Bekasi: City with the Highest Food Security in West Java

Bekasi City has the best food security index compared to several other cities in West Java Province.

This is evident from the National Food Agency (Bapanas) report entitled *Food Security and Vulnerability Map 2022 (2021 Indicator Data)*.

Referring to Law No. 18 of 2012, food security is the condition of fulfilling food for the nation down to individuals, reflected in the availability of sufficient food, both in quantity and quality, safe, diverse, nutritious, equitable, and affordable, and not contrary to religion, beliefs, and community culture, to be able to live healthy, active, and productive sustainably.

Bapanas measures the food security index in Indonesian cities based on eight main indicators, namely:

1. Percentage of the population living below the poverty line;
2. Percentage of households with a food expenditure proportion >65% of total expenditure;
3. Percentage of households without access to electricity;
4. Percentage of households without access to clean water;
5. Life expectancy at birth;
5. Ratio of the number of people per health worker to population density;
6. Average years of schooling for women over 15 years old; and
7. Percentage of underweight children (stunting).

These indicators are then processed into a score on a scale of 0-100. The higher the score, the higher the food security of a city is assumed to be.

Using this method, Bekasi City achieved a score of 86.79 in 2021, the best among the 9 West Java cities researched by Bapanas.

The food security index of Bekasi City surpasses that of the capital city of West Java Province, namely Bandung City, which achieved a score of 80.23.

Bekasi City obtained a better food security index score than Bandung City due to several factors.

One of them is that the percentage of Bekasi City households whose food expenditure ratio is >65% of total expenditure was only 8.7% in 2021, while Bandung City was 15.65%.

This means that, in general, food prices in Bekasi City are more affordable for its citizens than in Bandung City.

Furthermore, the percentage of Bekasi City households without access to clean water is only 4.34%, while Bandung City is 6.15%. This figure shows that Bekasi City has a relatively better distribution of clean water than Bandung City.

Of the 9 cities in West Java researched by Bapanas, Tasikmalaya City has the lowest food security index, with a score of 55.38.

Tasikmalaya City achieved a low index because the percentage of its poor population reached 13.13% in 2021, the highest compared to other West Java cities researched.

Food prices in Tasikmalaya City also appear to be less affordable, because the percentage of households whose food expenditure ratio is >65% of total expenditure reached 31.34%.