Training Articles

Expansion of Planted Areas: Ministry of Agriculture's Solution to Confront Food Crisis

21 May 2024

Tapin, Binuang - The Ministry of Agriculture through the Agricultural Counseling and Human Resources Development Agency (ACHRDA) has conducted a Training of Trainers (ToT) entitled "National Food Emergency Anticipation Movement" in order to improve the knowledge of Widyaiswara, Lecturers, Teachers, Agricultural Counselors and Village Management Senior (known as Babinsa) to anticipate the threat of a food crisis through the Expansion of Planted Areas (EPA).

Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman has said on various occasions that the sector that is most well-prepared to build a better life for Indonesia, whether tomorrow as well as in the future, is the agricultural sector, and the human resources are the backbone that drives its development.

"The food crisis is the same thing as a security and political crisis. The food is our weapon, and we must suppress imports, we even must be able to stop imports. We must export," he said.

"The agricultural human resources, starting from the Counselors to the farmers, must move immediately to take their part in the maintenance of food security," he continued.

The Head of ACHRDA, Dedi Nursyamsi, emphatically stated that regarding the food sector, the current global conditions are unusual. “Since February last year until March this year, Indonesia has experienced a natural phenomenon called El-Nino, a prolonged drought,” he said when opening the event.

Dedi added that with the current global conditions, Indonesia must be self-sufficient and must not depend on other countries through the Expansion of Planted Areas by means of Swamp Land Optimization, Pumping on Rainfed Rice Fields, and Interplanting on Plantation Fields.

In his brief presentation, Dedi mentioned the global issues affecting agricultural development including the war between Russia and Ukraine, a significant deceleration on major economic countries, Covid-19, inflationary pressures along with the financial system vulnerabilities in the developing countries, as well as climate change and extreme climate.

This activity took place for 3 days, from May 2nd to 4th, 2024 and it is held face-to-face at the National Agricultural Training Center (NATC) of Binuang and simultaneously online at the TIU of Agricultural Training including NATC Batangkaluku, Provincial and Regency / City Agriculture Department Offices, Agricultural Counseling Centers (ACC’s), and the Offices of the Military Sub-district Command, or known as Koramil throughout Indonesia.

This event will be attended by 120,641 participants, consisting of 187 Widyaiswara, 262 Lecturers, 70 Teachers of TIUs of Agricultural Education, 24,607 Civil Servant Agricultural Counselors, 12,480 Agricultural Counselors of GEWA, 1,385 Agricultural Counselors of Government Casual Employees, 8,775 Agricultural Counselors of Regional Casual Employees, and 72,875 Babinsa.

(Red/*)
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