Build Food Security In Asia Pacific, Moeldoko Proposes Indonesia To Become A Young Farmer Training Center

Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko together with Assistant Director General and Regional Representative FAO for Asia Pacific, Jong Jin Kim in Colombo Sri Lanka, Friday 23 February

JAKARTA Presidential Chief of Staff (KSP) Moeldoko, ensures that Indonesia is ready to become a laboratory center for the acceleration of the formation of young farmers. This is to strengthen food security in Asia Pacific. This was said by Moeldoko in a bilateral meeting with the Assistant Director General and Regional Representative of FAO for Asia Pacific, Jong Jin Kim, in Colombo Sri Lanka, Friday 23 February. In the meeting, he conveyed three strategic ideas to strengthen food security in Asia Pacific. Namely, encouraging the regeneration of farmers through training centers, building smart farming, as well as strengthening research and tropical farming innovation. In the meeting, he conveyed three strategic ideas to strengthen food security in Asia Pacific. Namely, encouraging the regeneration of farmers through training centers, building smart farming, as well as strengthening research and tropical farming innovation. Moeldoko said that the formation of a farmer's regeneration training laboratory center is part of the transformation of the agri food system. Currently, he said, all countries are experiencing the same problem, namely farmers are getting older and the younger generation interested in agriculture is getting fewer and fewer. For this reason, there is a need for programs to accelerate the regeneration of farmers through a training laboratory. This will be a place of knowledge sharing and practice both from various passive Asian countries and then replicated through the FAO network,'''', he said. Moeldoko also ensured that Indonesia is ready to become the laboratory center of accelerating the formation of young farmers. The reason is that, Indonesia has the advantage of natural resources and human resources. In addition, the Indonesian government has also collaborated with FAO to build a program of reform of farmers, which includes a wide range from upstream to downstream training by involving the business world, ministries/institution, Bank Central Indonesia, farmer associations, and youth organizations. According to the Chairman of the Indonesian Farmers Association (HKTI), to attract the interest of young children to become farmers, new ways are needed to grow with the use of technology. Moeldoko also proposes strengthening of smart farming as a new type of agriculture. One of the countries that can become a strategic partner, he said, is South Korea. South Korea is well known as a country that can be an example of developing smart farming and we are ready to work together in training young Indonesian farmers,''

Some countries in the region are tropical countries with potential biological wealth that can be utilized for the development of food diversification. So far, continued the 2013-2015 TNI Commander, local food research and development have not gone well, especially regarding the improvement and utilization of nutfah plasma, good agriculture, as well as increased added value. "In fact, food development can answer food security issues and as an effort to improve farmers' welfare," he explained. "Indonesia is willing to initiate research center development, with the support of FAO and other related institutions, this will be an exchange of experiences and knowledge that countries in the Asia Pacific region can take advantage of," concluded Moeldoko. Meanwhile, Assistant Director General and Regional Representative of FAO for Asia Pacific, Jong Jin Kim, appreciated and will support Indonesia's efforts to regenerate farmers.

He also approved the proposal of the Indonesian government and will share experiences to find the best way to solve the problem of farmer regeneration. "FAO has also made a study of policy suggestions that can be used as a reference to increase the interest of young farmers," he said.