Indonesia Showcases Smart Farming Innovations at FAO Conference in Rome

Indonesia’s efforts to build a more resilient and sustainable agri-food system took centre stage at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters in Rome, Italy, through the culinary exhibition ‘Flavours of the Archipelago: From Smart Farms to Diverse Foods’. Held at the Foods Lab, FAO Museum, on Wednesday (1/7), the event was jointly organised by the Indonesian Embassy in Rome and the FAO Representative Office in Indonesia as part of the FAO Global Conference on Smart Agriculture. ‘Indonesia’s extraordinary diversity is reflected in the richness of its culture and traditions, including our culinary and agricultural traditions,’ said Indonesian Ambassador to Italy and the UN in Rome, Junimart Girsang, on Thursday. Ambassador Girsang emphasised that a strong food and agriculture system is the foundation for building a resilient society. Innovation can harness local knowledge, heritage, and traditions to build stronger and more sustainable food systems that are better prepared for future challenges. As the world’s largest archipelagic nation with a population of around 290 million, Indonesia faces a growing need to advance its agri-food system by encouraging farmers to adopt smart farming solutions. FAO Director of the Plant Production and Protection Division, Yurdi Yasmi, highlighted various increasingly urgent global agri-food challenges, including climate change, soil and water degradation, rising costs of tools and materials such as fertilisers, and various constraints faced by the workforce.