The Climate-Nutrition Disconnect: Championing Indonesia’s Healthy and Sustainable Food System
Authors
Maria Dominika
Rasya Athalla Aaron
The food system in Indonesia urgently needs to be both climate- and nutrition-sensitive to effectively combat malnutrition and achieve food security goals. It must build resilience against the escalating effects of climate change and, at the same time, support public well-being through healthier, more sustainable diets.
Indonesia’s current food system architecture faces key bottlenecks that result in suboptimal outcomes, environmental vulnerabilities, and a structural dependency on homogeneous food commodities. It does not fully incorporate local and community level realities, and it treats nutrition as a minor concern within agricultural policy priorities.
A strategic policy paradigm shift is required, moving beyond a one-size-fits-all approach toward tailor-made sustainable intensification at the local level. This involves optimizing existing land efficiency while decentralizing interventions based on agroclimatic profiles and local food commodity potential.
The climate–nutrition nexus involves multiple government bodies that should work toward a comprehensive and aligned policy framework that addresses both climate challenges and nutritional outcomes as part of a resilient food system. This should be developed from existing core instruments, such as development planning documents and national dietary guidelines.
Gender equality, disability, and social inclusion frameworks should be embedded to ensure meaningful inclusivity and empower smallholders as crucial dual actors in both production and consumption within the food system.
