Jakarta. The vice presidential debate will take place later this week, and expert Eliza Mardian wants to know what the candidates have in mind to make Indonesia self-sufficient when it comes to food.

Indonesia will hold another vice presidential debate on Sunday evening. This time, the candidates --Muhaimin Iskandar, Gibran Rakabuming, Mahfud MD-- will face off in a debate focusing on climate and food, among other things. Eliza Mardian, an analyst at the think-tank Center of Reform on Economics (CORE), said that the candidates should use the opportunity to reveal their strategies on food self-sufficiency and crop productivity.

“Greater productivity calls for two things. First is intensifying agriculture, meaning we have to boost the farmers’ productivity in existing lands. Second is expansion through land clearing such as by creating a food estate,” Eliza told Beritasatu on Thursday.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s “food estate” program seeks to integrate food production --agriculture, plantation, animal husbandry-- in one area. 

Helping the farmers live better lives is also key to improving productivity. Eliza added: “If the price falls, I’m sure the farmers are less willing to plant crops because they feel like they are losing money. So they would spend less to expand their crop. So if you want to boost production, it is best to start with improving the farmer’s welfare.”

Eliza also commented on Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming pair’s strategy on food security. The candidate pair wants to revitalize millions of hectares of degraded land to turn them back to being productive again. By doing so, they are hoping to boost Indonesia’s food production, which will eventually enhance the farmer’s quality of life and national food security. 

But when it comes to agricultural land productivity, farmers must be equipped with the right tools and facilities such as fertilizers, according to Eliza. She added that the next government should build linkages between farmers and academic researchers.

“Many academics have done research on agricultural technologies that can improve productivity. However, the farmers are not informed of these research results. … So there is a gap between the academics and farmers,” Eliza said.