"BRIN is starting to prepare for studies at IKN Nusantara to ready its master plan development," Acting Director of Environmental, Maritime, Natural Resources, and Nuclear Development at BRIN, Abdul Kholiq, noted in a written statement received here, Thursday.
Kholiq remarked that several important studies for IKN Nusantara were related to food security, food industry, and agricultural products' processing in IKN Nusantara's supporting areas.
"The output target of the Food and Agriculture Focus Group Discussion is expected to produce one policy paper, one policy brief/memo, two international scientific papers, and one national scientific paper," Kholiq revealed.
He also noted that BRIN was tasked with providing recommendations for the preparation of national development policy plans or the main backbone of science-based policies.
In food and agriculture, the BRIN seeks to build a green economy through smart farming and a circular economy for the food and agriculture sectors.
"In building a green economy, we want to ensure a sustainable economy by paying attention to environmental sustainability, a low-carbon economy, new renewable energy, and nuclear power," he remarked.
Through a circular economy, the BRIN aims to reduce the extraction of natural resources and utilize waste or channel waste into a new economic cycle.
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The Food and Agriculture Coordinator of the Food and Agriculture Directorate of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) Noor Avianto stated that based on Presidential Regulation Number 18 of 2020 on the 2020-2024 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN), there were two priorities in the food and agriculture sectors.
The two priorities are programs to increase the availability of access and quality of food consumption as well as programs to increase added value, employment, and investment in the real sector and industrialization.
Avianto said BRIN's support was important in the agenda of modernization and digitalization of agriculture and technological innovation in agricultural cultivation practices that were required in the region to increase the capacity of food production.
He also conveyed that strengthening food and agricultural sectors required research and innovation results to implement disaster resilience and land management, climate-resistant seeds, fertilizers, feed, and pesticides.
The results of research and innovation are also important to support precision and low-carbon agriculture, food processing and processed food, food derivative products, farmers' social engineering, and farmer institutions.
"This program is important to encourage productivity in technology. We also want to encourage millennial farmers to connect with technology and be able to replace labor whose numbers are currently decreasing," he concluded.
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Translator: Martha Herlinawati S, Resinta
Editor: Suharto
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