The intersection of these needs is real, and the key lies in\ncomprehensive, data-based spatial planning that is oriented towards the\nneeds of both current and future generations.<\/p>\n
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Land issues have always been a dilemma in\nIndonesia\u2019s development. On one hand, the state must guarantee the\navailability of agricultural land to maintain food security. On the\nother hand, population growth and rapid urbanisation continue to\nincrease the demand for housing.<\/p>\n
Therefore, the debate regarding the priority of land use between food\nand housing is not a black-and-white choice. Both are basic societal\nneeds that must be met in a balanced and sustainable manner.<\/p>\n
The Minister of Housing and Residential Areas (PKP), Maruarar Sirait,\nconveyed a simple yet strategic message regarding the importance of\nensuring the success of food programmes while maintaining the\nsustainability of housing programmes. The main challenge lies in finding\na common ground in spatial utilisation.<\/p>\n
The government currently has strong reasons to protect food-producing\nland. Paddy fields are not merely expanses of land producing rice, but\nare a crucial part of the national food security system.<\/p>\n
The Coordinating Minister for Food, Zulkifli Hasan, emphasised that\nspatial planning is essential to provide certainty and direction in\nmanaging various land uses. One of the government\u2019s primary focuses is\nthe existence of national paddy fields, which reach approximately 7\nmillion hectares. This spatial planning will eventually be incorporated\ninto a single integrated map to serve as a shared reference.<\/p>\n
Zulkifli explained that the government continues to strengthen the\nprotection of food land through spatial planning policies and the\ncontrol of paddy field conversion. These efforts are accommodated\nthrough Presidential Regulation Number 12 of 2025 concerning the\nNational Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) 2025\u20132029. In this RPJMN,\nthe government targets the designation of Sustainable Food Agricultural\nLand (LP2B) to at least 87 per cent of the total Basic Paddy Field (LBS)\nby 2029.<\/p>\n
This policy is further strengthened by Presidential Regulation Number\n4 of 2026 concerning the Control of Paddy Field Conversion. This\nregulation governs the mechanism for controlling the conversion of paddy\nfields, the designation of Protected Paddy Field (LSD) maps, and the\nintegration of LSD into the designation of LP2B and spatial plans.<\/p>\n
These protection policies deserve support. Experience in various\nregions shows that agricultural land that has been converted into\nbuilt-up areas is very difficult to restore to its original function as\npaddy fields. Once an area is filled with buildings, roads, and\ninfrastructure, both its ecological function and agricultural\nproductivity are practically impossible to recover. Therefore,\ncontrolling land conversion must be an integral part of long-term\ndevelopment strategies.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/food-and-housing-two-basic-needs-that-must-progress-together-1789535110", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }