Indonesia's roadmap targets young farmers to strengthen food security

..young people accounted for only 21.93 percent of the country's agricultural workforce..

South Tapanuli, N Sumatra (ANTARA) - The Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs has formulated a roadmap to support the generational renewal of Indonesia's agricultural workforce by capitalizing on the country's demographic bonus.

"We have drawn up the roadmap together, with education serving as the bridge and foundation for generational renewal," Deputy Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said during a discussion on food self-sufficiency on Thursday.

Speaking online from South Tapanuli, North Sumatra, he emphasized the importance of introducing agriculture to younger generations, including elementary school students, to help nurture a new generation of farmers capable of strengthening the nation's food security.

"Getting young people interested in agriculture is crucial," Nurofiq affirmed.

He stressed that the approach is particularly important given the demographic challenges facing Indonesia's agricultural sector.

Indonesia had 31.71 million farmers in 2013, but the figure fell to 29.34 million a decade later, he noted.

Nurofiq also pointed out that young people accounted for only 21.93 percent of the country's agricultural workforce in 2023.

"This demographic gap poses a serious challenge to our food security. We cannot afford to regard this phenomenon as normal," he stressed.

He highlighted human resource development as one of the five pillars of agriculture, alongside land, seeds, fertilizer, and technology.

With that in mind, the deputy minister expressed hope that Indonesia would succeed in rejuvenating its agricultural workforce by making the most of its demographic bonus, with around 67 percent of the population currently of working age.

He also said the government had taken various steps to create a more supportive environment for the agricultural sector under President Prabowo Subianto's administration, including policies aimed at ensuring fair agricultural commodity prices for both farmers and consumers.

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Translator: Putu Indah, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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