The Time is Now for (more) Youths in Indonesia’s Agriculture Sector
By: Ayunda Tafsa Afifa (Corporate Communications Manager, TaniGroup)
As we have been witnessing discussions over the tables of United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP24) in Katowice, Poland, we have listened at the opening ceremony, President Andrzej Duda of Poland presented a draft proposal of a text to be adopted by the conference. By recalling what happened in Poland around 1980s, Duda mentioned how great and important social change is.
The debate over climate change issue and how they affect deep-rooted societal problems (mostly concentrated around emerging and/or developing economies), has been around for quite some time. On the ‘Climate Change and Developing-Country Cities: Implications for Environmental Health and Equity’ paper (Journal of Urban Health, 2007), Campbell-Lendrum and Corvalan argue that “decisions made and in developing-country cities in the next few decades will, therefore, be among the most important determinants of new and future local and global environmental stresses.”
Using another spectrum of perspective, Chinowsky, Hayles, et al, mentioned on the ‘Climate change: Comparative impact on developing and developed countries’ (The Engineering Project Organization Journal, 2011), that “(…)where water security or changes in agriculture threaten the livelihood of certain populations in developing countries, climate change has additionally been discussed in the context of human rights.”
Using both papers as a point of departure: Climate change as a threat (mostly been dubbed in the context of developing countries) has become the fundamental aspect of discussions among researchers, practitioners, and government across many sessions over the last decade and even more. Yet the question remains back home: Are Indonesians fully aware of climate change and how it may affect our future civilization?
Agriculture as an economic sector has always been categorized as the paramount factor, among others, to be affected in the near future by the conflicting narratives of climate change in a developing country. The youth as the symbol of the potential for change clearly has to have a say on the topic. Conspicuously, those who are specifically studying the subject of agriculture and related majors.
At the event of IAAS (International Association of Students in Agricultural and Related Sciences) Summit 2018 which was held in December 1st, 2018 at the National Library of Indonesia, I joined another speaker from Indonesia’s agritech startups (Crowde and SayurBox) sharing what we have in mind about youths and the mission to break the walls of unfair farming. Unbeknown to me, a plethora of audience’s question (or interests) was ranging mainly between raison d’ etre for speakers to take part in the sector, obstacles in the field, and future plan for each company to move forward in 2019 and so on.
Paradoxical though this portrayal may be, in my opinion, a few reasons worth to be depicted as ‘The WHY’ for more youths participation in the agriculture sector in Indonesia’, and I invite more young students to think deeply about this. Here are some:
#1. Economy betterness through harnessing technology and financial inclusion in rural areas
Contrasting facts occur in comparing the implementation of dynamic reforms that has triggered an increase in farming output with the total production that has not met the entire domestic demand for food (import-triggering factor) also the majority of farmers who still remain among the poorest citizens. Meanwhile, according to Indonesian Center for Agriculture Socio Economic and Policy Studies (ICASEPS — Ministry of Agriculture), the agricultural sector (from 2010–2014) “(…) absorbed most of the national labor force despite its tendency to decrease. In 2014 the sector absorbed approximately 35.76 million laborers or about 30.20% of the national labor force.”
Note: Additional data sourced from ADB (Asian Development Bank) conveys that in 2014 agriculture employed around 40.12 million people, equal to 33% of the total Indonesian labor force (p.3, A.2).
Basing on few aforementioned paradoxes above, as we look for the future, the challenge is to continue increasing the agriculture’s production while at the same time reducing poverty and increase labor welfare within the sector’s players. Rural income which is predominantly generated by small-scale farmers should be supported with more access to finance and technology to play more pivotal roles within the economy.
#2. In-depth research on finding solutions for a better agriculture process amid the threat of climate change
Today’s agriculture practitioners understand perfectly well that Indonesia needs more knowledge (research-based) pertains to several pivotal factors to be improved in the process of tackling a possible threat of climate change. Fundamentally, agriculture and fisheries are highly dependent on the climate. Few factors can affect yields in many places, including (but not limited to) nutrient levels, soil moisture, water availability, frequency and severity of droughts and floods, among others.
Research by the IFC (International Finance Corporation) quoted on RaboResearch (Economic Report, 2016) in India estimates that “(the country) is likely to have a 50% water deficit by the year 2030. Most water sources have also been contaminated by sewage and agricultural run-off.” The same report mentioned Indonesia needs to put ‘self-sufficiency’ as the key agenda within the agricultural sector.
With more research-based decision to be made by the sector’s key players, it is foremostly important for the youth from now on to take active roles in cultivating platform, data, and tools that may become the ‘must-have’ aspect(s) in the year ahead.
#3. Closing the gender gap
With the FAO projects “43 percent of the agricultural labor force in developing countries are women,” while also reveals that women “have less access than men to productive resources and opportunities,” the urgency is tantalizing for today’s youths to start assessing steps and measurements to develop further.
In the area of policy-making process, Government of Indonesia should also emphasize the importance of including women as the benchmark data for agriculture welfare census, in addition to factors like farmer household, number of livestock, land tenure, etc.
Note: The census is held every 10 (ten) years in years ended with 3 (e.g. 1963, 1973,1983).
By both developing tools, system, method whereas women farmers will be far less impoverished within the cycle of the economy, Indonesian youths may impede the gap that affecting many aspects of the livelihoods.
I am more than optimist when it comes to youths and how this generation will bring more benefits to the nation. It’s not a rhetoric per se, when our founding father, President Soekarno famously said that with youths, he can shake the world (in the context to bring prosperity to Indonesia).
The next founder and game changer is today’s student. I’m a firm believer that learning is never about the institution nor the age. It’s a lifelong process. Therefore, when the time has come, let’s not forget that the status as a student is never a limitation for us all to start doing. It’s a status to keep questioning and break more walls while we (you, me, and more of us) can.
Firstly, let’s start by asking a more fundamental question more often, including how we, Indonesians, should react to the threat of climate change?
Ayunda Afifa is a Corporate Communications Manager at TaniHub and TaniFund. The views here are personal.
TaniGroup (TaniHub dan TaniFund) adalah perusahaan yang fokus pada tujuan untuk menghubungkan petani dan peternak Indonesia terhadap penjualan (TaniHub) dan akses permodalan melalui platform peer-to-peer lending (TaniFund). Didirikan di tahun 2016, TaniGroup berpusat di Kemang, Jakarta Selatan dan memiliki 4 (empat) warehouse/kantor cabang di Jakarta, Jogjakarta, Bandung, dan Surabaya. Silahkan kunjungi website TaniFund untuk melihat prospektus masing-masing project budidaya dan penjelasan lebih dalam tentang visi misi TaniFund sebagai bagian dari TaniGroup.
