Sorong Encourages Hydroponic Agriculture For Urban Food Independence

Head of the Sorong City Agriculture Service, Nelwan Hara, together with hydroponic farmers, harvested vegetable crops in Sorong City, Southwest Papua, Tuesday (14/10/2025) (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Hydroponic agriculture is now increasingly being looked at as an innovative solution to address the challenges of food security in urban areas. This landless cultivation system offers many advantages, ranging from land efficiency, water saving, to faster and hygienic harvests.

In various regions in Indonesia, hydroponics has begun to be developed not only as a hobby, but also as a productive economic sector capable of supporting the welfare of the community.

One of the areas that is serious about working on this potential is Sorong City, Southwest Papua. The Sorong City Agriculture Service maximizes the development of hydroponic agricultural systems as a strategic step in increasing food security and the economy of people in urban areas.

Head of the Sorong City Agriculture Service, Nelwan Hara in Sorong, Sunday, explained that the development of this hydroponic agricultural pattern collaborates with Young Papua Inspiration which is engaged in hydroponics by involving 16 hydroponic farmer groups spread across five districts in Sorong City.

"We are collaborating with the younger generation of Papua as partners in hydroponic development. They are not only enthusiastic, but also have technical capabilities that can help expand the application of urban agricultural technology," he explained.

According to him, hydroponics is an effective solution to overcome the limitations of agricultural land in the city area. Through this system, he said, people can grow various types of vegetables, such as broccoli and leaf vegetables, with faster and higher quality results.

The city of Sorong has limited agricultural land. Therefore, we encourage hydroponic development so that people can still produce agricultural commodities with high economic value," said Nelwan.

He added that the price of vegetables in Sorong City is still relatively high because most of the supply is still dependent on other regions. By expanding the implementation of the hydroponic system, the government hopes to strengthen local production while reducing prices in the market.

"With the increase in local production, vegetable prices can be more affordable and people also get healthier foodstuffs," he said.

Nelwan hopes that collaboration between the government, society and the younger generation can make Sorong City an example of the implementation of sustainable modern agriculture in the urban areas of Southwest Papua.