In order to commemorate World Food Day which falls on October 16, the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia, through the Student Executive Board (BEM) and the Biology Department Student Association (HMD) of FMIPA UI, held an online Food Security Seminar on Sunday (18/10/20) via an online meeting application.
Carrying a theme Biodiversity for Food Security and How an Economic Perspective Views It, this activity was attended by more than 150 participants and invited a number of experts in the field of science and technology whose scientific backgrounds were related to the theme.
The first speaker, Prof. Dr. Slamet Budijanto, a Professor at the Department of Food Science and Technology at IPB, delivered material regarding the abundance of Natural Resources (SDA) available in Indonesia but not yet optimally utilized.
For example, although carbohydrates are abundantly available in nature, Indonesians unfortunately rely on a single food source, rice. This often forces the Indonesian government to import rice from neighboring countries like Vietnam and Thailand.
In response to this, Prof. Slamet and his team were motivated to develop an alternative food, analog rice, whose main ingredient is not rice, but yellow corn, purple sweet potatoes, and other ingredients. In closing, Prof. Slamet emphasized the importance of food diversification, a program aimed at encouraging people to avoid relying on a single staple food and to incorporate other foods into their diets.
Echoing Prof. Slamet’s remarks, the second speaker at the online seminar, Prof. Jatna Supriatna, a Professor from the Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia, stated that Indonesia is a country rich in food resources but a net importer. He attributed this to a lack of scientific and technological expertise in optimizing the use of existing natural resources.
Ir. Albertus Husein Wawo M.Si, a senior researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), in his presentation discussed the use of tubers as a source of carbohydrates to support national food security and increase regional economic value.
He further provided the example of Bogor’s taro layer cake, which can be used as a source of carbohydrates and is now a source of added economic value for the city of Bogor. He also presented rice production data released by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) and the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture, indicating that rice production has tended to decline over the past three years.
Pembicara terakhir dalam seminar daring ini, yakni Bisuk Abraham S.E., M.Sc. staf research associate LPEM-FEB UI. He presented an economic perspective on food diversification. He noted that food diversification is occurring more intensively in provinces in western Indonesia than in provinces in eastern Indonesia. This refers to Hukum Bennet’s or Bennet’s Law which states that the level of population welfare is directly proportional to the level of diversity of food consumed.
