Nurturing Spirit Through Fiber for Food Security in the Future
Food security is increasingly being promoted by the government through the Ministry of Agriculture and other related government agencies. This effort serves as both an anticipation and adaptation to climate change, which will gradually complicate the cultivation of popular carbohydrate food sources such as rice, corn, wheat, and others. The demographic bonus and population explosion will certainly correlate with the food needs of humanity. On the other hand, the need for fertile land is increasingly encroached upon by the need for residential land, which in the future will complicate the balance between food sources and the world's population. Have you ever imagined that in the future, hunger will strike the world not due to economic factors, but because of the increasingly limited food sources for consumption? If policies to control population growth can no longer be expected to yield results, then another breakthrough is to increase the variety of food types that are suitable for consumption. Three frightening specters that have been identified and loom in the future due to their interconnection are population growth, climate change, and food sources as the main support for human life.
Researchers in the agricultural field, especially in the food technology sector, continuously conduct research for the diversification of agricultural products to be processed into alternative food sources. For example, research conducted by the Agricultural Research and Development Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture in 2013 highlighted sorghum as an alternative food source that has traditionally been developed by farmers in East Nusa Tenggara for a long time. Sorghum is a food crop that has long been known and cultivated by some farmers in Java and Nusa Tenggara. Traditional management reflected in the use of makeshift seeds and fertilizers results in yields of only 1-2 tons per hectare. Its use as a means of food fulfillment for subsistence farmers leads to a lack of incentive to achieve higher yields. The low area harvested for sorghum compared to other commodities, only about 25 thousand hectares per year in the last decade, has resulted in a lack of government attention to the development of this crop. Although classified as a minor crop, sorghum actually has several advantages over other food crops, such as being more tolerant to water shortages and excesses, requiring low inputs, thriving well on marginal land, and being relatively less affected by plant pests (OPT). Research conducted by the Agricultural Research and Development Agency as well as other institutions such as universities and BATAN shows that with good management and the use of superior varieties, sorghum can yield high results.
Field studies conducted by the Malang Food Crop Research Center (now the Research Center for Various Legumes and Tubers) in the 1980s and 1990s proved that with the right planting time and management, sorghum yields can reach 5-7 t/ha. In addition to releasing several superior sorghum varieties, the Agricultural Research and Development Agency also initiated hybrid sorghum research in the 1990s in collaboration with the international institution ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics). On the other hand, the development of sorghum also faces issues of comparative and competitive advantages with other crops such as rice and corn. The unavailability of markets causes sorghum prices to be relatively low compared to other commodities. Technological advancements that produce hybrid corn with yields above 8 t/ha make farmers increasingly reluctant to plant sorghum. Meanwhile, besides being easily attacked by storage pests during storage, sorghum seeds also contain tannins that require processing to remove them before consumption. The surge in world oil prices, accompanied by the continuously increasing demand for food and feed, has encouraged various parties to develop sorghum as a renewable energy source.
The Directorate General of Food Crops has conducted Sorghum Demfarm in several provinces in recent years, while the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises is also developing sorghum in several locations in NTB and NTT. A comprehensive study seems necessary to determine whether sorghum is indeed beneficial for further development and how its development strategy should be. Several questions that require answers include whether the sorghum to be developed is grain sorghum to support food and feed security or sweet sorghum for bioethanol, feed, and industry, or both. The development areas and farmers also need to be accurately identified through cooperation among various parties: Central and Regional Governments, private sectors, farmer groups, and other related institutions. Research support is expected to provide the necessary technology, such as harvesting and post-harvest equipment, as well as guarantees of fair prices.
From a cultural approach, sorghum farmers have traditionally utilized it as a staple food source. This is due to the dry and arid land, which generally becomes the natural condition in the Nusa Tenggara Timur region, being unsuitable for planting crops that require large amounts of water.
The IndonesianaTV Cultural Channel aims to preserve and promote Indonesia's diverse culture to the wider community, both domestically and internationally, through the airing of programs that highlight various aspects of Indonesian culture, such as arts, customs, traditions, and history. The IndonesianaTV Cultural Channel seeks to enhance public knowledge and awareness of Indonesian culture through educational and informative programs presented in an engaging and easily understandable manner for all audiences.
Cultural content related to environmental preservation and its current utilization on the IndonesianaTV platform is “Good Trees in Arid Land.” The program “Good Trees in Arid Land” is a documentary that explores the lives of the community on Adonara Island, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, who rely on sorghum farming as a source of livelihood. This program depicts the challenges faced by farmers in arid land, as well as the innovations and farming techniques they apply to survive and improve their yields.
The airing of cultural content on the IndonesianaTV Cultural Channel is a form of good practice that is expected to provide educational information that ultimately leads to the preservation of Indonesian culture and serves as a guide for future generations.
References
Agricultural Research and Development Agency. Ministry of Agriculture. 2013. Sorghum: Technology Innovation and Development