Maintaining Food Security by Cultivating a Love for Farming in the Younger Generation
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Food security is not merely about the availability of rice in government warehouses, but also about preparing the next generation to enter the agricultural sector. Amidst the declining interest among young people in becoming farmers, various parties are beginning to encourage agricultural regeneration through food education and involving students in practical farming activities.
Reflecting on the importance of knowledge transfer, the concept emphasizes that if the older generation’s wisdom is not passed down to the youth, the stability of human life is at risk. Therefore, the older generation must be proactive in providing continuous guidance, while the younger generation must be open to learning to ensure that essential skills are inherited by future generations.
The narrative of food security being built today must be nurtured and continued into the future to ensure future generations are better equipped to meet food requirements. This is the objective being pursued by the Bulog (State Logistics Agency) for the DKI Jakarta and Banten regions through an educational tourism programme for high school students at two schools in Jakarta.
During the programme, students were introduced to food security operations at the Bulog Kelapa Gading Warehouse Complex in North Jakarta. They were shown the Government Rice Reserves (CBP), which are neatly organised and strictly maintained within warehouses spanning a 55-hectare area. The complex consists of 68 warehouse units, each with a capacity of 3,500 to 4,000 tonnes of rice, supported by adequate food security systems.
Taufan Akib, Head of Bulog for the DKI Jakarta and Banten region, stated that this educational tourism programme aims to provide students with an overview of Bulog’s operational activities in managing government food reserves. The programme also serves as a strategic step for Bulost to increase synergy with educational institutions to broaden students’ insights regarding food and the government’s role in ensuring national food security.
Through this collaboration between Bulog and educational institutions, the narrative of food security can be continuously disseminated and sustained by Indonesia’s younger generation. This programme is part of a literacy effort to foster awareness of the importance of food in national life. Through this initiative, it is hoped that students’ knowledge of food security will increase, alongside a deeper understanding of the importance of food self-sufficiency in achieving national food security. Ultimately, the younger generation will understand that the state is striving to guarantee food availability for the public by preparing the strategic rice reserves they have witnessed firsthand.