For six months in 2019 the AIC’s Village Livelihood Program (VLP) trained volunteers to support improved health and agricultural outcomes in their home villages in West Sulawesi. Heads of the four participating villages have agreed that if this pilot program proves successful they will fund and support its continuation for 2020. Evaluation and analysis of […]
Food
Extra support for West Sulawesi farmer health program
An AIC project that trains volunteers to monitor and report outbreaks of disease in villages, and promote better agricultural practice, has been expanded using left over funds. It will now also provide ongoing monitoring and support for the program’s village-based volunteers. The Village Livelihood Program in West Sulawesi has two aims: to improve health security, […]
Averting a crisis of agriculture in the disruption era – Boardroom Dialogue with Dr Arif Satria
Dr Arif Satria, Rector of IPB University and veteran of marine and fisheries policy, addressed an Australia-Indonesia Centre boardroom dialogue in Melbourne in February 2019. In a discussion moderated by Professor Edward Buckingham, Dr Arif presented on his Agro-Maritime 4.0 concept, aimed at addressing global food, energy and environmental challenges in the era of […]
The importance of health for farming, and of diverse expertise for understanding
Researchers looking at cocoa farming practices in Sulawesi have delivered an impressive range of findings to diverse local audiences, based on a 2016-2018 study of food and agriculture that also evaluated community health and economics. The Australia-Indonesia Centre project looked at the ‘Sustainability and profitability of cocoa-based farming in Sulawesi’ and brought together researchers […]
Stunted, obese and unhealthy: Can cocoa help rebuild impoverished communities?
In West Sulawesi, 400,000 families depend on cocoa farming. But downturns in price and production are pushing families into poverty, with profound implications for public health. Fifty per cent of children stunted, 90 per cent of males smoking, and an increasing number of obese women. These were the results from a health and livelihood survey […]
Cooperatives: from wishbone to backbone
I had the great privilege of working in the Centre for Rural and Regional Development Studies (P3PK) at UGM in early 1991. Working in the presence of luminaries like the late Prof Mubyarto and so many young researchers from across disciplines was always exciting. Issues related to the role that cooperatives should play in the […]
Fishing for food security
Local fishermen in Indonesia are catching less fish. Whatever the reason, it is a significant problem for those who live on small islands in particular, as fish make up about 90 per cent of the protein they eat. A team of Indonesian and Australian social scientists is looking at how communities adapt to these changes. […]
Soil information to support sustainable agriculture and food security in Indonesia
Investigating how a soil information system can be linked to socio-economic data to support sustainable expansion and management of agriculture