Thomas Reuter
2University of Melbourne, Melbourne
Indonesian and global food systems have largely become unsustainable and face a number of increasing and emerging risks in the 21st century Familiar demand, supply and distribution risks will be accentuated by escalating ecological change. To alleviate food insecurity in a sustainable way is not within the capacity of the Indonesian state, though it does have an important role. It is suggested instead that the response must be very broad based if it is to succeed and thus must come from below. Fortunately, as the presentation aims to show, farmers in Indonesia (and elsewhere in Asia) are now mobilising, having understood that sustainability and resilience are correlated, and are finding new ways to achieve this without sacrificing productivity or raising costs and consumer prices.
Biography:
Prof Reuter is an anthropologist at Melbourne University with a research focus on Indonesia. He is on the board of the World Academy (WAAS) and Future Earth (Asia), past chair of the World Council of Anthropological Associations and advisor to various organisations and governments.