The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, QU Dongyu, presented President Joko Widodo of Indonesia with the FAO Agricola Medal, the Organization’s highest award, in a ceremony held at the Merdeka Presidential Palace in Jakarta.
“Under the leadership of President Jokowi, Indonesia has prioritized and made great progress in transforming its agrifood system within the context of sustained economic growth, even in the face of global challenges and uncertainties, including the COVID-19 pandemic,” the FAO Director-General said, using the name by which the Indonesian leader is popularly known.
He noted that this focus and success are captured in the inscription on the Agricola Medal which reads: Stronger Together for Resilient and Sustainable Agrifood Systems. This, Qu said also reflected his focus since taking office at FAO in 2019, for the transformation of global agrifood systems as a cornerstone for global food security.
In his acceptance speech, the Indonesian president said: “We dedicate this Agricola Medal to all farmers, all people who have actively contributed to strengthening the agricultural sector.” He also expressed the hope that “this highest award in the field of food and agriculture can awaken Indonesia’s collective energy to contribute more to world food security.”
The awarding of the medal to the Indonesian President is a significant milestone because it recognizes Indonesia as a large country of growing importance in the region and in the world, the FAO Director-General said. It is also “a recognition of the historic and continued collaboration between FAO and Indonesia, which has lasted for almost seven decades.”
The areas in which FAO and Indonesia have been working together include increasing food production; reducing food loss and waste; crop biodiversity; adaptation and mitigation against the impacts of the crisis; ecosystem restoration; forests monitoring and natural resources management. The work also focuses on prioritizing the food-forest-water-energy nexus.
The collaboration between FAO and Indonesia in recent years also reflects another convergence, one of future visions: that of the FAO Strategic Framework with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Golden Indonesia 2045 Vision – which will mark 100 years of Indonesia’s independence, the Director-General said.
FAO-Indonesia cooperation
Qu highlighted three specific areas of collaboration with Indonesia, which FAO is committed to supporting further with its technical and professional knowledge and expertise:
First: Digital Agriculture, including E-Agriculture. The Digital Village Initiative promotes digitalization in agriculture and aquaculture in Indonesia, especially among young entrepreneurs.
Second: South-South and Triangular Cooperation. FAO’s support to promote and facilitate South-South and Triangular Cooperation in Indonesia has a long history. In 1985, 4 million Indonesian farmers worked to create the Indonesian Farmers Fund, entrusted to FAO in support of African farmers. In 2021, FAO and Indonesia signed a Memorandum of Understanding on South-South and Triangular Cooperation and in February this year, FAO and the Government of Indonesia held a workshop to further strengthen collaboration.
Third: Aquaculture. FAO has been collaborating through the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, in the context of Indonesia’s Blue Economy Roadmap and FAO’s Blue Transformation Roadmap to, among other, review the national aquaculture biosecurity strategy and strategy for the management of aquatic genetic resources.
The FAO Agricola Medal is conferred by the FAO Director-General to extraordinary leaders who have demonstrated commitment and action in support of FAO’s mandate to eradicate hunger, reduce poverty, and ensure food security and nutrition for all, Qu said.
