Indonesia's Role in Promoting Food Security in the Context of ASEAN Food Cooperation

Kok Fay CHIN

《Nusantara：An International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences》 2卷1期 (2020/06) Pp. 30-52

https://doi.org/10.6936/NIJHSS.202006_2(1).0002

摘要

The 2007-2008 food crisis has spurred Indonesia and other ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member countries to embrace food security as a permanent, high-priority policy. With their ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) initiatives, ASEAN has set several strategic initiatives to ensure long-term food security in the region. The literature on Indonesia's food security emphasizes the domestic political economy context of food security. In particular, most recent studies examine the impact of Indonesian's key policy, which prioritizes national food self-sufficiency over other domestic distributional considerations. Given Indonesia's strategic participation in the ASEAN's cooperation in Food, Agriculture, and Forestry (FAF), however, the analysis of how the dynamics around regional cooperation and integration shape the country's role in enhancing food security remains underexplored. Thus, there is a lack of studies attempting to examine-let alone theorize-the dynamics around regional food security cooperation initiated by ASEAN. This study aims to fill this gap by using Indonesia as a case study for exploring this issue. Using the methodology of participant observation of the Special Senior Officials Meeting of the 39th ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (SOM-39th AMAF), we have closely examined the regional-national interaction by focusing on various regional cooperative initiatives for enhancing local food security. In addition to secondary data, our analysis of the eighteen agendas related to food security discussed in the SOM-39th AMAF offers invaluable insights into the interaction of various domestic factors with the ASEAN food cooperation contextual factors that can influence food security. These national-regional interactions are critical because they can, in turn, determine Indonesia FAF policy choices and hence, its role in enhancing food security in the country. Notwithstanding the state's preoccupation with national food self-sufficiency, the Indonesian government has shown it is committed to engaging in various ASEAN sectoral task forces, technical working groups, ad-hoc steering committees to help shape the guidelines related to the various dimensions of food security. The paper argues that strong political will alone is not enough to ensure gains from the broadening food security agenda through the shared policy goals and exchange of ideas and learning process in the national-regional interactions. Intentions must be backed up by the country's ability to leverage the enabling environment arising from the ASEAN food cooperation initiatives and programs. In particular, it is necessary to enhance capacity to implement and coordinate policies based on local needs and capacities at various levels. At the same time, it is important for Indonesia to overcome the constraining environment endemic to the ASEAN food cooperation so as not to threaten food security for the most vulnerable groups in the country.

關鍵字

food security ； ASEAN Economic Community ； Indonesia ； national capacity ； smallholder farmers

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