Food security challenges and opportunities in indonesia post COVID-19

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has been a significant health crisis and has the possibility for further crises. The pandemic has also brought many challenges to food security issues in Indonesia. The country indeed has a long history of food security, and rice, as the staple food, has become the main focus of food security policies. As a country known for its agriculture, Indonesia is still struggling to reach food self-sufficiency due to some classic problems in agriculture such as agricultural land-use change, human resources, inputs, etc. Considering that local production cannot meet the national food demand, food imports were arranged. Nevertheless, this policy is not suitable for an extended period due to the risks of food import dependency. Speaking of food security challenges in the post-Covid-19 pandemic, Indonesia's high focus on rice, classic problems in agriculture, supportive regulation, and education are regarded as the main concerns. Beyond these challenges, however, food security opportunities also appeared, such as increasing awareness of food waste, strong social capital, and return to local potential to support the food security agenda. The pandemic has made many parties realize that food security issues are important and need more attention, especially in terms of how the four main aspects of food security can be met during and after the crisis.