BANDUNG, unpas.ac.id – Food security is a strategic issue which is currently faced by the city of Bandung. It was recorded that almost 97 percent of people’s basic needs of food in Bandung is distributed from outside the area.
Until 2020, the remaining farming-land left in Bandung is only 670 hectares which is getting decrease, both for residents’ construction and other needs. Bandung City Government only has about 23 hectares of the entire remaining farming-land.
To help handle this issue of food security in Bandung, Post-graduate Program of Universitas Pasundan underwent a MoA sigining with Bandung Office of Food Security and Farming.
This signing is follow-up action to the previous agreement carried out before. Later, to handle this, Unpas will be involving innovation product from Department of Food Tehnology and other disciplines.
This event was also attended by Unpas Rector Prof. Dr. Ir. H. Eddy Jusuf Sp., M.Si., M.Kom., M.Si., Director of Unpas Post-graduate Program Prof. Dr. H. M. Didi Turmudzi, M.Si., Head of Pasundan Foundation of Higher Education Dr. H. Makbul Mansyur, M.Si., Vice Rectors, Vice Directors of Post-graduate Program and Head of each Magister Departments.
Meanwhile, as representatives of Bandung City Government, the event was attended and represented by Plt. Major of Bandung Kang Yana Mulyana, Head of Bandung Office of Food Security and Farming Ir. Gin Gin Ginanjar, M.Eng., as well as other staffs.
“We have Department of Food Engineering which has its concern and is related to the issues of food security. The department will certainly be expanded since it will involve social and economic dimension, production, distribution and consumption,” said the Rector.
According to him, food security is still the main concern of economic and political issues. If it remains neglected, it is feared that this problem will not only affect the food supply, but also the need of water and energy.
“We need to be ready to help Bandung able to be independent in supplying food material and taking advantage of the current remaining land. One of which is by doing the urban farming program initiated by Bandung DKPP through the program of Bururan SAE,” he continued.
Head of Bandung DKPP Ir. Gin Gin Ginanjar, M.Eng., stated that Buruan SAE or a healthy, natural, economical yard is an urban farming program which is integrated to establish food security.
“The program uses a house yard to be planted of vegetables; therefore, people in Bandung have their own strength to product food themselves. Buruan SAE is now getting more developed and becoming an educational destination purpose,” he explained.
Bandung DKPP also has its own Integrated Service Unit for Food Crops, Horticulture, and Livestock which in the future will be used as a place for doing community service by Unpas academic civitas.
“Thank you for the support and suggestions from Unpas, in order to develop Bandung DKPP. We hope the people’s farming habits in Bandung would be able to get back up,” he said.
As representative of Major of Bandung, Kang Yana Mulyana hoped that the MoA could encourage the economic recovery affected by Covid-19 pandemic.
“I believe that the people in Bandung are able to collaborate in realizing food security because of the high sense of mutual cooperation. We need Unpas to contribute new ideas to create a better and more developed Bandung,” (Reta)*
