Indonesia to Promote Agricultural Diplomacy
Regional Conference on Strengthening Food Security in Jakarta, Thursday (4/4). (Photo by: Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is committed to strengthening agricultural diplomacy by organizing Regional Conference on Strengthening Southeast Asia’s Food Security, Nutrition, and Farmer’s Welfare through the UN Decade of Family Farming
The conference, which is focused on family farming and small-scale agriculture, is supported by Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
The event demonstrates Indonesias leadership and initiative in implementing UN General Assembly Resolution Number 72/239 of 2017 on UN Decade on Family Farming (2019-2028) which emphasizes the prominent role of family farmers as one of the key leaders in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman who attended the event said that the number of farmer families in Indonesia reaches almost half of the total population with the majority having less than 1 hectare of land.
According to him, although Indonesia has a good agricultural climate, the country is still facing numerous challenges in the sector. “One of the challenges is to create sustainable solutions to promote food security, nutrition and the welfare of the farmers,” he said.
In the national and regional schemes, Amran continued, the Government will remain committed to achieving, maintaining and enhancing food and nutrition security, as well as ensuring the welfare of the farmers both on a national and regional scale through various cooperation, including the South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC).
In the meantime, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs A.M. Fachir underlined the pivotal role of women and youth in maintaining food security. He added that in many developing countries, most women are the main breadwinners; thus, ensuring their financial independence is very important.
“Inclusiveness and empowerment of the young generation are also needed to find innovative ways to improve and maintain national food security,” he said.
Through this conference, the Indonesian Government also offered various agricultural and nutritional policies that have been successfully implemented at the national level to be adopted in other Southeast Asian countries.
In addition, the conference delegates also negotiated a joint communique that can reflect the commitment of regional countries to form concrete cooperation related to food security, nutrition, and farmers welfare.
The joint communique is expected to be submitted at the United Nations Conference to launch the UN Decade on Family Farming in May 2019 and the FAO Conference in June 2019 in Rome, Italy. (DitInfomed Kemlu/EN)
Translated by : Fairuzzamani Inayatillah
Edited by : Estu Widyamurti, M. Ersan Pamungkas
