THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP IN STRATEGIC FOOD POLICIES CAN IMPROVE NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY
by: Zaedun, S.Sos
1. Introduction.
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The tide of globalization has driven changes in the values of democracy and human rights, sweeping across nations worldwide. Every nation is competing to create a democratic political system and implement human rights values in the practices of social, national, and state life. As it develops, globalization has also given rise to increasingly complex changes in the nature of threats to the fabric of national life.
Advances in science and technology have played a role in simplifying human life. Various efforts to master increasingly competitive technologies have encouraged people to focus on jobs that produce quick results without requiring long periods of time. Food scarcity has become a global issue and is a serious concern for the world's population, which has reached six billion. Strategic policy changes to increase food availability require preparation by every national leader. The role of leadership in achieving national food security is crucial for the sustainability of a nation.
According to John Adain, a leader is someone who possesses certain personality and character qualities, appropriate to the general situation, supported by relevant technical knowledge and experience, who is able to provide the necessary functions to guide the group to achieve its goals, while at the same time maintaining and building team unity. All of this is done based on the right ratio and proportion with the help of other team members (John Adain, 2008: 14).
A leader is a symbol of a social order and if it is a state leader then his leadership is expected to serve his people because on behalf of the state a leader is given the authority to play a role in protecting the state from various threats, even legally has the legal power to act on behalf of the state. In the social context, in relation to the role of leaders serving the people while expecting the role of the people in protecting the state, Marchiavelli once advocated that the state serves its people and the people serve their state (Alistair Mc Alpine, 2004: 11).
Indonesia, with its superior geographical area, natural resources (SKA) and the fourth largest population in the world, requires a leadership role in implementing strategic food policies to achieve food security for the safety and security of the state and the welfare of the nation. In reality, although Indonesia is known as a fertile country and has large SKA potential, until now the majority of food needs are still imported, while domestic food production still faces various obstacles that are very difficult to find solutions and farming communities do not have a comparative advantage in managing food crops due to high production costs (Pande Radja Silalahi, 2011: 486). This real condition continues to develop into a strategic issue in national development that is difficult to find solutions to because domestic food availability is not yet able to meet food needs. Even based on empirical observations, experts still find cases of food shortages in various regions in the country (Pantjar Simatupang, 2009: 1, 6, 7).
2. The essence of the writing.
Leadership issues are always interesting to discuss because they relate to the role of leaders in bringing change to the communities they lead. The role of leadership always has a strong appeal to everyone. Literature on leadership consistently explains how to be a good leader, the attitudes and styles appropriate to leadership situations, and the requirements for a good leader.
A leader, whatever his form and wherever his location, will always have the burden of being accountable for his leadership (Nasution, 2008: 127, 131). This concept of leadership was also told in the history of Caliph Umar bin Khatab, who when he met a family crying because of hunger because there was no food to eat, so with sincerity Caliph Umar carried a sack of wheat himself to give to his starving people.
In a social order, leadership is absolutely essential for realizing the desires of the people it leads. When someone begins to desire to influence others, leadership begins to manifest. It's widely accepted that a leader is someone with the power to influence the behavior of others.
Leadership is sometimes defined as the exercise of authority and decision-making (Robert Dubin, 1967: 7). In this regard, George R. Terry defined leadership as the activity of influencing others to achieve organizational goals (George R. Terry, 1960: 493). In today's era of global competition, the role of leaders is crucial in bridging the challenges faced by a nation. The role of a leader is defined as the behavior that is regulated and expected in a particular position (Ahmad Sanusi and M. Sobry Sutikno, 2009: 26).
In the context of social psychology, leadership is defined as a role defined as a series of ordered behaviors arising from a particular position (Sarbin TR and Allen VL, 1968: 488). Today, we are so fascinated by everything Western. Therefore, it would be wise to heed President Sukarno's repeated message, which calls for us to cleanse ourselves of... Hollands denken, it means we have to be able to do it unlearning (affleen) besides learning to strengthen and develop the creative power of independence, personality and potential of Indonesian culture.
The role of leadership can only be seen from the alignment of policies with what is believed to be true and can bring benefits to those being led. Today's leaders should not only be able to determine policies to anticipate various global changes and then submit to the currents. trends globalization, but must be able to be proactive, carve out future history and design the form of globalization and the world economic arena.
Threats to national sovereignty will become increasingly apparent when faced with a global market situation that relies on expertise, capital, and mastery of modern technology. Markets in the era of globalization adhere to a free market system, where the weak will be crushed, and those with strong access to the market will thrive. Regarding the role of leaders in formulating strategic policies for resilience,
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food security, then the Leader has full legitimacy to realize the order of social life, particularly in the area of food security. The role of the Leader must be able to provide creative space for improving national food security through short-, medium-, and long-term policies (Dale Timpe 1993: 109).
Leaders are not managers, so the first element of leadership is leveraging power to create transformative change. Leaders can play a significant role in formulating strategic policies toward achieving national food security if they have a broad perspective on the importance of food security development for the sustainability of the nation.
This view must be communicated so that it can convince people about the desired situation and requires persistence, consistency and focus on the problem of people's food needs which until now has been handled by purchasing rather than producing even though everything is available in a country that is rich in SKA.
The consistent role of a focused and persistent leader in development in the food sector must also be able to absorb the workforce to overcome unemployment and urbanization issues, thereby improving the welfare of the community. Leaders must have a strategic role as policy makers in the form of regulations, preparing agricultural infrastructure, having access to bank guarantees to land preparation, superior seeds and the use of modern agricultural technology, so they can play a more significant role in the progress and national food sovereignty. According to Miftah Thoha, leaders must be able to answer real questions in carrying out their duties. If we position the leader as an actor on a theater stage, then he can play his role as an obligation that must be played (Miftah Thoha, 2009: 10).
The role of leadership with a new pattern requires an understanding of a three-dimensional approach in realizing national food security, namely (1) A leader must have insight as the first step in the leadership role that balances strategic planning with implementation that is in line with the goals to be achieved; (2) Alignment is the second step in the leadership role by realizing togetherness in action through engagement in the system (a set of elements that are orderly and interrelated so as to form a totality), structure and process in
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development of a resilient food security system; (3) Empowerment as an important and strategic matter in the leadership role to unite the form of balanced interests between individuals, groups and organizations as a force to motivate changes in attitudes through empowering talents, emotional intelligence and awakening creative thoughts.
a. Strategic Food Policy.
As a country with a strategic geographical, geopolitical, and geoeconomic position, Indonesia has the opportunity to improve national food security and strengthen national sovereignty. Indonesia's tropical climate can assist every leader in establishing policies that impact national food security.
In the 1970s, discussions about achieving food security focused on global and national food security, ensuring sufficient food for the entire population. In the 1980s, food security policy focused on food security, shifting from macro-level (national) food security to household and even individual sufficiency.
The evolution of this thinking is abstracted by classifying it based on the stages of evolution of food security thinking as follows: (1) Food availability approach; (2) Food acquisition approach; (3) Sustainable food security approach; (4) Food security approach nutritional food security; and (5) Food sovereignty approach.
At the global level, the definition of food security is stated as: food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life (FAO 1996), so it can be understood that food security conditions are achieved if: (1) every individual at all times has physical and economic access to food; (2) the food must be sufficient, safe and nutritious to meet energy needs to lead an active, healthy and productive life (Suryana, 2008: 2-4).
Strategic policies that need to be developed for practical purposes and implementation of strategic policies into the leadership work program can be identified as follows: (1) At the national policy level: (a) the fulfillment of sufficient food for the entire population from own production is the main policy of the national food economy; (b) the policy of providing food from own production is obtained by utilizing, preserving and increasing the capacity of resources optimally; and (c) the policy of equalizing food between times, between regions, and between income classes is handled through the management of food reserves, distribution and food prices; (2) At the household level: (a) the main unit of the food security target group is the individuals in a household; (b) the benchmark for achieving food security is the guarantee of physical and economic accessibility to food; and (c) the availability of food at the household level must be able to guarantee that each member of the household obtains food in sufficient quantities to live a healthy and productive life; (3) At the commodity level: (a) the characteristics of food consumed are directed to have good nutritional quality for health and are safe, as well as halal for Muslims; and (b) even though there are many and varied types of food, the focus of attention to be addressed through government intervention is limited/restricted to several staple foods.
Food policy essentially concerns the government's regulation and facilitation of all aspects of the food economy. From production, processing, provision, procurement, distribution, and consumption, these are the government's primary focus in food development, implemented through various regulations, facilitation, and interventions.
The definition of food based on Government Regulation Number 68 of 2002 concerning Food Security is: "everything that comes from biological sources and water, whether processed or unprocessed, which is intended as food or drink for human consumption, including food additives, food raw materials, and other materials used in the process of preparing, processing, and/or making food or drink."
By this definition, many types of food are consumable, most of which are exempt from strict government policies. The government only plays a role when these foods are traded, to ensure compliance with quality, health, and halal food standards. Food pricing is left to market mechanisms. For some staple or strategic foods for the national economy, government intervention is necessary to ensure stable food security.
In line with efforts to increase domestic rice production, operational policies in the distribution and consumption aspects also need to be implemented in the form of: (1) Market intervention. input in the form of implementing subsidies (fertilizer, pesticides, seeds) accompanied by the implementation of recommended technology to increase productivity; (2) Market intervention output (rice and paddy) in the form of price incentives for farmers to motivate them to increase domestic rice supply. At certain times, the government carries out "market operations" by increasing the supply of rice to the market at a certain price so that the price of rice returns to a level that is affordable for most consumers; and (3) Intervention in the rice distribution system to improve the balance of distribution between times and between regions and guarantee the allocation of rice for the poor at subsidized prices (raskin) through the management of government food reserves and distribution.
Regarding the national food policy that can be implemented through the leadership role, philosophically it has the same basic framework, and is expected to remain unchanged in the next 15-20 years. The policy formulation that needs to be formulated in strengthening national food security in order to have sovereignty over food is: (1) At the macro level, strengthening food security is believed to be one of the main pillars for the sustainability of national development. Because, (a) Food security is closely related to economic security and national political stability; (b) Achieving food security is the basis for the development of quality human resources; and (c) Strengthening food security, which means fulfilling food for every individual, is a manifestation of the human right to food; (2) At the practical level, food policy is very dominantly colored by rice economic policy, with the main target to provide rice from domestic production (self-sufficiency) at a price that is affordable for the majority of the population and proportionally ranging from 90% to 99% of national needs; and (3) At the policy level, the role of current leaders through strategic policies can divide the roles between central and regional leaders, with the spirit of regional autonomy can formulate policies to strengthen the sustainability of food availability by preparing irrigation facilities, preparing agricultural land and superior seeds with the use of modern technology, setting competitive rice prices, and preparing financial institutions to fulfill agricultural management needs; (4) At the cultural level, promoting agricultural development as one of the important strategic policies in the nation's development agenda so that in a certain period of time we do not have families who suffer from malnutrition, or who survive by eating stale rice.
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b. Realizing Food Security.
As a country with abundant natural resources and diverse food commodities, Indonesia should have an advantage in agriculture. However, Indonesia's food needs are currently met by imports from Vietnam and Thailand, as well as Australia and New Zealand. Indonesia achieved rice self-sufficiency in 1984.
This production success was a major reason Indonesia was quite successful in maintaining food security at that time, preventing large-scale famines. Increased domestic production reduced dependence on rice imports, boosting self-sufficiency, and reducing rice procurement due to market volatility and foreign policy.
However, if viewed from the perspective of sustainable food procurement, the national food security policy implemented so far has clearly been less than successful because: (1) Despite the high cost, the time needed to achieve rice self-sufficiency is very long (more than 25 years) and can practically only be maintained for about five years. In addition, the increase in the degree of rice self-sufficiency is accompanied by an increase in the deficit of other food ingredients (soybeans and corn) because the production of these three food crops competes for the use of human resources, so that domestic production is not sufficient to meet food needs sustainably and rice self-sufficiency is not realistic as a goal of food supply policy in the future; (2) Policies oriented towards increasing rice production nationally have trapped farmers in poverty so that they are not conducive to strengthening family food security in rural areas in general and small farmers in particular. The policies implemented are focused on increasing rice production in rice fields so that they have a negative bias towards residents whose staple food is not rice and who live in dry land or highland areas. Production policies so far do not comply with the criteria of equality, which has led to cases of food insecurity in Papua and Nusa Tenggara; (3) Intensification of farming and the decline in irrigation quality have made farming vulnerable to pest attacks and climate change, making food production unstable over time, making domestic production increasingly unreliable as a source of national food supply; (4) Food production policies have led to excessive land use and the use of fertilizers and pesticides, resulting in negative effects on environmental quality. This phenomenon has led to inefficient land use and exploitation of marginal lands, leading to the use of fertilizers and pesticides exceeding the recommended dosage, and causing a decline in rice farming productivity, which is an indicator of the unsustainability of rice farming; furthermore, (5) Institutional policies that are top-down and coercive has led to the marginalization and death of local institutions and wisdom. Traditional food safety net and mitigation systems such as village granaries, food savings and loans, traditional planting patterns and so on, have practically disappeared, while formal safety nets are centralized in the districts, so that the food security system cannot develop healthily; (6) Government intervention has burdened the APBN. The leadership's policy stance that is oriented towards populist politics, by prioritizing subsidies to farmers and ignoring the provision of infrastructure facilities and agricultural investment incentives will have an impact on the decline of food security policies.
Based on the above paradigm, it appears that food production policies to support food security have not yet fully met the technical requirements of a sustainable food supply system. The policies pursued under the current leadership require significant financial support from the government and must be implemented in a "system-based" manner.top-down" by paying attention to farmers' aspirations and local wisdom.
This is necessary because it aligns with Indonesia's current objective economic and political conditions. Therefore, food production policies implemented to support food security should be reviewed in the form of a redesign of national food security preparations. Government Regulation No. 68 of 2002 concerning Food Security, Chapter I, Article 1, states:
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It is explained that food security is a condition where households have sufficient food, both in quantity and quality, which is safe, evenly distributed and affordable.
Therefore, the essence of food security policy is characterized by active government involvement in directing, stimulating, and encouraging relevant elements to establish a resilient and sustainable national food security system. Food security policy is also an integral part of national development policy, so its formulation must be integrated and aligned with macroeconomic policies. At a minimum, food security policy analysis should be conducted within the context of the current objective conditions of the national economy. More specifically, food security policy should be formulated as an integral part of poverty alleviation and economic growth policies.
Coherence between policies is the key to avoiding the policy dilemma that is a common characteristic of food policy instruments, so it is necessary to formulate a basic framework for national food security policies to be implemented by each regional government in synergy with existing community strengths. The framework of thinking adopted in designing food security policies is: (1) Prices that are "affordable" and stable enough to guarantee that all consumers will be able to obtain sufficient food according to their living needs; (2) Price levels at the consumer level are a reflection of the adequacy of the supply of food; (3) Stability of rice prices at an "affordable" level is sufficient to guarantee food security; (4) Domestic production is the most reliable source of procurement to guarantee adequate food supplies; (5) Therefore, food self-sufficiency is the most effective strategy for long-term food security policies.
The food security policy paradigm and strategy above have fundamental implications for the formulation of food production strategies and policy instruments, namely: (1) Agricultural development is prioritized on achieving rice self-sufficiency and food self-sufficiency in general; (2) Policies are directed at stimulating growth in rice and food production in general so that national food sufficiency can be guaranteed at all times; and (3) Rice prices at the farmer level must be kept as low as possible so that prices at the consumer level can be kept at an "affordable" level.
The role of leaders in strategic food policy actually began during the Soeharto era, when the country achieved food self-sufficiency and even exported rice. During the reform era, this policy was continued by Fadel Muhammad (Governor of Gorontalo), whose corn crop yields were able to meet nearly half of the nation's corn needs.
It is ironic for any leader who, in his leadership, consistently ignores the role of agriculture as a development priority. We don't
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realizing that until now agricultural crops such as soybeans, corn,
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Beef, rice, and even, most recently, salt, must be imported. Reflecting on this, we may not be too late in developing the agricultural sector, but we are already lagging far behind due to the lack of consistent leadership in building national food security.
In the free market era, Indonesia has become a primary market for foreign agricultural products, which have flooded the Indonesian market, thus marginalizing local agricultural products. Imported agricultural products are of superior quality and competitively priced, leaving local farmers powerless in the free market. The free market system, as a policy of the current leadership, has encouraged Indonesian elites and academics to admire the free market, even to the point of fanaticism. market fundamentalism increasingly imaginary in a real life full of inequality. Free market policies have slowly replaced and shifted people's sovereignty, so that people's access to marketing agricultural products is increasingly limited, losing out to foreign farmers. The free market is like a new idol in economic thinking, with all its mediocrity, without regard inherent defects-nya (Edi Swasono, 2010 : 73).
The fundamental problems faced in developing food security focus on two main things. First, there is faster growth in food demand than domestic food production growth. Second, The large proportion of community groups living below the poverty line. The direction of food security development is: (1) realizing food independence to ensure the availability of food at the national, regional and household levels that is sufficient, safe, high-quality, and nutritionally balanced; and (2) realizing food security is a shared responsibility of the government and the community, including the private sector. Food security development aims to strengthen food security at the micro level (households and individuals) which has strategic meaning and at the macro level (national).
As a thought to achieve the goal of developing food security, the general strategy referred to is the dual track strategy (twin-track strategy), namely: (1) building an agricultural and rural-based economy to provide employment and income, and (2) fulfilling the food needs of poor and food-insecure groups through providing direct assistance, accompanied by empowerment efforts to enable them to help themselves.
Indonesia's wealth extends beyond mining and tourism; its agricultural potential can also serve as a reliable source of foreign exchange. Indonesia's diverse food resources can be optimized through the policies and wisdom of each leader. The role of leaders in building food security extends beyond policy; they can also spearhead sympathetic movements by implementing strategic and cost-effective measures across various sectors.
Such sympathetic gestures will face challenges, both positive and negative, but they are necessary to rekindle a love for the food commodities found in each region. The Ambonese and Irianese have sago, papeda, and sinoli, while East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and other regions can utilize corn and sweet potatoes as staple foods, with rice as a supplement. Fish, meat, and vegetables can be consumed as needed and are readily available because communities are empowered to cultivate and grow them not only for food and drink but also for trade, thus contributing to family economic growth. As leaders, wherever you are, don't let the tongues of our nation's children become numb to the taste of Indonesian food.
In realizing food security, various concrete policies need to be implemented as follows: (1) Food Diversification. Food diversification policies are very necessary by paying attention to local resources, institutions and culture. Food diversification as referred to is as follows: (a) Increasing food diversity; (b) Developing food processing technology and products; (c) Increasing public awareness to consume a variety of foods with the principle of balanced nutrition; (2) Human Resource Development. Faced with competition in the free market, human resource development is an important factor in building national food security. Farmers as the spearhead of agricultural development need to be empowered with comprehensive agricultural knowledge skills up to the use of modern technology to support the acceleration of agricultural production and production marketing; (3) International Cooperation. In order to achieve food security, international cooperation in the agricultural sector is necessary. As a fertile country with adequate natural resources, Indonesian agricultural cooperation is not only oriented towards fulfilling national food needs but also towards becoming a country that can be relied upon to meet world food needs. The forms of cooperation that can be established are: (a) Education and training in the food sector; (b) Dissemination of science and technology in the food sector; (c) Food extension; (d) Capital assistance for farmers; (4) The role of regional governments and communities. Provincial, district/city governments, or village governments implement policies and are responsible for implementing food security in their respective regions, by paying attention to the guidelines, norms, standards, and criteria set by the Central Government in implementing food security as follows: (a) Providing information and education related to implementing food security; (b) Assisting in the smooth implementation of food security; (c) Increasing community motivation in implementing food security; (d) Increasing household independence in realizing food security.
3. Closing Event .
Indonesia's future development can proceed smoothly if security and monetary stability can be maintained. This stability can be maintained if the population's food needs are met. Therefore, developing national food security is a crucial issue in Indonesia's development.
In its implementation, the role of national leadership in strategic food policy to build food security is the right step to empower agricultural systems with comparative advantages and empower local wisdom, from production, processing, harvesting, food supply, distribution, and consumption. These aspects should be the government's primary focus in food development, implemented through various regulations, facilities, and interventions that are appropriate, rapid, high-quality, and safe.
