. They use seeds inherited from their ancestors. Also, practicing organic farming, which not only preserves nature but also produces high-quality food.
"This includes the belief system still attached to the production and consumption process," said Arif. Thus, indigenous peoples such as the Boti people are no longer numerous and are becoming fewer and fewer. “Other examples include the Baduy community in Banten or the Kajang community. But in general, Indonesia is currently experiencing a very extraordinary transition. This happened partly because of a long period of marginalization. "Both access, agrarian and forest areas are increasingly difficult," he added.
Apart from massive and long marginalization, changes in the transition to food sovereignty in indigenous communities are also influenced by cultural hegemony. This has happened since the Dutch came to Indonesia. One of them was in Siberut in the early 1900s. The Dutch and religious missions changed the local Mentawai food system which previously depended on sago, taro and hunting in the forest to a rice field system. This method ultimately organized the Mentawai indigenous people in a new way of life. Both land systems, beliefs and food systems.
Then, this was culturally and long-term continued by the new order. Ultimately, there is inferiority in indigenous communities towards their traditional food systems. "If we now come to Mentawai and NTT, there are many indigenous people, especially young people, who do not have confidence in their local food system."
Also, this phenomenon ultimately causes many indigenous peoples to lose food sovereignty, production sovereignty and even consumption sovereignty. They abandoned sago and various local foods and replaced them with rice and instant noodles. Of course, this will also create economic dependence.
"So culturally they experience hegemony and economically they experience a deficit," explained Arif. “I saw this in Mentawai and NTT. Where they have to buy expensive food. Food that they cannot produce themselves. "In fact, in their environment there is food which, as it regenerates, becomes part of their identity."
The Boti indigenous people are a very real example. Where when indigenous peoples still practice their local wisdom food system, they are able to meet their food commodity needs both in quantity and quality. Data shows that in the Boti indigenous community, stunting or malnutrition almost never occurs. Even though it is a scourge in the NTT indigenous community as a whole. Where in 2022, NTT will be ranked third with the highest stunting cases reaching 45%. In fact, the Boti area is still included in the South Central Timor district.
Even though it is still a dry area, with their traditional knowledge system, the Boti indigenous people are able to grow various types of plants that suit the natural context. Such as tubers, grains, corn and sorghum. They are also able to fulfill their food consistently. Not only that, the agroforest food system; livestock that are integrated with the forest, released and released into the wild, guarantee their protein needs.
"This has been proven, while other areas in the surrounding area are experiencing a food crisis, including a nutritional crisis, in Boti they are not experiencing that. "So, this is actually clear evidence that when the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples is not disturbed, they can still fulfill their food consistently."
Because for indigenous peoples, food fulfillment and food production practices are very close to their beliefs. For example, organic crop practices are still maintained. According to indigenous peoples, this plant system can preserve nature. Also, in the long term, it produces lower agricultural inputs but better food quality.
However, looking at today's food corporatization approach, as is happening in food estate projects, has become a source of big problems in efforts to achieve food sovereignty in Indonesia. The government must learn from the local wisdom of indigenous communities to restore a food system based on local knowledge which is different in each place. Indigenous peoples are examples of people who have survived the times. Who have adapted their way of life and food systems over centuries to their specific environments.
The example of the Boti indigenous community shows that approaches that focus on local food diversity are more successful than projects food estate which tends to be uniform. For example, if food estate planted cassava in Kalimantan and failed, the indigenous people in Boti were able to plant cassava with good results. Because they have adapted to specific climatic conditions and processes that they have practiced over the years. Instead, projects food estate such as printing rice fields in Merauke is not sustainable. In fact, it often creates tension between local communities and immigrants.
The Boti indigenous community shows that an approach based on local food diversity is more effective than just measuring food sufficiency with rice alone. They grow various types of food according to local natural conditions, which is a fundamental principle of the food systems of indigenous communities throughout Indonesia. The government's mistake was trying to make the food system uniform across the country, even though our nature has rich diversity.
The Boti indigenous people refuse food aid from the government because they believe that it will damage their food sovereignty. They offered help to others during the COVID-19 pandemic, showing their confidence in producing their own food. Food aid that is often provided by the government can ultimately become a source of new problems that ensnare indigenous communities.
To achieve sustainable food sovereignty, it is important for the government and society to strengthen local knowledge-based food systems. Agrarian affairs must be a priority, because access to land is the main support in fulfilling food. Local voices, especially those of indigenous communities, must be heard and encouraged to promote environmentally friendly practices that have been proven effective in addressing nutritional problems.
Policy advocacy is also crucial, especially in opposing food corporatization approaches that damage the environment. Through a strong narrative from below, we can show that there are still many practices of indigenous communities that are resilient and can be an inspiration for creating a sustainable food system in Indonesia. Mistakes in approaches such as food estate projects should be a lesson to avoid similar problems in the future.
