The existence of this sustainable Integrated Livestock Village is one of the breakthroughs so that our food security improvesJakarta (ANTARA) - The Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration Ministry has initiated an 'Integrated Livestock Village' program to improve food security, particularly to ensure the availability of national meat stocks.
"The existence of this sustainable Integrated Livestock Village is one of the breakthroughs so that our food security improves," said Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration Minister Abdul Halim Iskandar said here on Tuesday.
Indonesia ranked 65th out of 113 countries on the 2020 Global Food Security Index (GFSI), he noted. The nation was ranked 62nd on the index the previous year, he said. Meanwhile, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam placed 20th, 43rd, 51st, and 63rd, respectively, he added.
"This situation certainly must be everyone's concern because after all, we have great potential to create better food security," he said in a press release issued here on Tuesday.
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According to Iskandar, the World Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has defined four pillars of food security: availability, access or affordability both physically and economically, utilization or diversity (nutrition and diversity), and stability or sustainability.
"Indonesia's position in the GFSI indicates that one or several pillars of food security have not been fulfilled," the minister said.
President Joko Widodo has expressed concern about the decline in Indonesia's ranking on the national food security index, he said. He further said that the President had urged him to think about efforts to increase food security, especially the availability of meat in Indonesia.
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"The President has asked that some of the village funds be allocated for programs to improve food security, specifically the availability of meat. So, we followed up on these instructions with the Integrated Livestock Village program," he said.
The minister pointed out that the Integrated Livestock Village program incorporates or combines several business unit commodities in one market in an area.
In the future, villages that possess potential in the livestock sector will be developed as supply centers for the meat of cows, goats, and chickens, he said.
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These villages are being developed as livestock and horticultural centers, he added.
"Why Integrated Animal Husbandry Village? Because upstream and downstream livestock management will be managed properly," he explained.
All processes must provide added value, from the fattening process to the management of animal manure, he said. The manure must be able to be used as fertilizer for horticultural commodities that are developed alongside the livestock, he added.
The program would involve several stakeholders, the minister said. In addition to other ministries/agencies, it will also involve local governments, villages, and the private sector, he added.
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"This is a program that will have a big impact on efforts to improve our food security, so it must involve many other stakeholders. Later, Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes) or BUMDes Bersama will be the motor of this program," Iskandar said.
The Integrated Livestock Village Program will be launched at the end of 2021, should there be no changes in plans, the minister informed. Later, this program would also be applicable for other entities, such as Islamic boarding schools, he said.
A guidebook on Integrated Animal Husbandry Villages would be published in the near future, he revealed. It will be written in a simple form so that it can be easily understood by villagers, he said.
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Translator: Sigit Pianrdi, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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