Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDT), Yandri Susanto, has asked rural farmers not to hesitate to utilize the yards of their homes to grow vegetables and other produce.
Growing food in yards or on communal land can help ensure the availability of food, especially green vegetables, which could also support the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program, Susanto said in Jakarta on Tuesday.
“Therefore, please plant rice, tubers, and vegetables, because these will be needed for the MBG program. God willing, you will gain substantial benefits,” he added during a working visit to Bumi Raya village, West Nabire district, Nabire Regency, Central Papua province, on Monday.
The minister emphasized that the involvement of farmers, village-owned enterprises (BUMDes), and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the MBG supply chain will encourage local economic growth and maximize community welfare.
Earlier, head of the Village and Disadvantaged Areas Human Resources Training Center at the Ministry of Villages, Dicky Yosepial, invited all villagers to start growing food in the yards of their homes to achieve household food security.
He explained that home yards, often considered small and less productive, have significant potential for growing food, if managed in an integrated way.
“Every inch of land can be optimally utilized with an integrated farming approach. This means that even with limited land, families can still produce their own food,” he said.
Furthermore, Yosepial elaborated that villagers can apply the integrated farming concept to optimize yard land use.
He said that integrated farming involves cultivating crops, livestock, and fisheries within a small area.
The approach is not only efficient but also creates a sustainable and environmentally friendly cycle, he added.
He further noted that integrated farming can reduce the community’s dependence on external food sources. Households can save on expenses and even have surplus food to sell or share with neighbors.
Amid the threat of a global food crisis and fluctuating commodity prices, efforts to build food security can start at the household level, and need not rely on large-scale schemes, Yosepial said.
