THE EXPENSIVE OF FOOD PRICE ECONOMIC AND CULTURE PRESSURE FOR RURAL AND URBAN POOR HOUSEHOLD
Februari 08, 2009
Food crisis is the impact of economic recession due to increasing world oil prices. As a result, food crisis is not a lack of food in the market trade, but world food prices bounced higher so quickly is because China, Vietnam and India as food producers and exporters delay doing food export in international market.
Developing countries that follow the scheme's economic assistance through the IMF policies directly feel the impact of the rise in food prices. Food subsidies applied by each developing country can not afford a rate increase in oil prices and followed by the increase in food prices. Later estimated, the impact of the increase of food hit the most vulnerable people in the urban informal sector and agriculture in rural areas feel the direct impact due to recession in the world economy.
Strategies for rural communities to survive in the economic press and access to food is done by selling valuables (jewelry, bicycles, furniture), owing in a store, owing to the loan to meet the food needs of families. Even in extreme situations, access to food is done by reducing the amount and quality of family food consumption. They who previous consume the calorie needs 2000 calories per day, was forced to reduce the quality of the source of animal and vegetable protein consumption to switch into food filling the stomach even though it comes from food containing dangerous preservative for human health.
In the situations above, when the food crisis occurs, children and women who most feel the impact because of course the consumption is provided by women. Changes in behavior that can be shown showing ways and strategies to face food insecurity by recycle in which food is consumed where food extraction was usually done by women. Extraction food are the most commonly performed with recycle the remains of cassava that is un nutritious food to be consumed or process the remaining rice to be dried and collected, and then slowly return to cook the food as the family food. Not surprisingly then, the rising child malnutrition (marasmus) and more severe the disease hungry edema (marasmus kwarsiokor) until the child death due to lack of food nutrition.
In urban areas, the informal sector, although it small percentages, but the data shows mother and children desperate to commit suicide due to the resilience of families not able to survive longer.
Indonesia, where all the land surface, 80 percent is in the category of dry land in the upland. Thus, the existing plant vegetation allows the growth of food crops that are very diverse and varied views of species of plants. i.e.: tubers and fruits that can be consumed and good calories for the body. However, the political rice strategy that run up to this time, make the majority of the population will depend on the food availability of rice. The rice politics also conquered the culture where changes behavior of the community has not really called to eat if they do not consume rice. Moreover, if there are guests who visit, the local rice varieties exchanged with the hybrid varieties of rice from the nearest store. Thus, the conquest of food culture is breaking the diversity of non-rice food crops that practically developed by heredity.
As a community of farmers, the global trend that is not stabilized and prediction of the next Indonesia are facing food scarcity as the result of blew out of the population accompanied by the increasing of conversion in the field of agriculture, the strategy should be developed based on the family food sufficiency. During this time, the adequacy of food is by food of rice and government policy with the household food for poor farmers in the form of direct assistance as Raskin (rice for poor people).
A surprise, the biggest beneficiaries Raskin (rice for poor people) is a household peasants who landless or known as laborer. In meeting with the farmers organization in the area of the high vulnerability of food insecurity and malnutrition in East Nusa Tenggara, generated activities to prevent food insecurity by reducing not eat rice one day a week. The peasant organization and members, especially women farmers promote local food such as local corn that climate resistant and highest protein except yam tree next to the food consume. To do so, they invite all social institutions, especially institutions that are indigenous to revive traditions and local food system that is able to provide calorie and nutrition of food for the community.
In the plateau area, the community strategy develop food security -based family in developing and cultivating food crops non rice, such as tubers (cassava, yam, suweg (Amorphophallus Campanulatus B1), porang) and cereals (jewawut/milet) in the family garden. If they achieve surplus food production, they prepare food to be various food (gatot, tiwul, local snack) that has own market in the traditional markets. Besides maintain the food system of family and community, they can work and provide add value in the form of processed food.
By improving the organization that is sensitive to food issues, the women communities give the basic foundation to the level of health and work productivity as the ability in women's access and control of food resources provided by the surrounding natural environment and less attention due to the macro policy-oriented food such as rice. Thus, food identification and source of protein and calories begin to introduce in the meetings of the village to ensure and teaching to live full and healthy can be done without consuming rice. Although for this, require a struggle and a high commitment as what has been done by the farmers in the area of East Flores - NTT - who eat the rice in one day a week.
Developing countries that follow the scheme's economic assistance through the IMF policies directly feel the impact of the rise in food prices. Food subsidies applied by each developing country can not afford a rate increase in oil prices and followed by the increase in food prices. Later estimated, the impact of the increase of food hit the most vulnerable people in the urban informal sector and agriculture in rural areas feel the direct impact due to recession in the world economy.
Strategies for rural communities to survive in the economic press and access to food is done by selling valuables (jewelry, bicycles, furniture), owing in a store, owing to the loan to meet the food needs of families. Even in extreme situations, access to food is done by reducing the amount and quality of family food consumption. They who previous consume the calorie needs 2000 calories per day, was forced to reduce the quality of the source of animal and vegetable protein consumption to switch into food filling the stomach even though it comes from food containing dangerous preservative for human health.
In the situations above, when the food crisis occurs, children and women who most feel the impact because of course the consumption is provided by women. Changes in behavior that can be shown showing ways and strategies to face food insecurity by recycle in which food is consumed where food extraction was usually done by women. Extraction food are the most commonly performed with recycle the remains of cassava that is un nutritious food to be consumed or process the remaining rice to be dried and collected, and then slowly return to cook the food as the family food. Not surprisingly then, the rising child malnutrition (marasmus) and more severe the disease hungry edema (marasmus kwarsiokor) until the child death due to lack of food nutrition.
In urban areas, the informal sector, although it small percentages, but the data shows mother and children desperate to commit suicide due to the resilience of families not able to survive longer.
Indonesia, where all the land surface, 80 percent is in the category of dry land in the upland. Thus, the existing plant vegetation allows the growth of food crops that are very diverse and varied views of species of plants. i.e.: tubers and fruits that can be consumed and good calories for the body. However, the political rice strategy that run up to this time, make the majority of the population will depend on the food availability of rice. The rice politics also conquered the culture where changes behavior of the community has not really called to eat if they do not consume rice. Moreover, if there are guests who visit, the local rice varieties exchanged with the hybrid varieties of rice from the nearest store. Thus, the conquest of food culture is breaking the diversity of non-rice food crops that practically developed by heredity.
As a community of farmers, the global trend that is not stabilized and prediction of the next Indonesia are facing food scarcity as the result of blew out of the population accompanied by the increasing of conversion in the field of agriculture, the strategy should be developed based on the family food sufficiency. During this time, the adequacy of food is by food of rice and government policy with the household food for poor farmers in the form of direct assistance as Raskin (rice for poor people).
A surprise, the biggest beneficiaries Raskin (rice for poor people) is a household peasants who landless or known as laborer. In meeting with the farmers organization in the area of the high vulnerability of food insecurity and malnutrition in East Nusa Tenggara, generated activities to prevent food insecurity by reducing not eat rice one day a week. The peasant organization and members, especially women farmers promote local food such as local corn that climate resistant and highest protein except yam tree next to the food consume. To do so, they invite all social institutions, especially institutions that are indigenous to revive traditions and local food system that is able to provide calorie and nutrition of food for the community.
In the plateau area, the community strategy develop food security -based family in developing and cultivating food crops non rice, such as tubers (cassava, yam, suweg (Amorphophallus Campanulatus B1), porang) and cereals (jewawut/milet) in the family garden. If they achieve surplus food production, they prepare food to be various food (gatot, tiwul, local snack) that has own market in the traditional markets. Besides maintain the food system of family and community, they can work and provide add value in the form of processed food.
By improving the organization that is sensitive to food issues, the women communities give the basic foundation to the level of health and work productivity as the ability in women's access and control of food resources provided by the surrounding natural environment and less attention due to the macro policy-oriented food such as rice. Thus, food identification and source of protein and calories begin to introduce in the meetings of the village to ensure and teaching to live full and healthy can be done without consuming rice. Although for this, require a struggle and a high commitment as what has been done by the farmers in the area of East Flores - NTT - who eat the rice in one day a week.
Author: M. Nuruddin (Secretary General of API)
translated by Julia (International Division of API)
(For further detail of food crisis issue log on the API website: www.aliansi-petani-indonesia.org / www.api-indonesia.co.cc)
