Leveraging generational wisdom to transform food production practices in Indonesia

Indonesia has long relied on traditional knowledge as its pillar of agriculture. How can Indonesia harness this often-overlooked heritage to create a more sustainable and resilient food system?

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As the backbone of global food production, agriculture significantly contributes to environmental degradation. The relentless drive for productivity, while successfully producing enough staple foods, often requires monoculture farming and leads to excessive nitrate-rich fertilizer use, which degrades soil, decreases biodiversity, and pollutes water.

In Indonesia, land use changes, such as clearing peatlands for rice paddies or converting coastal areas into large-scale aquaculture, have significantly impacted biodiversity. Vital ecosystems, such as mangroves, mineral forests, and peatlands, are being degraded, threatening carbon stocks and intensifying conflicts between agricultural expansion and environmental conservation in the Anthropocene.

The current food production landscape in Indonesia

Indonesia is the second largest reservoir of Indigenous medicinal plants after the Amazon, presenting a tremendous opportunity for diverse, nutritious, and sustainable diets. 

However, this potential remains underutilized. Out of 5,529 food crops, only a small fraction–77 carbohydrate sources, 26 types of nuts, 389 fruits, 228 vegetables, and 110 spices–are widely cultivated. This narrow focus limits dietary diversity and harms ecosystems critical for food production resilience.

This is not surprising, as the Second Amendment to the Decree of the Minister of Agriculture’s Strategic Plan for 2020-2024 (Rencana Strategis Kementerian Pertanian 2020-2024) prioritizes seven strategic commodities that prioritize economic growth yet has little to do with food system resilience, namely rice, maize, soybeans, chili, onion, sugarcane, and beef/buffalo. Additionally, these priorities have intensified environmental impacts, including deforestation, soil degradation, and water pollution through many large-scale initiatives.

To this day, large-scale initiatives, such as the 1965/66 Masal Guidance (BIMAS) to 1995/99 One Million Hectare Peatland Development (PLG), and the various versions of 2013/20 Food Estate Programs, continue to emphasize carbohydrate-rich, high-yielding crops like rice and maize. The emphasis on monoculture production, particularly of rice, is misaligned to address malnutrition and improve public health nutrition outcomes, such as reducing stunting.

The Food Estate Program, for example, aims to combat stunting but primarily focuses on the cultivation of carbohydrate sources. While this may address caloric needs, it fails to tackle the root causes of malnutrition, which demand a multifaceted approach that prioritizes diverse, nutrient-rich diets and social interventions rather than merely increasing calorie availability.

Another case in point is the initiative to boost agricultural productivity in West Papua by former President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in 2021. While the vast 7 million hectares of arable land may appear promising for crops like maize, such agrifood policy risks degrading ecosystems, displacing Indigenous communities, and eroding traditional food systems that are integral to cultural and environmental sustainability.

Improving Indonesian food production practices with traditiovations

Governance gaps that hinder solutions to address public health nutrition challenges as well as equitable income distribution and livelihood improvements in Indonesia must evolve toward “traditiovations.” These innovative practices are rooted in traditional knowledge, or re-invented from it, but supported by modern science.

Many traditional agricultural practices, such as mixed cropping, agroforestry, and integrated agriculture-aquaculture systems, have been replaced by monoculture and industrial-scale farming, undermining food security and ecosystem health. These systems are now being re-evaluated for their ability to address both environmental and food production challenges within planetary boundaries. Reviving and enhancing such practices is key to creating a resilient, regenerative, and sustainable agricultural future for Indonesia.

1) Agroforestry (Wanatani) as a time-tested solution for food, climate, and health

Agroforestry systems are millennia-old land management practices that integrate agricultural and forestry systems on the same plot of land, providing various environmental, economic, and sociocultural benefits. Known locally as Pelak and Repong Damar in Sumatra, Talun and Taungnya in Java, Kaleka and Tembawang in Kalimantan, and Kaliwu in East Sumba, agroforestry can be adapted to modern contexts that respond to current market demands and changing ecosystems.

Dayak communities in Central Kalimantan interplant palm oil with timber species like rubber and jelutong, as well as fruit-bearing crops. In Langkat, North Sumatra, farmers use small plots from random cropping, intermixing palm oil with cocoa, durian, banana, and vegetables. In Tebo, Jambi, communities successfully integrated palm oil with forest species, like meranti, enhancing land productivity for over 15 years.

Agroforestry effectively addresses the trilemma of land use–balancing climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and food security. It not only diversifies farmers’ incomes but also improves soil health, optimizes land use, and sequesters carbon, making it a vital tool for achieving food systems resilience.

2) Integrated agriculture-aquaculture systems (Minapadi) for optimized land and water use

With over 17,000 islands and an 81,000-kilometer coastline, Indonesia’s geographic makeup provides immense potential for integrated aquaculture practices. Traditional systems like Minapadi (rice-fish farming) demonstrate how land and water resources can be efficiently utilized to boost productivity.

Rice farming in West Java, for example, is common in irrigated areas, where rice and fish are cultivated together and fish are raised between rice crops (Penyelang). The system, such as brackish water rice fields (Sawah Tambak), is also often found in East Java. Floating net cages, or keramba, is another traditional practice widely used for fish cultivation. This method allows fish cultivation in controlled aquatic environments (i.e., on the surface of lakes, reservoirs, rivers, straits, and bays), resulting in higher yields and improved quality fish.

Barriers to optimizing localization and Indigenous wisdom in Indonesia

1) Misaligned policies with food, climate, and health targets

Current agrifood policies in Indonesia still primarily operate in silos, failing to align with broader goals related to food security, climate resilience, and public health. This disconnect hinders the development of sustainable food systems that prioritize regional diversity, climate-smart practices, and healthier dietary patterns. Policies must move beyond short-term economic gains to support long-term ecological and human well-being.

2) Centralized policies limit regional potential

The overly centralized agrifood policies in Indonesia restrict the autonomy of regional food systems, often ignoring local conditions and opportunities. Many regions lack documentation of local practices and food varieties, making it difficult to scale or gain national recognition. This gap is compounded by insufficient scientific data on the benefits of local foods—such as their climate adaptability or nutritional value—undermining evidence-based advocacy and investment in regionalized systems.

3) Insufficient understanding of local biophysical conditions

Sustainable agriculture is often mischaracterized as low-yield, yet it thrives when tailored to local biophysical conditions. Effective strategies like intercropping, biological pest control, and crop rotation can enhance yields and farmer incomes. However, these approaches require region-specific scientific knowledge that integrates local wisdom with modern innovations.

4) Insecure land tenure undermines sustainability

Indigenous and local communities play a key role in sustainable practices but face challenges due to uncertain land rights. With 85% of mapped Indigenous territories (17.7 million hectares) still unrecognized, competition with private sector interests and land reclassification hinder long-term stewardship and sustainable use.

5) Challenges in market integration for diverse products

Transforming food systems requires not only changes in production but also in consumption. Increasing awareness and demand for diverse, nutritious, and sustainably produced foods is essential. Schools, families, and workplaces can drive this shift by adopting and promoting sustainable eating habits, and creating lasting behavior change to support local food systems.

How do our food choices help?

As consumers, we drive demand for the foods available in the market. Each choice we make influences what is grown, how it is produced, and the impact on our environment and communities. Learn where your food comes from–who grows it, where it is produced, and how it impacts the planet. Buy local to boost the economy, get fresher food, and sustain farmland. Explore local options–swap rice for fiber-rich sorghum or choose locally farmed fish. Small, consistent actions–like eating local one day a week–can create meaningful change for healthier, more resilient food systems.

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