The impact of the climate crisis is increasingly apparent  in the production of food staples such as rice and palm oil for cooking. The global temperature rise has led us to extreme weather conditions as seen in  the El Niño phenomenon throughout 2023 and has  affected the productivity of our lands. . A more adaptive food production and management system that supports  food sustainability is critical  to address this issue.

Data from the National Food Agency (Bapanas), presented by Dr. Ir. Budi Waryanto, M.Si., Acting Director of Food Availability at Bapanas,shows that rice production from January to April 2024 is predicted to reach 10.70 million tons. It is a  decrease from 12.98 million tons in the same period in 2023. This forecast indicates a 2.28 million tons or 17.57 percent decline in rice production. “The rice production volume between  January to March 2024 is predicted to be lower compared to the same period in the past two or three years. This condition marks an extraordinary famine season,” said Budi  in an online discussion in Jakarta (5/3/24) titled “Expensive Staple Foods: The Importance of Food Sustainability Amid the Climate Crisis.” 

The primary factor contributing to the decline in rice production is the extreme weather throughout 2023. Prof. Edvin Aldrian, Vice Chair of Working Group I at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), stated that 2023 was the hottest year, with a global temperature rise by 1.52 degrees Celsius, exceeding the limits set in the Paris Agreement.

Supari, Coordinator of Climate Variability Analysis at the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), added that the El Niño event in 2023 had a significant impact, especially with very low  rainfall in several regions, disrupting food production.

The Government has taken several steps to address this crisis, including providing food aid  to vulnerable communities, stabilizing supply and prices, and collaborating with local governments through affordable food kiosks. Additionally, a plan to accelerate planting in the second half of 2024 is now in place to anticipate the La Niña strike, that is expected to bring a more humid/wetter climate conditions for rice growth.

Ahmad Juang Setiawan, a Climate Researcher from Traction Energy Asia, explained that besides the climate crisis, palm oil productivity as a raw material for cooking oil is also affected by its use for biodiesel, posing a threat to cooking oil availability.

In facing these challenges, revisiting local wisdom and diversifying agricultural systems is crucial. Angga Dwiartama, a Food Lecturer and Researcher at the Bandung Institute of Technology, emphasized the need to build infrastructure tailored to each region’s socio-ecological characteristics and improve farmers’ access to agricultural resources.

Prof. Edvin added that Indonesia benefits from its location where the Pacific Ocean flows towards the Indian Ocean (throughflow). It is critical to recognize maritime signals for predicting El Niño’s movement in the next six months, with ocean modeling assistance.

“By leveraging these maritime signals, Indonesia can predict the arrival of ENSO (sea surface temperature anomalies in the Pacific Ocean), whether El Niño or La Niña, which can be the base reference  for food preparedness and drought prevention , including and especially forest fire hazards,” he urged.

The climate projection for 2024 is hoped to provide a better understanding on extreme climate conditions, reducing risks and impacts. The Government needs to enhance climate literacy among the public, especially farmers, to survive  the increasing severe risks  due to the climate crisis.

This discussion garnered significant attention from people with the same interests and from the press, coinciding with the skyrocketing prices of rice and other food staples, including cooking oil, before the Eid al-Fitr holiday. The five speakers presented important and interesting facts  according to their expertise. Journalists showed high enthusiasm in exploring this issue deeper and engaged in further interviews with the resource persons. Information, stories, and insights revealed in this discussion were published through 50 news coverages from print, online, television, and aggregator platform with national and regional coverage

This event not only reflects ID COMM’s successful organization but also  underscores environmental issues as one of ID COMM’s priorities for the betterment of Indonesia. . Adaptation to climate change and sustainable food management offer hope for Indonesia to face the climate crisis challenges more effectively and ensure food availability for its people.

Author: Agil Asmoaji
Editor: Yulia Maroe, Riska Fiati