Local Economy Empowerment and Food Security: Lesson Learned

Abstract

Food security is defined as physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious foods which meet the individual's dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. In Indonesia, most of economic access was hindered due low purchasing power of people. It can be seen from the fact, that aggregative food availability is there, but low income family has an acute nutritional problem. In other word, economic access on food relates very tightly with purchasing power and therefore poverty level of people. Our challenge is how to synergize all poverty alleviation programs with food security issues based on local indigenous resources. In the perspective of regional development program, it is important to generate economic activity that can increase local people's income. With this income people has enough purchasing power to procure their food. This paper discussed some lesson learned in local economic empowerment activity through local food industry. Two main ideas in designing and implementing of activity were value-added as well as forward and backward linkages. Lesson learned drawn from the major activities in local economic empowerment in three regency, namely cassava based activity in Trenggalek (East Java), sweet potato based in Bogor (West Java) and corn based in Takalar (South Sulawesi). Briefly, it can be concluded that an income generating activity in local areas needs the support of key processing technologies; local government capacities in formulating policy of food security based on the local resource; competency and capacity of food industry in formulating its business strategy; and strong linkage between agricultural commodity and economic sector