10 Cities with the Lowest Food Security, Mostly in Sumatra
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Cities with the lowest national food security are generally located on Sumatra Island. This is evident from a report by the National Food Agency (Bapanas) titled *Food Security and Vulnerability Map 2022 (2021 Indicator Data)*.
According to Law No. 18 of 2012, food security is the condition of sufficient food availability for the nation down to individuals, reflected in the availability of sufficient food in terms of quantity and quality, safe, diverse, nutritious, equitable, and affordable, and not contrary to the religion, beliefs, and culture of the community, to enable a healthy, active, and productive life sustainably.
Bapanas measured the food security index in 98 Indonesian cities based on eight main indicators, namely:
1. Percentage of the population living below the poverty line;
2. Percentage of households with food expenditure >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 population 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 were 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, and vice versa.
Using this method, Subulussalam City, located in Aceh Province, achieved a score of 23.93, the lowest among the 98 cities researched.
Of the 10 cities with the lowest national food security index, 7 are located on Sumatra Island, as shown in the graph above.
However, according to Bapanas, of the above list, only 4 cities are categorized as vulnerable to food insecurity, namely Subulussalam City (Aceh), Gunung Sitoli (North Sumatra), Pagar Alam (South Sumatra), and Tual (Maluku).
Cities deemed vulnerable to food insecurity generally have a poor prevalence rate of stunting in toddlers, a high percentage of households without access to clean water, and a large percentage of the population living below the poverty line.
Bapanas also provided several recommendations to improve the resilience of vulnerable cities, ranging from nutrition education, increased job opportunities, improved access to clean water, to the development of urban food reserves.
"Regional governments are expected to follow up on efforts to alleviate food-insecure areas by involving the active participation of the private sector or SOEs, academics, and all components of society," said Bapanas in its report.
"This synergy is expected to increase budget and labor efficiency and accelerate the achievement of the program's ultimate goals," it continued.
"Disclosure: This is an AI-generated translation of the original article. We strive for accuracy, but please note that automated translations may contain errors or slight inconsistencies."
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