The Coronavirus pandemic in 2019 caused West Papua crisis in food supply. As a advanced solutions, a series of programs were formed involving various parties. They are optimistic to carry it out since basically this region has potential land to be utilized as best as possible.
The Programs at a Glance
The parties who contributing to the handling of the West Papua crisis come from local and national authorities. The targets of their empowerment as activators are also different. Please continue reading to get to know about them!
1. Kamar Adat Pengusaha Papua (KAP-Papua)
KAP-Papua is a local non-profit organization that highlights local food as the main solving through solidarity event.
They buy garden products such as sweet potatoes, then distributing it to those who are entitled. Besides, they provide work tools to the community that make it possible to farm.
According to Daawia Suhartawan, a local academic who is studying for his doctorate abroad, this step is effective, considering that the tribes in the highlands who do gardening can fulfill their food supply well.
Other thing that should be noticed is, it can also reduce the carbon residual as a contribution to pollution. He thinks that it is better to eat local bananas than imported apples.
Musa Haluk as the head of the organization added that the solidarity event also targeted students as support recipients. He considered that local food healthier than instant noodles.
Meanwhile, Elisabeth Tebai as head of the special field for handling the Coronavirus pandemic, is running a program that focuses on economic doer for indigenous Papuans.
Along with the team and in collaboration with other parties, she records traders, then distributes support to them. Not conducive situations tends to make them have fear of doing their work, so that it will have an impact on meeting food needs.
To complete the program, KAP-Papua is also coordinating farmers, especially its groups, to reopen gardens. Arnoldus Douw, as the person in charge of the Dogiyai region, even conducted socialization tours four times using the local language, Mee.
2. Ministry of Agriculture
The West Papua crisis is also a concern of the Ministry of Agriculture to take part in handling it. Their program will focus on Kampung Desai, Prafi District, Manokwari.
During his working visit, the Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo, persuaded the local community to jump start the development of plant cultivation, such as rice and sago as staple foods.
Prafi District has 886 hectares of land currently being utilized. The Ministry of Agriculture will expand it to 1000 hectares using Alsintan.
The expansion has been agreed after doing the calculations. According to Syahrul Yasin Limpo, 100 hectares can produce 3 billion, then what about 1000 hectares?
On another occasion, he also handed good quality seeds and fertilizer to farmer groups and millennial farmers. This program has also received warm welcome from other parties involved, Dedi Nursyamsi, since Papuan youth must utilize potential land.
3. Head of the Horticulture and Plantation Food Crops Service
The local government is preparing tens of hectares in several areas. Yakob Fonataba as chairman, said that this step was a follow-up to President Joko Widodo’s directives to anticipate the threat of a world food crisis.
All regional organizations will participate in realizing it in order to land maximization can be achieved properly. For instance, planting chilies in polybags.
The Programs’ Goal
There are three parties whose role is to anticipate the West Papua crisis in which they come from local and national authorities. Their goals are different, namely short-term and long-term solving. However, this combination creates an intensive series of programs since food is an essential daily need.
