Policy Brief – August 1st 2022

Puteri Kintan Pratiwi

Unifying Various Aspects and Multi-Stakeholder Participation for

Sustainable Food Planning at IKN
This policy brief is designed to help governments and the local or international community
prioritize actions for preparing sustainable food system in Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN).

The relocation and development of the National Capital are two of the most discussed
development issues aimed at equitable distribution of Indonesia's growth centres. IKN
development is also one of the strategic issues of cooperation between Indonesia and Korea,
both in terms of economy, innovation, and knowledge. According to Law no. 3 of 2022
concerning the State Capital, the New Capital City covers an area of approximately 256
thousand hectares and at least 10% of it is dedicated to agricultural activities. However,
currently, there is no specific plan regarding the institution that regulates food distribution
and the balance of food prices in the IKN area.

On the other hand, according to data from the Global Food Security Index (GFSI), Indonesia's
food security in 2021 is 59.2 lower than the previous year, reaching 61.4. In addition, urban
areas that are being built such as IKN tend to have a lower level of food security due to
instability in food availability. This condition will also affect the surrounding area if not handled
properly. Therefore, the government needs a sustainable agriculture and inclusive food
planning to prevent food imbalances in IKN urban areas and improve local food security.

Recommendations
Public Policy Force
One of the problems in the food supply today is expensive logistics costs, weak
management of goods and inefficient supply chains. 1 However, IKN will be managed by
the IKN Authority which has special authority compared to other local governments
which can be directed to:

▪ Establish an implementing agency that helps local farmers distribute their harvests to
IKN efficiently.
▪ Optimize the 10% of the area with rigid spatial management, implementing smart
urban farming to have good food quality.
▪ Formulate regional regulations on food security planning that do not only focus on
staple foods but also on superior products, herbs, fisheries, and so on.

Smart Urban Farming

1
https://wri-indonesia.org/id/blog/3-alasan-food-estate-belum-menjawab-agenda-ketahanan-pangan-dan-
gizi
This new capital city will take place in East Kalimantan Province. According to the Central
Bureau of Statistics (BPS) East Kalimantan in 2021, the number of farmer households in East
Kalimantan Province reached 217 thousand people with 87% being over 35 years of age. The
unemployment rate of East Kalimantan Province in 2022 is 6.77%, higher than the Indonesian
average. 2Therefore, IKN must define its smart urban farming according to the needs and
conditions of the surrounding area.

▪ Smart urban farming does not focus on replacing human resources but focuses on
increasing productivity and product quality.
▪ Smart urban farming focuses on developing innovative food research and
intensification of agricultural land.
▪ Smart urban farming needs to attract young farmers to regenerate new farmers with
higher exchange rates and values.

Multi Stakeholders
The ambitious targets of the new capital city relocation mean that the central
government and the Nusantara National Capital Authority should engage the external
and local community to:

▪ Participate in the capacity building for the local farmer from regional partners,
particularly about utilizing new technology and increasing production values.
▪ Refocus their aid on marginal farmers also small and medium enterprises in the food
sector around the new capital city.
▪ Invite start-up companies and young innovators to contribute ideas for sustainable
agriculture development in IKN. Their sense of belonging and participation will
improve the inclusivity aspect and create sustainability on the management level.

This Nusantara Capital City development must be a critical momentum to develop an ideal
example of farming land management, research and development, and food supply
integration on a small scale. Hence, the new capital city can deliver a success story for other
cities in Indonesia.

2
https://kaltim.bps.go.id/statictable/2019/03/25/377/jumlah-rumah-tangga-usaha-pertanian-menurut-
kabupaten-kota-dan-kelompok-umur-petani-utama-laki-laki-perempuan-2018.html