Local and Regional Initiatives for Sustainable Food Systems in Indonesia

Abstract

Limited supply, increasing demand, environmental change and inequality are major drivers of a looming global food security crisis, and Indonesia is among 30 most at risk countries. Since the 1960s Indonesia has industrialised agriculture, following the advice of the global bio-tech research complex, corporations and development agencies. There is, however, an alternative approach, favoured by local grassroots organisations, NGOs and many researchers; of moral economy-based solutions grounded in communal solidarity, small-scale production, local knowledge and direct distribution networks. To illustrate the viability of this alternative, the paper explores new farmers’ initiatives that provide..