ORGANIC AGRICULTURE AND

FOOD DIVERSITY TRAINING

Finding Out Our Food Consuming Ideology

Wisma Pojok Indah, 2 - 4 May 2014

‘Salute!’, this word is deserved to be given to the participants of Organic Agriculture: Food Diversity training organized by Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta, considering that such topic is usually less attractive for young people. However, thirty students from various campus enthusiastically join the training with theme 'Finding Out Our Food Consuming Ideology.’ This training held on May 2 – 4, 2014 in Wisma Pojok Indah, Condongcatur, Yogyakarta, aimed to revive youth awareness and interest towards agriculture, especially food problem in Indonesia.

Ariani Narwastujati, S.Pd., SS, M.Pd., the executive director of Stube-HEMAT  shares the threat of food disaster in Indonesia even the world due to the fast growing population which isn’t balanced with the increase of agricultural production. It becomes worse since many farmland is reducing due to convertion activity to be industry and housing areas.  So, it is very important for us to find out the ideology or paradigm when we consume certain food. One simple thing is we should be proud of either local food or fruit products rather than imported ones.

The session for topic of Government Role in creating Food Resilience and Diversity was delivered by Dr. Ir. F. Didiet Heru Swasono. M.P., the dean of Agro-Industry Faculty of Mercu Buana University and also a member of Food Resilience Council in Yogyakarta. He declared that actualy the government has already a systematic regulation for food resilience, however food diversity has not been optimally developed yet. For example, in many parts of Indonesia, people are homogenized in consuming rice, while not all regions in Indonesia are suitable for rice growing, but for corn, sago, sweet potatoes and other staple food sources instead.

TO. Suprapto from ‘Joglo Tani’ tried to reconstruct the paradigm of participants. Formerly, they assumed that agriculture has no prospects and not many young people, especially college students are interested in it. However, actually agriculture still has its prospect, even it has been done just by students who are not studying in agriculture.

 There are four types of business opportunities. The first one is nursery business emphasizing on seeds, either vegetative or generative, spreading seed, growing the plants, and then selling them. Examples of vegetable seedlings are  breeding fish and hatching chicken eggs or ducks’. The second one is production business, which has steps of planting the seeds, cultivating them and selling the products. The example is chili and chicken production. The third one is post-harvest business, that’s through process of buying products and then converting them into different forms and flavors, and then selling them. The examples are product of cassava chips, shredded catfish, spinach crackers, and salted egg. The last one is marketing business, that has process of getting the products and then selling them without changing the shape and flavor.

Additionally, TO Suprapto encourages students to have mindset of self supported food supply by mapping their personal and regional potency. Further, they may have action by doing simple activities related to agriculture in their neighborhood or their own  family, such as, utilizing the yard to grow vegetables so the vegetables needs may be supplied from their own yard.

This training also introduced food diversity by presenting local menu according to participants’ regions. Participants from Moluccas and Sulawesi prepared papeda made from fish with yellow sauce. Participants from Lampung brought seruit, rice corn, eggplant and grilled fish. Participants from Borneo introduced aloe vera ice. Participants from East Nusa Tenggara presented katema, cassava leaf ointment and anchovy sauce. Katema is made ​​from corn, beans and peanuts which is boiled with coconut milk. Eventhough coming from different regions, enthusiatic participants appreciated the diversity of foods by tasting all foods.

"We should be grateful that we were given the opportunity by God to cultivate the earth, and we must maintain it responsibly, such as by having organic farming"  said Rev. Kriswoyo, S.Si during the Sunday worship. At the end of the event, participants revealed their plans to do after this training, such as utilizing boarding house yard to grow vegetables, reuse plastic as polybags, not to consume imported food or fruit, and organize some discussions about the farming. 

Rosita Suri Leon, a participant from Atambua, Belu, NTT, a student of Mathematics Education Department in Sarjanawiyata Tamansiswa University said, "In this training I have new information, and want to practice what I’ve obtanined. Everything goes well but there are some less timely activities." (TRU)