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Young farmers are what Indonesia needs

Every Oct. 16 we mark World Food Day to give particular recognition to the food-related issues that impact our lives. 

Deviana Wijaya Dewi (The Jakarta Post)
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Jakarta
Mon, October 16, 2017

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Young farmers are what Indonesia needs Two boys carry tengala and lampit, tools used in makepung lampit, a buffalo race on a wet paddy field in Jembrana. (JP/Agung Parameswara)

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very Oct. 16 we mark World Food Day to give particular recognition to the food-related issues that impact our lives. Food is indeed a universal language of love that connects everyone around the globe, similar to music and sports. Yet, problems related to food and agriculture still lack the attention they deserve.

The theme of this year’s commemoration is “Change the future of migration. Invest in food security and rural development.” The main idea behind this theme lies in the understanding that rural development can tackle the factors that compel people who live in rural areas to migrate elsewhere, by creating an enabling environment that allows rural people, especially youth, to feel safe, productive and resilient at home.

With all countries agreeing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), today we should form the zero hunger generation. Home to more than half the world’s population, the Asia Pacific region is, however, also home to more than 60 percent of the approximately 800 million hungry people in the world (FAO, 2016). While various factors are responsible for this phenomenon, the FAO assistant director-general and regional representative highlights that most countries in the region invest too little in agricultural research. How ironic for a region that has experienced rapid economic growth over the past two decades.

Looking at the region’s demographic makeup, countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia are preparing for the peak of their demographic dividend in the next 20 to 40 years. In other words, these countries will have a larger share of working-age people than young and old dependants, which will ideally contribute to higher economic output.

As a country with a large share of the Asia-Pacific’s population and natural resources, Indonesia is expected to experience a demographic bonus that creates a favorable dependency ratio until the planned fulfilment of the SDGs in 2030.

So, how would a certain demographic makeup be congruous with ending hunger and malnutrition? One of the well-formulated policy recommendations (UNDP, 2016) to help countries reap the benefits of a demographic dividend is to create more and better jobs. At the moment, young people in Indonesia — defined as those aged 16 to 30 years old according to Law No. 40/2009 — account for 24.52 percent of the country’s 252 million people (BPS, 2014).

Thus, if young people today had a keen interest in agriculture-related work, the creation of more and better jobs in agriculture would help meet both the demands of the demographic dividend and the needs of progressing toward eradicating hunger and malnutrition.

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