The Role of HKTI in Preserving Rice Self-Sufficiency

The Indonesian Farmers’ Harmony Association (HKTI) plays a pivotal role in preserving rice self-sufficiency, acting primarily as a ‘driver from below’ to ensure rice farmers remain strong and productive. The organisation’s involvement can be categorised into four key areas.

First, as a platform and driver for farmers, HKTI serves as a large house for ‘Rukun Tani’ (Farmer Harmony) across Indonesia. Its function is to consolidate farmer potential, direct struggles, and channel aspirations to the government, ensuring the voices of rice farmers are heard. Second, through its ‘Amal Tani’ programme, HKlar provides technical guidance on cultivation to increase productivity and grain quality. Third, HKTI assists in providing production facilities by distributing agricultural machinery (alsintan) to speed up the planting and harvesting processes and reduce post-harvest losses. Fourth, the organisation promotes village food sovereignty, with a vision to become a model for independent farmers that contributes to national food security.

Through its ‘Village Welfare’ programme, HKTI also develops agriculture-based rural economies to ensure farmers remain profitable and motivated to continue planting. Essentially, while HKTI does not plant the rice itself, it works to ensure a healthy ecosystem where farmers are prosperous and land remains productive. Achieving rice self-sufficiency for 2025 will not be an easy task, as the challenges faced by farmers are significant.

There are five main obstacles hindering HKTI’s efforts. Primarily, land conversion and limited availability of farmland are critical, as paddy fields are increasingly being converted into housing and industrial estates. Secondly, extreme climate and pest attacks, such as planthoppers and rats, alongside floods and droughts, lead to plummeting yields. Thirdly, access to fertiliser and machinery remains difficult, with uneven distribution of subsidised fertiliser and a high dependency on imported agricultural raw materials. Fourth, weak irrigation and infrastructure in remote areas remain a major hurdle. Finally, the issue of farmer regeneration and technology adoption persists, as fewer young people are willing to enter the agricultural sector.

To address these issues, HKTI has implemented five strategic movements: 1) Farmer guidance and education, such as integrated pest management training; 2) Provision of production facilities through ‘Amal Tani’ to distribute machinery; 3) Strengthening organisations and farmer aspirations to ensure issues reach the government; 4) Promoting village independence and economy to prevent land from being sold for conversion; and 5) Rapid crisis response to assist farmers during natural disasters. While HKTI cannot reverse the conversion of farmland into shopping malls, it focuses on strengthening human resources, tools, and advocacy to prepare farmers to be more resilient and professional.