With only around 10% of government spending being allocated to maintain and repair the country's dilapidated irrigation systems and improve farmers' capacity by providing farm equipment, seed and fertilizers, President Widodo's much touted goal of making Indonesia self-sufficient in food production and end its dependency on imports (Impor) is fa

Man on cow: Independence! Truck reads ‘Imports’

Politician: 2016 self-sufficiency in rice!

Farmer: So where’s the water?

Rochimawati, Arie Dwi Budiawati – Although the nominal wage of agricultural and urban informal workers increased in 2015, their real wages declined.

The nominal wage of agricultural workers nationally increased by 1.15 percent from 46,386 rupiah a day in May to 46,458 a day in June 2015.

Kid: Rastik, plastic rice.... Raskin, lots of rice weevils...

Man: Fortunately there’s still Raskin... which is complete with a high protean side dish right!

Despite the souring cost of rice on the market, the price of unhusked rice (gabah) produced by local farmers has fallen to around 0.37 US cents per kilogram.

Palmerah – The number of farming households over the last 10 years has declined by 5.04 million. Over the same period, the number of agribusinesses has grown by 1,475 companies. Meaning a formalisation (formalisasi) has taken place. What is alarming however is that the number of marginal farmers is increasing.

Cart reads Prices.

Critics warn that Indonesia’s food supplies are currently under the control of a politically connected “food mafia”, who are taking advantage of market liberalisation to throttle supplies and jack up prices, and have little concern about empowering farmers or contributing to food security.

Agrarian rights activists say that the government’s policy of trade liberalisation and implementing an almost zero-tariff policy has led to a flood of imported food into the country and is impoverishing more than 44 million farmers who depend upon the land for their survival.

Jakarta – Because the government has failed to fulfill its promise of agrarian reform, the process of rural proletarianisation continues unabated. Rural communities, the majority of whom are farmers that once owned land, have begun to loose their source of income because they no longer have control over land.