REPORT OR ANALYSIS BY TAJIE SYAHZAN

Climate Change and Food Security: What Recent Research Tells Us about Indonesia’s Food Future?

1  INTRODUCTION

Climate change is increasingly becoming a major challenge to Indonesia’s food security because its impacts extend beyond agricultural production to water availability, fisheries, livelihoods, and the capacity of communities to respond to climate-related disruptions. Indonesia’s extensive agricultural and coastal areas are exposed to changing temperatures, rainfall patterns, drought, extreme weather, sea-level rise, and changes in marine conditions. These pressures increase the vulnerability of both rural and coastal communities and create additional challenges for the development of the agromaritime sector (Jannah et al., 2024).

Food security, therefore, cannot be viewed simply in terms of how much food is produced. Climate change can affect both food supply and consumption. In Sumatra, changes in temperature and rainfall were found to reduce the production and consumption of major food commodities, including rice, maize, cassava, and sweet potatoes (Teapon et al., 2022). This demonstrates that climate change can influence the food system from production to availability and ultimately to people’s access to food.

2  CLIMATE CHANGE AND THREATS TO FOOD PRODUCTION

One of the most significant climate-related threats to food production is drought. Research by Andini et al. (2025) in South Sulawesi identified substantial spatial and temporal variations in drought conditions. Some areas experience droughts with high frequency and intensity, while others experience less frequent but longer-lasting and more severe drought events. This is particularly important because South Sulawesi is one of Indonesia’s major rice-producing regions outside Java.

Climate change also directly affects the productivity of major food crops. Teapon et al. (2022) found that increases in temperature and rainfall can reduce the production of rice, maize, cassava, and sweet potatoes in Sumatra. Meanwhile, climate-related changes are also affecting fisheries through changes in temperature, wind patterns, extreme weather, sea-level rise, and ocean conditions (Jannah et al., 2024). Thus, climate risks are not confined to agricultural land but extend across Indonesia’s broader food-producing landscape.

3  IMPACTS ON COMMUNITIES AND THE FOOD SYSTEM

The consequences of climate change extend beyond production losses to the livelihoods and well-being of communities. Farmers may experience declining yields and income, while coastal communities and fishers face changing marine conditions and declining environmental resources. Jannah et al. (2024) found that climate change can create livelihood dilemmas, crop failures, and loss of local knowledge among farmers and fishers. These pressures are further compounded by inadequate infrastructure, limited water management, poor road and market access, and environmental degradation.

Community vulnerability is also shaped by the capacity to respond to climate risks. Azhari et al. (2025), studying rice farmers in Karawang and Subang, found that farmers’ resilience was relatively low, while human and social capital significantly influenced their resilience. This indicates that responding to climate change requires more than production assistance. Communities also need knowledge, social networks, infrastructure, and access to reliable information to make appropriate decisions under changing climate conditions.

4  ADAPTATION AND STRENGTHENING FOOD SECURITY

Adaptation is essential for maintaining the stability of Indonesia’s food system. One important approach is providing climate information that can be directly incorporated into agricultural decision-making. Aziz et al. (2019) demonstrated that the Integrated Cropping Calendar Information System (ICCIS) can improve farmers’ knowledge of climate change, planting schedules, potential drought and flood conditions, pest risks, varieties, and agricultural technologies.

However, information and technology alone are not sufficient. Azhari et al. (2025) found that government-led agricultural extension alone did not significantly improve farmers’ resilience. A more pluralistic approach involving multiple sources of knowledge and strengthening human and social capital has greater potential to support farmers’ stabilization and adaptation capacities.

At a broader level, adaptation needs to connect agricultural and fisheries systems rather than treating them separately. Jannah et al. (2024) emphasises the importance of developing an agromaritime system through stronger infrastructure, knowledge, technology, innovation, connectivity, and community capacity. Food security under climate change therefore requires a shift from simply maintaining production toward building a food system that can anticipate, adapt to, and recover from climate-related disruptions.

5  CONCLUSION

Climate change represents a multidimensional threat to Indonesia’s food security. Drought and changes in temperature and rainfall can disrupt food production, while changes in marine conditions and environmental degradation increase pressure on coastal communities and fisheries (Andini et al., 2025; Teapon et al., 2022; Jannah et al., 2024). These impacts can subsequently affect livelihoods, food availability, and community resilience.

Strengthening food security therefore cannot rely solely on increasing production. Indonesia needs an integrated approach that combines climate information, technology, infrastructure, resource management, agricultural extension, social capital, and community capacity across agricultural and coastal systems (Aziz et al., 2019; Azhari et al., 2025). Ultimately, food security under climate change depends on the ability of the entire food system—from ecosystems and production to communities and institutions—to adapt sustainably.

“Healthy ecosystems, resilient communities, secure food for the future.”

REFERENCES

Andini, N., Santikayasa, I. P., & Setiawan, A. M. (2025). Spatiotemporal patterns of meteorological drought in the national food barn region: A case study of South Sulawesi Province. Agromet, 39(2), 120–130.

Azhari, R., Amanah, S., Fatchiya, A., & Kinseng, R. A. (2025). Can agricultural extension enhance the climate resilience of smallholder farmers? Evidence from West Java, Indonesia. BIO Web of Conferences, 171, 04001.

Aziz, A., Muljono, P., Las, I., & Mulyandari, R. S. H. (2019). Implementation of integrated cropping calendar information system (ICCIS) to improve farmer’s knowledge and to adapt the climate change. Bioscience Research, 16(3), 3226–3233.

Jannah, R., Kolopaking, L. M., Adiwibowo, S., & Maarif, S. (2024). Climate change, villages and agromaritime: Current conditions and future challenges in Indonesia. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1359, 012055.

Teapon, R. R. H., Harianto, Siregar, H., & Widyastutik. (2022). Impact of climate change and technology on food availability in Sumatera, Indonesia. International Journal of Science and Society, 4(3), 411–422.