Madiun: City with the Highest Food Security in East Java

Madiun City has the best food security index compared to several other cities in East 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;
6. Ratio of the number of people per health worker to population density;
7. Average years of schooling for women over 15 years old; and
8. Percentage of toddlers with height below standard (stunting).

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

Using this method, Madiun City achieved a score of 85.32 in 2021, the best among the 9 East Java cities researched by Bapanas.

Madiun City's food security index is higher than the capital city of East Java Province, namely Surabaya City, which achieved a score of 81.59.

Madiun City obtained a better index score than Surabaya City, mainly due to the low stunting rate. In 2021, the prevalence of stunting in Madiun City was 12.4%, while in Surabaya City it was 28.9%.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), stunting is a growth and development disorder in children due to malnutrition, characterized by a child's height being shorter than average for their age.

The high prevalence of stunting indicates suboptimal food utilization, possibly due to a lack of access to nutritious food, or a lack of public knowledge regarding balanced nutrition patterns.

Of the 9 cities in East Java researched by Bapanas, Pasuruan City had the lowest food security index with a score of 71.21. This score is not optimal, partly because food prices in Pasuruan City are relatively less affordable than in neighboring cities.

In 2021, the percentage of Pasuruan City households whose food expenditure ratio was >65% of total expenditure reached 22.4%, while the ratio in neighboring cities was only around 6% to 12%.